WIC Program: Improved Oversight of Income Eligibility Determination Needed

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The discretion granted by federal law, regulations, and guidance in certain areas of income eligibility determination for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has resulted in policy variation across states and localities. For example, while national survey data show that many states use an applicant's current income to determine income eligibility, GAO's review of 10 state policy manuals found that states differ in how they define the time period covered by current income, with some looking at income from the most recent 30 days and others using longer time periods. WIC administrators also have discretion in determining which members of an applicant's household should be considered part of the applicant's family, and both national data and state policy manuals suggest that states often provide local agencies with guidance in this area at the same time as they pass this flexibility to them. State policies also vary to some extent as to the sources of income that are included and excluded when determining an applicant's income eligibility for the program, according to national survey data.