2019-08389. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): 2019/2020 Income Eligibility Guidelines

AGENCY:

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION:

Notice.

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:

Implementation date: July 1, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kurtria Watson, Chief, Policy Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division, FNS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, [phone].

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 2019 was published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at 84 FR 1167, February 1, 2019. 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.

At this time, the Department is publishing the maximum and minimum WIC income eligibility guidelines by household size for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. 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, 2019. State agencies that do not coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines must implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines on or before July 1, 2019.

The table in 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.

Dated: March 28, 2019.

Brandon Lipps,

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.

Income Eligibility Guidelines

[Effective from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020]

Household size	Federal poverty guidelines—100%					Reduced price meals—185%
	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly
48 Contiguous States, D.C., Guam and Territories
1	$12,490	$1,041	$521	$481	$241	$23,107	$1,926	$963	$889	$445
2	16,910	1,410	705	651	326	31,284	2,607	1,304	1,204	602
3	21,330	1,778	889	821	411	39,461	3,289	1,645	1,518	759
4	25,750	2,146	1,073	991	496	47,638	3,970	1,985	1,833	917
5	30,170	2,515	1,258	1,161	581	55,815	4,652	2,326	2,147	1,074
6	34,590	2,883	1,442	1,331	666	63,992	5,333	2,667	2,462	1,231
7	39,010	3,251	1,626	1,501	751	72,169	6,015	3,008	2,776	1,388
8	43,430	3,620	1,810	1,671	836	80,346	6,696	3,348	3,091	1,546
Each add'l family member add	+$4,420	+ $369	+ $185	+ $170	+ $85	+ $8,177	+ $682	+ $341	+ $315	+ $158
Alaska
1	$15,600	$1,300	$650	$600	$300	$28,860	$2,405	$1,203	$1,110	$555
2	21,130	1,761	881	813	407	39,091	3,258	1,629	1,504	752
3	26,660	2,222	1,111	1,026	513	49,321	4,111	2,056	1,897	949
4	32,190	2,683	1,342	1,239	620	59,552	4,963	2,482	2,291	1,146
5	37,720	3,144	1,572	1,451	726	69,782	5,816	2,908	2,684	1,342
6	43,250	3,605	1,803	1,664	832	80,013	6,668	3,334	3,078	1,539
7	48,780	4,065	2,033	1,877	939	90,243	7,521	3,761	3,471	1,736
8	54,310	4,526	2,263	2,089	1,045	100,474	8,373	4,187	3,865	1,933
Each add'l family member add	+$5,530	+ $461	+ $231	+ $213	+ $107	+ $10,231	+ $853	+ $427	+ $394	+ $197
Hawaii
1	$14,380	$1,199	$600	$554	$277	$26,603	$2,217	$1,109	$1,024	$512
2	19,460	1,622	811	749	375	36,001	3,001	1,501	1,385	693
3	24,540	2,045	1,023	944	472	45,399	3,784	1,892	1,747	874
4	29,620	2,469	1,235	1,140	570	54,797	4,567	2,284	2,108	1,054
5	34,700	2,892	1,446	1,335	668	64,195	5,350	2,675	2,470	1,235
6	39,780	3,315	1,658	1,530	765	73,593	6,133	3,067	2,831	1,416
7	44,860	3,739	1,870	1,726	863	82,991	6,916	3,458	3,192	1,596
8	49,940	4,162	2,081	1,921	961	92,389	7,700	3,850	3,554	1,777
Each add'l family member add	+$5,080	+ $424	+ $212	+ $196	+ $98	+ $9,398	+ $784	+ $392	+ $362	+ $181

Income Eligibilitiy Guidelines

Supplemental Chart for Family Sizes Greater Than Eight

[Effective from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020]

Household size	Federal poverty guidelines—100%				Reduced price meals—185%
	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly
48 Contiguous States, D.C., Guam and Territories
9	$47,850	$3,988	$1,994	$1,841	$921	$88,523	$7,377	$3,689	$3,405	$1,703
10	52,270	4,356	2,178	2,011	1,006	96,700	8,059	4,030	3,720	1,860
11	56,690	4,725	2,363	2,181	1,091	104,877	8,740	4,370	4,034	2,017
12	61,110	5,093	2,547	2,351	1,176	113,054	9,422	4,711	4,349	2,175
13	65,530	5,461	2,731	2,521	1,261	121,231	10,103	5,052	4,663	2,332
14	69,950	5,830	2,915	2,691	1,346	129,408	10,784	5,392	4,978	2,489
15	74,370	6,198	3,099	2,861	1,431	137,585	11,466	5,733	5,292	2,646
16	78,790	6,566	3,283	3,031	1,516	145,762	12,147	6,074	5,607	2,804
Each add'l family member add	+ $4,420	+ $369	+ $185	+ $170	+ $85	+ $8,177	+ $682	+ $341	+ $315	+ $158
Alaska
9	$59,840	$4,987	$2,494	$2,302	$1,151	$110,704	$9,226	$4,613	$4,258	$2,129
10	65,370	5,448	2,724	2,515	1,258	120,935	10,078	5,039	4,652	2,326
11	70,900	5,909	2,955	2,727	1,364	131,165	10,931	5,466	5,045	2,523
12	76,430	6,370	3,185	2,940	1,470	141,396	11,783	5,892	5,439	2,720
13	81,960	6,830	3,415	3,153	1,577	151,626	12,636	6,318	5,832	2,916
14	87,490	7,291	3,646	3,365	1,683	161,857	13,489	6,745	6,226	3,113
15	93,020	7,752	3,876	3,578	1,789	172,087	14,341	7,171	6,619	3,310
16	98,550	8,213	4,107	3,791	1,896	182,318	15,194	7,597	7,013	3,507
Each add'l family member add	+ $5,530	+ $461	+ $231	+ $213	+ $107	+ $10,231	+ $853	+ $427	+ $394	+ $197
Hawaii
9	$55,020	$4,585	$2,293	$2,117	$1,059	$101,787	$8,483	$4,242	$3,915	$1,958
10	60,100	5,009	2,505	2,312	1,156	111,185	9,266	4,633	4,277	2,139
11	65,180	5,432	2,716	2,507	1,254	120,583	10,049	5,025	4,638	2,319
12	70,260	5,855	2,928	2,703	1,352	129,981	10,832	5,416	5,000	2,500
13	75,340	6,279	3,140	2,898	1,449	139,379	11,615	5,808	5,361	2,681
14	80,420	6,702	3,351	3,094	1,547	148,777	12,399	6,200	5,723	2,862
15	85,500	7,125	3,563	3,289	1,645	158,175	13,182	6,591	6,084	3,042
16	90,580	7,549	3,775	3,484	1,742	167,573	13,965	6,983	6,446	3,223
Each add'l family member add	+ $5,080	+ $424	+ $212	+ $196	+ $98	+ $9,398	+ $784	+ $392	+ $362	+ $181