[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11651-11652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6074]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 46 / Tuesday, March 10, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 11651]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and 
Children (WIC): Income Eligibility Guidelines

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department announces adjusted income eligibility 
guidelines to be used by State agencies in determining the income 
eligibility of persons applying to participate in the Special 
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC 
Program). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in 
conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Hallman, Branch Chief, Policy 
and Program Development Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division, 
FNS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, (703) 
305-2730.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

    This rule is exempted from review by the Office of Management and 
Budget under Executive Order 12866.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This action is not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and thus is exempt from the provisions of this 
Act.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This notice does not contain reporting or recordkeeping 
requirements subject to approval by the Office of Management and Budget 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507).

Executive Order 12372

    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance Programs under No. 10.557 and is subject to the provisions 
of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental consultation 
with State and local officials (7 CFR part 3015, subpart V, 48 FR 29112 
June 24, 1983).

Description

    Section 17(d)(2)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1786 (d)(2)(A)) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish 
income criteria to be used with nutritional risk criteria in 
determining a person's eligibility for participation in the WIC 
Program. The law provides that persons will be income eligible for the 
WIC Program only if they are members of families that satisfy the 
income standard prescribed for reduced price school meals under section 
9(b) of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)). Under 
section 9(b), the income limit for reduced price school meals is 185 
percent of the Federal poverty guidelines, as adjusted.
    Section 9(b) also requires that these guidelines be revised 
annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The annual 
revision for 1998 was published by the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) in the Federal Register on February 24, 1998 at 63 FR 
9235. The guidelines published by DHHS are referred to as the poverty 
guidelines.
    Section 246.7(d)(1) of the WIC regulations specifies that State 
agencies may prescribe income guidelines either equaling the income 
guidelines established under section 9 of the National School Lunch Act 
for reduced price school meals or identical to State or local 
guidelines for free or reduced price health care. However, in 
conforming WIC income guidelines to State or local health care 
guidelines, the State cannot establish WIC guidelines which exceed the 
guidelines for reduced price school meals, or which are less than 100 
percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. Consistent with the method 
used to compute income eligibility guidelines for reduced price meals 
under the National School Lunch Program, the poverty guidelines were 
multiplied by 1.85 and the results rounded upward to the next whole 
dollar.
    At this time the Department is publishing the maximum and minimum 
WIC income eligibility guidelines by household size for the period July 
1, 1998 through June 30, 1999. Consistent with section 17(f)(17) of the 
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(f)(17)), a State agency may 
implement the revised WIC income eligibility guidelines concurrently 
with the implementation of income eligibility guidelines under the 
Medicaid program established under title XIX of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). State agencies may coordinate implementation 
with the revised Medicaid guidelines, but in no case may implementation 
take place later than July 1, 1998. State agencies that do not 
coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines must 
implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines July 1, 1998. The first 
table of this notice contains the income limits by household size for 
the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia and all Territories, 
including Guam. Because the poverty guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii 
are higher than for the 48 contiguous States, separate tables for 
Alaska and Hawaii have been included for the convenience of the State 
agencies.

[[Page 11652]]



                                          Income Eligibility Guidelines                                         
                                 [Effective from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999]                                 
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                                              Federal poverty guidelines           Reduced price meals--185%    
             Household size              -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Annual       Month       Week       Annual       Month       Week   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    48 CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM AND TERRITORIES                     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.......................................       8,050         671         155      14,893       1,242         287
2.......................................      10,850         905         209      20,073       1,673         387
3.......................................      13,650       1,138         263      25,253       2,105         486
4.......................................      16,450       1,371         317      30,433       2,537         586
5.......................................      19,250       1,605         371      35,613       2,968         685
6.......................................      22,050       1,838         425      40,793       3,400         785
7.......................................      24,850       2,071         478      45,973       3,832         885
8.......................................      27,650       2,305         532      51,153       4,263         984
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
For each add'l family member add........      +2,800        +234         +54      +5,180        +432        +100
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                                                     ALASKA                                                     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.......................................      10,070         840         194      18,630       1,553         359
2.......................................      13,570       1,131         261      25,105       2,093         483
3.......................................      17,070       1,423         329      31,580       2,632         608
4.......................................      20,570       1,715         396      38,055       3,172         732
5.......................................      24,070       2,006         463      44,530       3,711         857
6.......................................      27,570       2,298         531      51,005       4,251         981
7.......................................      31,070       2,590         598      57,480       4,790       1,106
8.......................................      34,570       2,881         665      63,955       5,330       1,230
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
For each add'l family member add........      +3,500        +292         +68      +6,475        +540        +125
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                                                     HAWAII                                                     
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1.......................................       9,260         772         179      17,131       1,428         330
2.......................................      12,480       1,040         240      23,088       1,924         444
3.......................................      15,700       1,309         302      29,045       2,421         559
4.......................................      18,920       1,577         364      35,002       2,917         674
5.......................................      22,140       1,845         426      40,959       3,414         788
6.......................................      25,360       2,114         488      46,916       3,910         903
7.......................................      28,580       2,382         550      52,873       4,407       1,017
8.......................................      31,800       2,650         612      58,830       4,903       1,132
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
For each add'l family member add........      +3,220        +269         +62      +5,957        +497        +115
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    Dated: March 3, 1998.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-6074 Filed 3-9-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P