WIC Vendor Newsletter KANSAS NUTRITION AND WIC SERVICES

Vendor Newsletter KANSAS NUTRITION AND WIC SERVICES

The upcoming changes to the approved food list gave the WIC Program an opportunity to update the shelf labels and the Program Booklet for vendors. Stores will be receiving new Program Booklets and shelf labels the week of September 12 for the approved food change effective October 1. The shelf labels are made of a plastic material so they are much more durable than the paper ones currently being used. Even being plastic, it is a writable surface so if you need a shelf label for a product, you can make your own! One more change to notice—the majority of the labels are now half the length of the current label. The online UPC Listing will be updated to include the new products so there will be a complete listing of both lists of the brand specific products. On January 1, the UPC Listing will be updated again to only include those items on the new Program Booklet.

August 2011

The 2011 WIC Program Booklets with new WIC approved foods will be mailed to all WIC authorized vendors the week of September 12. These changes will go into effect Oct. 1, 2011. During the months of October, November, and December 2011, clients will be able to purchase foods listed on either food list . Please see pages 5‐6 for the Summary of Changes.

Upcoming Changes to WIC Approved Foods

NEW Vendor Materials

KANSAS WIC FACTS

July 2011

WIC clients served ‐ 74,716

Authorized vendors ‐ 363

Checks paid ‐ 184,134

Checks rejected ‐ 962

Rejection reasons:

1. Over allowed amount ‐ 22

2. Over allowed amount/Paid

via ACH—467

3. Missing/illegible stamp ‐ 235

4. Encoding Error ‐ 89

5. Missing signature ‐ 61

6. Taken Early ‐ 71

7. Taken Late ‐ 2

8. Previously Rejected ‐ 14

9. Incorrect vendor stamp ‐ 1

Appealing an ACH payment The Kansas WIC Program uses an ACH payment process to reimburse ven‐dors for rejected WIC checks that exceeded the maximum dollar amount. Vendors authorized to receive ACH payments can view these transactions at www.wicbanking.com. This process has been working well and has cut down on a lot of paperwork. However, it has come to our attention that vendors are questioning how to appeal an ACH payment. If a vendor feels that the ACH payment they received for a WIC check was not sufficient, they can fill out a Request for Reimbursement form. Com‐plete the form, including a copy of the receipt and a copy of the check. Indicate on the form that you are requesting an appeal to an ACH pay‐ment received. Include the amount of the ACH payment you received and the additional amount you are requesting. Mail the form to the State WIC Office. The Vendor Manager will review the appeal and contact the vendor to discuss the issue. The ACH payment process has helped cut down the amount of paperwork for vendors and the State WIC Office staff. If you haven’t been authorized to receive ACH payments, please contact one of the Vendor Managers to receive the required forms.

How to Access ACH Payment Transactions The State WIC Office has received questions about how vendors can access their ACH payments in order to reconcile their ac‐counting books. Stores will automatically receive a weekly statement from Covansys in the mail if an ACH payment was made. If that statement is lost please use the following informa‐tion to access WICbanking.com to view or download your store’s weekly ACH payments. Go to www.wicbanking.com If accessing this site for the first time,

User Name is ks__ __ __ __ (the first four digits of your WIC vendor stamp number) Password is wictemp

After your first login, the next screen will prompt you to change your password. Enter your Current Password: wictemp New Password: enter a new password (something easily remembered) Confirm New Password: re‐enter your new password

After updating your password, you will come to the screen below. Click on ACH Statement on the left. Select the month you would like displayed. If any ACH payments were made that month, the report will

be displayed.

To download and/or print the report click on either the Excel worksheet icon or the PDF icon

Once you have clicked on either the Excel worksheet icon or the PDF icon, the report will be gen‐erated and can be printed or viewed on the screen.

If you forgotten your password or need assistance, contact: Brad Iams (785‐296‐0093) or Sandi Fry (785‐296‐1327).

Price Buffer Decrease Every food item listed on a WIC check has an average price value associated with it. Added to the averaged price is a buffer percentage that allows for fluctuations in shelf pricing at the store. This creates the not‐to‐exceed (NTE) amount applied to the check. Over the past couple of months the State WIC Office has been gathering and analyzing check processing data to determine how far we can lower the buffer percentage. Through this analysis we have determined a new buffer percentage that we will begin applying to all food types on October 1, 2011. Lowering the buffer percentage could result in an increase in rejected checks for “Over Allowed Amount”. However, through good price gathering we are confident the impact will be minimal.

The State WIC Office will be gathering new pricing information through the Quarterly Price Assessment (QPA) process in September. It is crucial that every vendor completes the form to provide us with the most accurate shelf pricing information. The pricing information we gather helps set the average price for each food item authorized in the WIC program. Each vendor should expect to receive a QPA form around the first of September. You are required through the vendor contract that you signed to fill this form out accurately and as completely as possible. As always, please contact the State WIC Office if you have any questions or concerns.

The peer grouping system used in the Kansas WIC program was developed to group vendors across the state with comparable vendors. These groups are based on several different criteria. In order to maintain accurate pricing levels for individual stores, the program looks to the peer groups for food price averages. Kansas WIC uses six peer groups to group similar vendors. The current criteria includes total annual gross sales. This criterion will change to total annual

WIC sales. The complete list of criteria include: geography, square footage of food sales floor area, number of cash registers, store ownership, number of stores in chain, and total annual WIC sales. For your store to be placed in the most appropriate peer group, this information needs to be current. Changes to the above criteria should be reported to the State WIC office. The new criteria will enable us to evaluate the peer groups without relying on stores to send us total annual gross sales information.

Peer Group Criteria Changing

WIC Client Identification Requirements The Kansas WIC Program policies require identification to be verified dur‐ing each WIC transaction. Cashiers should ask for the proper identifica‐tion from the WIC customer. Proper identification is any type of photo identification , expired or valid, from the United States or other countries or a WIC Program ID card which has no photo. School identification cards and work identification cards are acceptable, as long as there is a picture and a name are printed on the card.

Compare the customer’s name on the WIC check with the name on the identification provided.

The new Program ID Cards, (see photo inset) will be issued beginning October 1. The WIC Program ID can be accepted as identification for a WIC client during a WIC transaction.

State of Kansas DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Nutrition and WIC Services 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 220 Topeka, KS 66612‐1274

264‐19

Contact Information Vendors should contact their Local WIC agency for concerns regarding complaints,

minimum stocking exemptions for infant formula and general program questions.

For information about: New vendor applications, contract renewal, training materials, approved foods and peer groups contact :

Sandi Fry 785‐296‐1327

sfry@kdheks.gov

For information about: ACH Transactions, rejected WIC checks, requests for reimbursements and pricing questions contact:

Brad Iams 785‐296‐0093

biams@kdheks.gov

Look for the “Information for WIC Vendors” link on our Website:

www.kansaswic.org

Kansas WIC Program Approved Foods ‐ Summary of Changes

This summary details changes in approved foods that are effective October 1, 2011. The new WIC Program Booklet will be arriving in your store the week of September 12. Refer to the NEW Program Booklet for more detailed information on approved foods. Food product changes are indicated in blue. Cannot buy changes are indicated in red.

Baby Food ‐ Fruits and Vegetables

Kansas WIC Program Approved Foods ‐ Summary of Changes

This summary details changes in approved foods that are effective October 1, 2011. The new WIC Program Booklet will be arriving in your store the week of September 12. Refer to the NEW Program Booklet for more detailed information on approved foods. Food product changes are indicated in blue. Cannot buy changes are indicated in red.

Baby Food ‐ Fruits and Vegetables No change in approved food product Cannot buy: desserts, dinners, cobblers, delights, multi‐packs or organic

Baby Food – Meats No change in approved food product Cannot buy: dinners or organic

Infant Cereal Changed to Any Brand from Least Expensive Brand

Milk (includes Lactose Free, Evaporated and Dry Milk) Changed to Any Brand from Least Expensive Brand Cannot buy: buttermilk, flavored milk, raw unpasteurized milk, non‐dairy milk substitutes, rice milk, organic or

almond milk

Cheese Changed to Any Brand from Least Expensive Brand Clients may purchase two 8 oz packages or one 16 oz package Cannot buy: imported cheese, cheese food, product or spread, shredded cheese, cheese with added flavors,

individually wrapped slices or organic

Fruits & Vegetables No change

Juice Remained Brand Specific (except for orange juice), see Program Booklet for changes in brands

Peanut Butter Remained Any Brand Authorized sizes are 16 – 18 oz jar Cannot buy: peanut butter spreads, peanut butter with added flavors or fortified peanut butter, natural or

organic

Fish Remained Any Brand Authorized container sizes are 5 to 15 oz containers No change in allowed container ‐ can or foil pouch may still be purchased Cannot buy: albacore tuna, tuna spreads, or any other type of salmon, lunch packs or fish with added flavoring

Kansas WIC Program Approved Foods ‐ Summary of Changes

This summary details changes in approved foods that are effective October 1, 2011. The new WIC Program Booklet will be arriving in your store the week of September 12. Refer to the NEW Program Booklet for more detailed infor‐mation on approved foods. Product changes are indicated in blue. Cannot buy changes are indicated in red.

Whole Grains Oatmeal was removed as Whole Grain option 100% Whole Wheat Bread/Rolls/Buns

Remained Any Brand Approved package size is 12 – 32oz

Whole Wheat Tortillas Remained Brand Specific, see Program Booklet for changes in allowed brands Approved package size is 8 – 32 oz

Soft Corn Tortillas Changed to Any Brand from Brand Specific Approved package size is 8 – 32 oz

Brown Rice Remained Any Brand Approved package size is 12 – 32 oz

Breakfast Cereal Remained Brand Specific, see Program Booklet for changes in allowed brands Approved sizes are only 12, 18, 24 or 36 oz packages Instant Oatmeal was added as a Breakfast Cereal option

Canned BeansCanned Beans Remained Any Brand Increased the selection of canned beans to:

Black Black‐Eyed Peas Fat‐Free Refried Garbanzo or Chickpea Beans Great Northern Beans Kidney

Lentils Lima or Butter Beans Navy Pinto Split Pea