FNS Documents & Resources

USDA’s approach to tackling food and nutrition insecurity emphasizes equity to ensure our efforts serve all populations.

The tip sheet provides a list of suggested practices that program operators may adopt to assist with proper meal counting and claiming when meals are served in alternative locations.

Stewardship of federal funds is a basic expectation of American taxpayers and is critical to the ongoing success of nutrition assistance programs. FNS continuously works to detect, prevent, and minimize errors and improper payments, as well as fraud, waste, or abuse. In this way, FNS preserves public trust, enhances partner relationships, and provides excellent customer service to program participants.

FNS has received questions about participant information sharing between WIC clinics and private health care providers. This memorandum sets forth the applicable requirements in WIC regulations that allow participant information to be shared.

Building on best practices to date and consistent with USDA’s efforts to improve customer service and increase state flexibility within the bounds of the law, while continuing to encourage states as laboratories of innovation, FNS is once again expanding allowable activities for states seeking to use vendor/private staff in call centers

In January 2020, the USDA FNS will publish in the Federal Register a proposed rule entitled “Streamlining Program Requirements and Improving Integrity in the Summer Food Service Program” to improve program efficiency while allowing local operators to spend more time focused on serving children.

FNS is issuing this memorandum on the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer transaction data as evidence of an intentional program violation.

On Oct. 6, 2017, we issued a memo regarding SNAP applicants and households who are sending certification materials to the USDA instead of the appropriate SNAP state agency for processing.

In school year 2013-14, FNS introduced the unified administrative review and a 3-year review cycle. Since then, FNS has received feedback about the difficulties of the shorter review cycle, both for the state agencies conducting the reviews, and for school food authorities preparing for and responding to reviews.

-- How do people use SNAP benefits to buy food in my store?
-- How do I get POS equipment for my store?
-- If I am eligible and choose the state-supplied POS device, when will I get my equipment?
-- Who can I call if I have other questions?