[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
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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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
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48 CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM AND TERRITORIES
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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
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For each add'l family member add........ +2,800 +234 +54 +5,180 +432 +100
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ALASKA
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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
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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
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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
