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Basic page About Area Eligibility

The Richard B Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) allows the use of school data to establish area eligibility in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program. The NSLA also allows the use of census data to establish tier I eligibility for CACFP day care homes and area eligibility for SFSP sites.

09/30/2021
Resource | Guidance Documents WIC Certification and Eligibility Resource and Best Practices Guide

The WIC Certification and Eligibility Resource and Best Practices Guide  is a compilation of existing regulations and best practices that WIC state and local agencies may choose to use when determining eligibility for the program.  This simple, 10-page document walks WIC personnel through the certification process.

07/20/2021
Resource | Policy Income Exclusions Under ARPA

The Child Tax Credit, part of the American Rescue Plan, significantly expands the child tax credit for 2021 and will be issued to families in monthly payments, beginning in July. These credits do not count as income for purposes of determining eligibility for WIC. For more detailed information on the Child Tax Credit, please go to childtaxcredit.gov.

04/23/2021
Resource | Guidance Documents FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP Income Exclusions under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

This memorandum provides information on the exclusion as income of rebates under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP.

04/23/2021
Resource | Policy WIC 2021-22 Income Eligibility Guidelines

This memo is inform FNS regional offices and state agencies of the release of the 2021-22 WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines. The 2021-22 Income Eligibility Guidelines are used by state agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in WIC. 

03/15/2021
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates Estimates of WIC Eligibles and Program Reach in 2014

This report, the latest in a series of annual reports on WIC eligibility, presents 2014 national and state estimates of the number of people eligible for WIC benefits and the percent of the eligible population covered by the program, including estimates by participant category.

09/29/2017
Resource | Guidance Documents Eligibility Manual for School Meals

The manual provides comprehensive information on federal requirements, policies, and procedures, and is intended to help state agencies and local educational agencies accurately determine, certify, and verify children’s eligibility for free and reduced price school meals and free milk.

07/05/2017
Resource | Training and Outreach Integrity Features of a Web-based School Meals Model Application

This webinar details guidance and best practices for incorporating integrity-oriented design features into web-based school meal applications. 

06/27/2017
Resource | Guidance Documents WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines 2017-2018

This policy memorandum transmits the new Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs) for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children that were published in the Federal Register on March 15, 2017.

04/18/2017
Resource Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2017-2018)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.

04/10/2017
Page updated: June 02, 2026