This interim rule amends the regulations governing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children to strengthen vendor cost containment.
This rule proposes to amend the Food Stamp Program regulations to implement certain discretionary provisions concerning the quality control system in Sections 4118 and 4119 of the Food Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2002.
This proposed rule would amend the regulations governing the WIC program to clarify issues that have arisen subsequent to the publication of the WIC Food Delivery Systems Final Rule on Dec. 29, 2000, and to strengthen further the requirements for state vendor management and infant formula cost-containment systems.
This rule amends the Food Stamp Program regulations to implement certain provisions concerning the Quality Control system in sections 4118 and 4119 of the Food Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2002.
This final rule delays from Feb. 27, 2002 until Oct. 1, 2002 the implementation date of the final rule entitled Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children: Food Delivery Systems, which was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 29, 2000, 65 FR 83248, and became effective on April 28, 2001.
This final rule strengthens vendor management in retail food delivery systems by establishing mandatory selection criteria, training requirements, criteria to be used to identify high-risk vendors, and monitoring requirements, including compliance investigations. In addition, the rule strengthens food instrument accountability and sanctions for participants who violate program requirements.
This final rule implements three FMNP-related nondiscretionary provisions mandated in the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998. The three provisions pertain to the use of program income as a state matching fund source, elimination of specific state plan ranking criteria used to determine funding preferences, and use of expansion funds to increase the value of benefits to recipients.
This final rule addresses significant comments received in response to the regulatory changes proposed in the proposed rule and finalizes regulatory changes to the Food Stamp Program’s quality control system in the following areas: negative case reviews, state agency minimum sample sizes for active and negative case reviews, state sampling procedures, federal subsample size formulas, error dollar tolerance level, home visits, case completion standards, and miscellaneous technical corrections.
This proposed rule would strengthen the requirements for operation of vendor management systems by establishing mandatory selection criteria; limitation of vendors; training requirements; criteria to be used to identify high- risk vendors; and monitoring requirements, including compliance buys. In addition, the rule would strengthen food instrument accountability and sanctions for participants who violate program regulations. It would also streamline the vendor appeals process.
This action announces the effective and implementation dates for certain provisions in final regulations published June 2, 1997, Food Stamp Program: Quality Control Provisions of the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act.