Recommendations of the Paperwork Reduction Work Group to Congress, USDA, and states.
This report offers updated estimates of the number of people eligible for WIC benefits in 2012, including (1) estimates by participant category (including children by single year of age) and coverage rates; (2) updated estimates in U.S. territories; and (3) confidence intervals. The national estimates presented in this report are based on a methodology developed in 2003 by the Committee on National Statistics of the National Research Council (CNSTAT). The report’s State-level estimates use a methodology developed by the Urban Institute that apportions the national figures using data from the American Community Survey.
Since 1992, FNS has produced biennial reports on WIC participant and program characteristics based on the WIC Minimum Data Set compiled from state management information systems. The 20 items included in the MDS are collected as part of ongoing WIC operations and consist primarily of in formation related to participant eligibility.
This report responds to a Congressional mandate for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to establish a long-range plan for the development and implementation of state agency Information Systems (IS) in the WIC program. In the development of this plan, FNS reviewed state agency system capabilities and consulted with the National WIC Association as well as systems experts. The WIC 5-Year Technology Plan included in this Report to Congress outlines the Agency’s goals, objectives, and strategies to address the current and future needs of WIC systems.