Flexibilities to Support Outreach, Innovation, and Modernization in WIC

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA, PL 117-2) gave USDA’s FNS time-limited waiver authority to support outreach, innovation, and modernization in WIC and the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). FNS encouraged state agencies to consider modernization priorities and request waivers necessary to support project goals. FNS only considered waiver requests until FNS' waiver authority ended on Sept. 30, 2024.

Waivers were issued to allow state agencies to optimize virtual services  in WIC and to improve the WIC shopping experience through online shopping and mobile pay projects. FNS encourages state agencies to provide virtual options to WIC participants to improve access to WIC’s life-changing benefits. Waivers were also issued to remove unnecessary administrative burden and improve program access.

Although FNS no longer has authority to issue new ARPA waivers, most waivers are in effect until Sept. 30, 2026, or until FNS ends evaluation efforts, whichever is later. However, some expire sooner; state agencies should refer to their respective approval letters for each waiver’s expiration date.

Check below for state agencies that have been granted ARPA waivers, by type.

WIC Virtual Services and Administrative Waivers

Physical Presence

42 USC 1786(d)(3)(C)(i) and 7 CFR 246.7(o)(1), which require that each individual seeking to participate in the WIC program must be physically present at each certification or recertification in order to determine program eligibility.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indian Township

Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, Inc (ITCN) Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Ohio Oklahoma

Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Puerto Rico Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation Santo Domingo Pueblo San Felipe Pueblo South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Remote Issuance

7 CFR 246.12(r)(4), which requires in-person pick up of food instruments when a participant is scheduled for nutrition education or has a subsequent certification appointment.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indian Township Indiana

Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, Inc Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Ohio

Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Puerto Rico Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Santo Domingo Pueblo San Felipe Pueblo South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Separation of Duties

246.4(a)(27)(iii), which requires the state agency to prohibit a single employee from determining eligibility for all certification criteria and issuing food instruments, cash-value vouchers or supplemental foods for the same participant or provide effective alternative policies and procedures when such prohibition is not possible.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Delaware Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos

Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Louisiana Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Navajo Nation New Mexico North Carolina Ohio Otoe-Missouria Tribe

Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of San Felipe Pueblo of Zuni Santo Domingo Pueblo South Dakota Texas Washington

On-Site Local Agency Monitoring

7 CFR 246.19(b)(3), which requires State agencies to conduct onsite monitoring reviews of a minimum of 20 percent of the clinics in each local agency or one clinic, whichever is greater.

State agencies with approved waivers:

• Kansas

WIC Vendor and Technology Waivers

Refunds or Exchanges (Online Shopping)

The waivers below allow for the return and use of electronic benefits when an online order is not fulfilled correctly.

7 CFR 246.12(h)(3)(ii)(A), which prohibits WIC vendors from providing unauthorized food items, nonfood items, cash, credit, refunds, or permitting exchanges for authorized supplemental foods obtained with food instruments or cash-value vouchers, except for exchanges of an identical authorized supplemental food item.

AND

7 CFR 246.12(bb)(1)(i), which requires state agencies, contractors, and authorized vendors participating in WIC to follow and demonstrate compliance with operating rules, standards, and technical requirements. The state agency has requested, and FNS approves, the waiver of the following operating rules only:

Operating Rule 4.7.8.3.a, which does not allow for a voided transaction to be used to return or provide a credit for WIC foods.

AND

Operating Rule 4.7.8.4.a, which does not allow returns for WIC EBT purchases other than in exchange for the same brand, package size and type of food.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Colorado Delaware District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas

Kentucky Louisiana Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Northern Arapaho Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island

Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Time Periods for Transacting Food Instruments and Cash-Value Vouchers (Online Shopping)

7 CFR 246.12(h)(3)(iv), which requires WIC vendors to only accept food instruments or cash-value vouchers within a specified time period.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Chickasaw Nation Iowa

Minnesota

Nebraska

Last Date of Use (Online Shopping)

7 CFR 246.12 (x)(2)(iii), which requires the last date electronic benefits may be used to obtain supplemental foods to be a minimum of 30 days from the first date.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Chickasaw Nation Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma

Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Northern Arapaho North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio

Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virginia Washington Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming

PIN Requirements (Online Shopping and Mobile Pay)

7 CFR 246.12(h)(3)(vi), which requires that WIC transactions (including either the signing of a paper food instrument or cash-value voucher, or the entering of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in EBT systems) occur in the presence of a cashier.

AND

7 CFR 246.12(bb)(1)(i), which requires state agencies, contractors, and authorized vendors participating in WIC to follow and demonstrate compliance with operating rules, standards, and technical requirements. The state agency has requested, and FNS approves, the waiver of the following operating rules only:

Operating Rule 9.1, which outlines specific PIN security requirements.

For security reasons, this waiver does not allow the state agency to allow vendors or vendor representatives to conduct WIC transactions by obtaining a participant’s EBT card number and PIN over the phone or through physical hand-off.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa

Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni

Puerto Rico Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Definitions – Vendor (Online Shopping)

7 CFR 246.2 - Vendor, specifically the requirement in the definition of vendor that each store must have a single, fixed location.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Chickasaw Nation Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa

Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe

Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Wisconsin Wyoming

Definitions - Routine Monitoring (On-site) (Online Shopping and In-store)

7 CFR 246.2 - Routine Monitoring, which ​specifically waives the requirement in the definition of routine monitoring that requires the monitoring to take place on-site.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana

Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Northern Arapaho

Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wyoming

Definitions – Compliance Buy (On-site) (Online Shopping and In-store)

7 CFR 246.2 - Compliance Buy, compliance buy means a covert, on-site investigation in which a representative of the program poses as a participant, parent or caretaker of an infant or child participant, or proxy, transacts one or more food instruments or cash-value vouchers, and does not reveal during the visit that he or she is a program representative.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arkansas Arizona California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana

Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Minnesota Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Northern Arapaho Ohio

Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Onsite Preauthorization (Online Shopping and In-store)

7 CFR 246.12(g)(5), which requires state agencies to conduct an on-site visit prior to or at the time of a vendor’s initial authorization. This waives the requirement that this activity is conducted on site at the vendor’s location.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arkansas Arizona California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada

Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Louisiana Kansas Kentucky Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation

Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Cashier Documented for Compliance Buy (Online Shopping and In-store)

7 CFR 246.12(j)(6)(ii)(B), which requires that for compliance buys, the state agency must document a description of the cashier involved in each transaction.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada

Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Missouri Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Navajo Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Omaha Nation Oregon Osage Nation Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pennsylvania Pueblo of Isleta

Pueblo of Zuni Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Tribe Santee Sioux Nation South Carolina South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tennessee Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wyoming

Mobile Pay

The waivers below allow for the return and use of electronic benefits when an online order is not fulfilled correctly.

7 CFR 246.2 - Food instrument, which defines a food instrument as a voucher, check, electronic benefits transfer card (EBT), coupon or other document which is used by a participant to obtain supplemental foods.

AND

7 CFR 246.12(b), which requires that food instruments be uniform within each type of system.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Citizen Potawatomi Nation Colorado District of Columbia Eastern Shoshone Tribe Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc. Georgia Hawaii Idaho Inter-Tribal Council Inc of Oklahoma

Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation or Three Affiliated Tribes) Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Montana Muscogee (Creek) Nation Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Arapaho Ohio Omaha Nation

Oregon Otoe-Missouria Tribe Pleasant Point Tribe Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Zuni Puerto Rico Rhode Island Rosebud Sioux Nation Santee Sioux Nation South Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Texas Utah Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Washington West Virginia Wichita, Caddo & Delaware (WCD) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Wisconsin Wyoming

Nonprofits at Farmers’ Markets

7 CFR 246.12(v), which states that the state agency “may authorize farmers, farmers’ markets, and/or roadside stands to accept the cash-value voucher for eligible fruits and vegetables.”

State agencies with approved waivers:

Acoma, Canoncito & Laguna (ACL) Arizona Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Colorado

District of Columbia Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Michigan

Minnesota New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pueblo of Zuni Santo Domingo Utah

Minimum Purchase Quantities

7 CFR 246.12(bb)(1)(i), Operating Rule 4.7.1.b, which requires state agencies, contractors, and authorized vendors participating in WIC to follow and demonstrate compliance with operating rules, standards, and technical requirements. The state agency has requested, and FNS approves, the waiver of the following operating rules only:

• Operating Rule 4.7.1.b, which does not allow for minimum purchase amounts or quantities to be required for WIC participants.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Iowa Minnesota

Nebraska Rosebud Sioux Tribe

South Dakota Wisconsin

New Vendor Equipage – Operational Costs

7 CFR 246.12(aa)(4)(i) which prohibits a state agency from paying ongoing maintenance, processing fees or operational costs for any vendor, farmer or farmers' market utilizing multi-function systems and equipment, after completion of statewide EBT implementation.

State agencies with approved waivers:

• Wisconsin

Existing Vendor Equipage - Operational Costs

7 CFR 246.12(aa)(4) AND 7 CFR 246.12(h)(3)(xxx), which prohibits a state agency from paying ongoing maintenance, processing fees or operational costs for any vendor, farmer or farmers' market utilizing multi-function systems and equipment, after completion of statewide EBT implementation.

State agencies with approved waivers:

• New Jersey

Vendor Equipage – Cost Sharing

7 CFR 246.12(aa)(2), if WIC program equipment is multi-function equipment, the state agency shall develop cost sharing criteria with authorized WIC vendors, farmers and farmers' markets for costs associated with such equipment in accordance with federal cost principles. Any cost sharing agreements shall be developed between a state agency and its vendors, farmers, or farmers' markets depending on the type, scope and capabilities of shared equipment. The state agency must furnish its allocation and/or cost sharing methodology to the department as part of the advanced planning document for review and approval before incurring costs.

State agencies with approved waivers:

• Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Extension of Vendor Agreements

7 CFR 246.12(h)(1)(i), which requires state agencies to enter into written agreements with all authorized vendors and the agreements must be for a period to not exceed three years.

State agencies with approved waivers:

• Utah

FMNP Waivers

Interactive Training (FMNP)

7 CFR 248.10(a)(4), which requires that a state agency will ensure that face-to-face training is conducted prior to start up of the first year of FMNP participation of a farmers' market and individual farmer.

AND

7 CFR 248.10(d), which requires a state agency to conduct a face-to-face training for all farmers and farmers' market managers who have never previously participated in the program prior to their commencing participation in the FMNP.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Alaska Arkansas California Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Colorado District of Columbia

Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc Georgia Illinois Kentucky Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri New Hampshire

New Jersey North Carolina Ohio San Felipe Pueblo Tennessee West Virginia Wisconsin

Monitoring (FMNP)

7 CFR 248.10(e)(2) and 7 CFR 248.17(c)(1), which require the state agency to conduct annual, on-site monitoring of at least 10 percent of farmers, 10 percent of farmers’ markets, and 10 percent of roadside stands which includes those farmers, farmers’ markets and roadside stands identified as highest risk.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Arkansas Cherokee Nation Colorado District of Columbia Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc Georgia

Illinois Kentucky Maryland Michigan New Hampshire New Jersey North Carolina

Ohio Pennsylvania San Felipe Pueblo West Virginia Wisconsin

Benefit Cap (FMNP)

42 U.S.C.1786(m)(5)(C)(ii) and 7 CFR 248.8(b), which require state agencies to issue benefits valued at no more than $30 to each recipient, or each family within a household in those states which elect to issue benefits on a household basis under § 248.6(c).

State agencies with approved waivers:

Arizona Arkansas Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation District of Columbia Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos Georgia Indiana

Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina

Ohio Oregon Osage Nation Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island San Felipe Pueblo South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin

Bulk Purchase (FMNP)

The citations listed below are waived to allow FMNP state agencies to provide participants in rural and other areas with limited access to farmers’ markets the option to receive a produce box instead of purchasing produce at a market.

42 USC § 1786(m)(1), which requires that state agencies provide recipients with coupons that may be exchanged at farmers’ markets or roadside stands.

AND

7 CFR 248.1(a), which requires that to fulfill FMNP’s purpose, the program must provide participants with fresh produce from farmers' markets.

AND

42 USC § 1786(m)(6)(D)(iii), 7 CFR 248.2 "Farmer", and 7 CFR 248.10(a)(2), which require authorized farmers to sell produce to recipients in exchange for coupons at farmers’ markets.

State agencies with approved waivers:

Arizona Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma District of Columbia Georgia Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc Indiana Kentucky

Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri New Mexico New York Nevada North Carolina Ohio

Omaha Nation Osage Nation South Carolina Texas Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin

Related Research

• The Use and Impact of Federal Waivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Summary Findings From Surveys of WIC State and Local Agencies (04/26/23)
• Conducting Remote WIC Certification Appointments During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Surveys of WIC State and Local Agencies (04/26/23)

Disclaimer: This page displays all waivers issued by FNS. Some waivers have expired or been inactivated at the state agency’s discretion.