[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17977-17979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06541]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children (WIC): 2022/2023 Income Eligibility Guidelines

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (``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). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in 
conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

DATES: Applicable date July 1, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Post, Acting Chief, Policy 
Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division, FNS, USDA, 1320 Braddock 
Place, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703-457-7708.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

    This notice is exempt 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 
29100, June 24, 1983, and 49 FR 22675, May 31, 1984).

Description

    Section 17(d)(2)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended 
(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 if they are members of families that satisfy the income 
standard prescribed for reduced-price school meals under section 9(b) 
of the Richard B. Russell 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 
2022 was published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
at 87 FR 3315, January 12, 2022. The guidelines published by HHS are 
referred to as the ``poverty guidelines.''
    Program Regulations at 7 CFR 246.7(d)(1) specify that State 
agencies may prescribe income guidelines either equaling the income 
guidelines established under Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell 
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.
    Currently, the Department is publishing the maximum and minimum WIC 
income eligibility guidelines by household size for the period of July 
1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Consistent with section 17(f)(17) of 
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended (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, i.e., 
earlier in the year, but in no case may implementation take place later 
than July 1, 2022. State agencies that do not coordinate implementation 
with the revised Medicaid guidelines must

[[Page 17978]]

implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines on or before July 1, 
2022.

                                                              Income Eligibility Guidelines
                                                     [Effective from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Federal poverty guidelines--100%                          Reduced price meals--185%
                                           -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Household size                                        Twice-                                                 Twice-
                                              Annual    Monthly    monthly   Bi-weekly    Weekly     Annual    Monthly    monthly   Bi-weekly    Weekly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    48 Contiguous States, D.C., Guam and Territories
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.........................................    $13,590     $1,133       $567       $523       $262    $25,142     $2,096     $1,048       $967       $484
2.........................................     18,310      1,526        763        705        353     33,874      2,823      1,412      1,303        652
3.........................................     23,030      1,920        960        886        443     42,606      3,551      1,776      1,639        820
4.........................................     27,750      2,313      1,157      1,068        534     51,338      4,279      2,140      1,975        988
5.........................................     32,470      2,706      1,353      1,249        625     60,070      5,006      2,503      2,311      1,156
6.........................................     37,190      3,100      1,550      1,431        716     68,802      5,734      2,867      2,647      1,324
7.........................................     41,910      3,493      1,747      1,612        806     77,534      6,462      3,231      2,983      1,492
8.........................................     46,630      3,886      1,943      1,794        897     86,266      7,189      3,595      3,318      1,659
Each add'l family member add..............    + 4,720      + 394      + 197      + 182       + 91    + 8,732      + 728      + 364      + 336      + 168
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         Alaska
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.........................................     16,990      1,416        708        654        327     31,432      2,620      1,310      1,209        605
2.........................................     22,890      1,908        954        881        441     42,347      3,529      1,765      1,629        815
3.........................................     28,790      2,400      1,200      1,108        554     53,262      4,439      2,220      2,049      1,025
4.........................................     34,690      2,891      1,446      1,335        668     64,177      5,349      2,675      2,469      1,235
5.........................................     40,590      3,383      1,692      1,562        781     75,092      6,258      3,129      2,889      1,445
6.........................................     46,490      3,875      1,938      1,789        895     86,007      7,168      3,584      3,308      1,654
7.........................................     52,390      4,366      2,183      2,015      1,008     96,922      8,077      4,039      3,728      1,864
8.........................................     58,290      4,858      2,429      2,242      1,121    107,837      8,987      4,494      4,148      2,074
Each add'l family member add..............    + 5,900      + 492      + 246      + 227      + 114   + 10,915      + 910      + 455      + 420      + 210
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         Hawaii
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.........................................     15,630      1,303        652        602        301     28,916      2,410      1,205      1,113        557
2.........................................     21,060      1,755        878        810        405     38,961      3,247      1,624      1,499        750
3.........................................     26,490      2,208      1,104      1,019        510     49,007      4,084      2,042      1,885        943
4.........................................     31,920      2,660      1,330      1,228        614     59,052      4,921      2,461      2,272      1,136
5.........................................     37,350      3,113      1,557      1,437        719     69,098      5,759      2,880      2,658      1,329
6.........................................     42,780      3,565      1,783      1,646        823     79,143      6,596      3,298      3,044      1,522
7.........................................     48,210      4,018      2,009      1,855        928     89,189      7,433      3,717      3,431      1,716
8.........................................     53,640      4,470      2,235      2,064      1,032     99,234      8,270      4,135      3,817      1,909
Each add'l family member add..............    + 5,430      + 453      + 227      + 209      + 105   + 10,046      + 838      + 419      + 387      + 194
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                              Income Eligibility Guidelines
                                      [Effective from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023--household size larger than 8]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Federal poverty guidelines--100%                          Reduced price meals--185%
                                           -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Household size                                        Twice-                                                 Twice-
                                              Annual    Monthly    monthly   Bi-weekly    Weekly     Annual    Monthly    monthly   Bi-weekly    Weekly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    48 Contiguous States, D.C., Guam and Territories
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.........................................    $51,350     $4,280     $2,140     $1,975       $988    $94,998     $7,917     $3,959     $3,654     $1,827
10........................................     56,070      4,673      2,337      2,157      1,079    103,730      8,645      4,323      3,990      1,995
11........................................     60,790      5,066      2,533      2,339      1,170    112,462      9,372      4,686      4,326      2,163
12........................................     65,510      5,460      2,730      2,520      1,260    121,194     10,100      5,050      4,662      2,331
13........................................     70,230      5,853      2,927      2,702      1,351    129,926     10,828      5,414      4,998      2,499
14........................................     74,950      6,246      3,123      2,883      1,442    138,658     11,555      5,778      5,333      2,667
15........................................     79,670      6,640      3,320      3,065      1,533    147,390     12,283      6,142      5,669      2,835
16........................................     84,390      7,033      3,517      3,246      1,623    156,122     13,011      6,506      6,005      3,003
Each add'l family member add..............    + 4,720      + 394      + 197      + 182       + 91    + 8,732      + 728      + 364      + 336      + 168
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         Alaska
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.........................................     64,190      5,350      2,675      2,469      1,235    118,752      9,896      4,948      4,568      2,284
10........................................     70,090      5,841      2,921      2,696      1,348    129,667     10,806      5,403      4,988      2,494
11........................................     75,990      6,333      3,167      2,923      1,462    140,582     11,716      5,858      5,407      2,704
12........................................     81,890      6,825      3,413      3,150      1,575    151,497     12,625      6,313      5,827      2,914
13........................................     87,790      7,316      3,658      3,377      1,689    162,412     13,535      6,768      6,247      3,124
14........................................     93,690      7,808      3,904      3,604      1,802    173,327     14,444      7,222      6,667      3,334
15........................................     99,590      8,300      4,150      3,831      1,916    184,242     15,354      7,677      7,087      3,544
16........................................    105,490      8,791      4,396      4,058      2,029    195,157     16,264      8,132      7,507      3,754
Each add'l family member add..............    + 5,900      + 492      + 246      + 227      + 114   + 10,915      + 910      + 455      + 420      + 210
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         Hawaii
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.........................................     59,070      4,923      2,462      2,272      1,136    109,280      9,107      4,554      4,204      2,102
10........................................     64,500      5,375      2,688      2,481      1,241    119,325      9,944      4,972      4,590      2,295
11........................................     69,930      5,828      2,914      2,690      1,345    129,371     10,781      5,391      4,976      2,488
12........................................     75,360      6,280      3,140      2,899      1,450    139,416     11,618      5,809      5,363      2,682

[[Page 17979]]

 
13........................................     80,790      6,733      3,367      3,108      1,554    149,462     12,456      6,228      5,749      2,875
14........................................     86,220      7,185      3,593      3,317      1,659    159,507     13,293      6,647      6,135      3,068
15........................................     91,650      7,638      3,819      3,525      1,763    169,553     14,130      7,065      6,522      3,261
16........................................     97,080      8,090      4,045      3,734      1,867    179,598     14,967      7,484      6,908      3,454
Each add'l family member add..............    + 5,430      + 453      + 227      + 209      + 105   + 10,046      + 838      + 419      + 387      + 194
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The table of this Notice contains the income limits by household 
size for the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia, and all 
United States Territories, including Guam. Separate tables for Alaska 
and Hawaii have been included for the convenience of the State agencies 
because the poverty guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii are higher than 
for the 48 contiguous States.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1786.

Cynthia Long,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.
[FR Doc. 2022-06541 Filed 3-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P