[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15153-15154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8096]
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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. 62, No. 61 / Monday, March 31, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 15153]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Consumer Service
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC): Poverty Income Guidelines
AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department announces adjusted poverty income 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 poverty
income guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC
Regulations.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Hallman, Branch Chief, Policy
and Program Development Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division,
FCS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, (703)
305-2730.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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 Income 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 1997 was published by the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) in the Federal Register on March 10, 1997 at 62 FR
10856. The guidelines published by DHHS are referred to as the poverty
income 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 income guidelines. Consistent with the
method used to compute eligibility guidelines for reduced price meals
under the National School Lunch Program, the poverty income 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 poverty income limits by household size for the period July 1, 1997
through June 30, 1998. 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, 1997. State agencies that do not
coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines must
implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines July 1, 1997. 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 income 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.
Income Eligibility Guidelines
[Effective from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998]
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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................................. 7,890 658 152 14,597 1,217 281
[[Page 15154]]
2................................. 10,610 885 205 19,629 1,636 378
3................................. 13,330 1,111 257 24,661 2,056 475
4................................. 16,050 1,338 309 29,693 2,475 572
5................................. 18,770 1,565 361 34,725 2,894 668
6................................. 21,490 1,791 414 39,757 3,314 765
7................................. 24,210 2,018 466 44,789 3,733 862
8................................. 26,930 2,245 518 49,821 4,152 959
For each add'l family member add.. +2,720 +227 +53 +5,032 +420 +97
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ALASKA
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1................................. 9,870 823 190 18,260 1,522 352
2................................. 13,270 1,106 256 24,550 2,046 473
3................................. 16,670 1,390 321 30,840 2,570 594
4................................. 20,070 1,673 386 37,130 3,095 715
5................................. 23,470 1,956 452 43,420 3,619 835
6................................. 26,870 2,240 517 49,710 4,143 956
7................................. 30,270 2,523 583 56,000 4,667 1,077
8................................. 33,670 2,806 648 62,290 5,191 1,198
For each add'l family member add.. +3,400 +284 +66 +6,290 +525 +121
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HAWAII
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1................................. 9,070 756 175 16,780 1,399 323
2................................. 12,200 1,017 235 22,570 1,881 435
3................................. 15,330 1,278 295 28,361 2,364 546
4................................. 18,460 1,539 355 34,151 2,846 657
5................................. 21,590 1,800 416 39,942 3,329 769
6................................. 24,720 2,060 476 45,732 3,811 880
7................................. 27,850 2,321 536 51,523 4,294 991
8................................. 30,980 2,582 596 57,313 4,777 1,103
For each add'l family member add.. +3,130 +261 +61 +5,791 +483 +112
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Dated: March 21, 1997.
William E. Ludwig,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-8096 Filed 3-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
