C. Guidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and EBT Data

WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Study 2024 and 2026

C. Guidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and EBT Data

OMB: 0584-0609

Document [docx]
Download: docx | pdf

OMB Control #: 0584-0609

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx

Appendix C.
Guidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and EBT Data





Shape2

Guidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and Electronic Benefit Transfer Data

WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024

Shape3

This information is being collected from State agencies to enable the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to prepare biennial reports on WIC participant and program characteristics. This is a mandatory collection authorized under 7 CFR §246.25(b)(3). FNS uses the data from these reports to estimate budgets, submit civil rights reporting, identify needs for research, and to develop and review WIC policies and procedures. Under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the System of Record Notice FNS-8 USDA/FNS Studies and Reports, any personally identifying information obtained will be kept private to the extent of the law. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-00609. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 480 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: PRA (0584-0609*). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Contents



Tables


Chapter 1. Introducing WIC PC+

Shape4

What are the benefits of longitudinal data and EBT data?

WIC PC+ will allow us to track participant-level changes, develop national measures of retention and breastfeeding duration, examine trends in food package redemption, and much more. Importantly, WIC PC+ data will support the evaluation of WIC modernization initiatives and other research efforts. You should expect to see a wider range of WIC PC products to make WIC data and measures more accessible to a wider range of audiences.

If this is the first time you have worked on WIC PC—short for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Participant and Program Characteristics—welcome! If you are returning to the project, welcome back! Through the WIC PC report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides everyone with comprehensive and up-to-date statistics on WIC. The information has and will continue to be used to estimate budgets, design research, and review current and proposed WIC policies and procedures—all important activities that keep WIC running smoothly and highlight ways to improve the program. A major benefit of this iteration of WIC PC will be the collection of longitudinal characteristics and EBT data to support other major WIC evaluations. For example, these data will serve as an important source of data for the WIC & Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Outreach, Innovation, and Modernization Evaluation.

Every 2 years, all WIC State agencies submit enrollee characteristics data from their management information system (MIS). As a new element for WIC PC 2024, State agencies will also submit electronic benefit transfer (EBT) data from either their MIS or their separate EBT data system.

This Guidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and EBT Data (the Guidance) details all the steps you need to take to submit your data.

WIC PC Background

Since 1984, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has prepared biennial WIC PC reports. The biennial reports include the following:

  • Demographic characteristics and income of WIC enrollees

  • Nutritional risks of WIC enrollees

  • Breastfeeding initiation rate and duration estimates for WIC enrollees

  • WIC participation for migrant families

  • Other topics as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture

FNS has completed 17 previous WIC PC reports. For the first three studies—PC 1984, PC 1988, and PC 1990—FNS and its contractors collected information on nationally representative samples of WIC enrollees. Since WIC PC 1992, all State agencies have provided data on all enrollees. WIC PC has been required under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), Public Law 111–296, and since 2011 the biennial WIC PC collection has been mandatory under Code of Federal Regulations Title 7, Section 246.25(b)(3). Since WIC PC 2012, Westat (formerly Insight Policy Research) has assisted FNS in conducting WIC PC. This team will continue working on WIC PC for 2024 and 2026.

WIC PC Data Overview

For WIC PC 2024, FNS requires State agencies to submit the following:

  • Characteristics data. The Minimum Data Set (MDS), a standard set of variables developed in cooperation with the Information Committee of the National WIC Association in 1998 and occasionally modified as program needs change. This submission will look similar to the WIC PC Minimum Data Set (MDS) State agencies have submitted in previous years. See chapter 3 for a detailed explanation of the characteristics data request. The main differences follow:

  • You will submit the participant identification (ID) values your Stage agency uses internally. In previous years, State agencies created separate case ID values to submit with their WIC PC data to keep participant IDs masked.

  • You will add four variables. All other MDS variables are exactly the same as in previous WIC PC cycles.

  • Instead of pulling data for a single month, you will pull data for each month from May 2022 through April 2024. You may submit a separate file for each month or combine everything into a single file.

  • EBT data. New for WIC PC+, all State agencies that provide benefits via EBT1 are required to submit EBT data for each month from May 2022 through April 2024. See chapter 4 for a detailed description of the files, which include—

  • Food package benefit issuance

  • WIC participant transactions

  • Your approved product list

  • Your WIC vendor lists

State agencies are encouraged—but not required—to also submit a second set of characteristics variables known as the Supplemental Data Set (SDS). All SDS variables are exactly the same as in previous WIC PC cycles.

To support PC data analysis, State agencies are also required to submit several types of supplementary documentation.

  • Food code documentation. State agencies will need to provide a translation of the food package codes used by the agency into specific food items and quantities prescribed to WIC participants.

  • Nutritional risk crosswalk. State agencies will need to specify whether nutritional risk data will be provided using the Federal nutritional risk codes agreed upon by FNS and the National WIC Association (established via FNS Policy Memorandum 98-9; Nutrition Risk Criteria) or State agency codes. Agencies using State agency codes must provide a crosswalk between their codes and the Federal nutritional risk codes.

  • Data transmittal worksheets. See appendixes C and D.

Because State agencies have been providing the MDS and SDS data for many years, they typically have well-established procedures to pull the data from their MIS and submit the file. Some State agencies have a very active role in this work, while others rely more heavily on their MIS contractors. In either case, no State agency is starting from scratch to figure out how to submit their data. If you have not been involved in preparing your State agency’s WIC PC submission before, it is important to learn how your State agency submitted WIC PC data for 2022.

WIC PC Process Overview

The first step of the WIC PC process is to carefully review this Guidance document. The next step is to prepare and submit data from your State agency. These data may be available in your MIS, or they may require working with your MIS provider and EBT processor, as appropriate, to prepare and submit your data. The following chapters describe that work in more detail, including sample emails and other resources you can use to communicate with those contractors. The last step in the process is to work with the Westat team to help resolve any issues encountered during data submission or spotted in your data thereafter. Westat will send clarifying questions and, when possible, suggestions for how to address issues. Almost all State agencies get followup questions; it is a normal part of the process that helps to ensure all the data and analyses are valid. Figure 1.1 summarizes due dates in the process, and chapter 2 provides a detailed checklist of all tasks to complete for WIC PC 2024.

Figure 1.1. WIC PC+ 2024 State Agency Data Collection Timeline

The team at Westat (formerly Insight Policy Research) will be providing enhanced support to help with the new features of WIC PC+ for 2024. You may submit sample data starting in January 2024 to test your process and get technical assistance from Westat to resolve any challenges. At any time in the WIC PC process, you may contact the WIC PC+ team at Westat for support ([email protected]). If you have any questions for USDA, please direct them to Daniel Perez-Lopez ([email protected]).

Protecting Enrollee Privacy

USDA and Westat are dedicated to protecting participant privacy. All State agencies are welcome to contact us to discuss any concerns about sharing any of the data requested for WIC PC 2024. We will work with you to find the best approach to ensure your State agency benefits from all the innovative work to be done with WIC PC 2024 data while protecting participant privacy.

Here is a brief explanation of why we are asking for additional or modified items this year and the plans in place to keep that information secure:

  • Participant ID. We are asking for the participant ID your agency uses internally so we can conduct longitudinal analysis of WIC participants. By understanding how long people participate in WIC and the benefits they redeem from month to month, FNS and State agencies can work to make sure people get the most out of their WIC benefits.

    • Privacy protections: We will never publish participant IDs or include them in public data files. Any public data will use a separate case ID that Westat will generate to keep the participant IDs State agencies use private.

  • Household ID. We are asking for household ID so we can link MIS and EBT data.

    • Privacy protections: We will never publish household IDs or include them in public data files. Any public data will use a separate economic unit ID that Westat will generate to keep the household IDs State agencies use private.

  • EBT card number. We are asking for EBT card number as another way we can link MIS and EBT data.

    • Privacy protections: We will never publish EBT card numbers or include them in public data files.

  • Home ZIP Code. Home ZIP Code will help us in two ways. First, it will help us link MIS data over time. If two MIS records look like they might belong to the same person, we can check to see if they have the same ZIP Code to help us decide if they really do belong to the same person. Second, we can use home ZIP Code to compare outcomes between people living in rural, suburban, and urban areas to identify opportunities for improvement. We can also understand based on home ZIP Code how many WIC-authorized vendors are located near participants.

    • Privacy protections: We will never publish ZIP Codes or include them in public data files.

Westat stores all data collected for WIC PC on Box.com, a cloud-based file storage platform that is FedRAMP Authorized at the Moderate Impact level. We will work with FNS to ensure procedures when using Box are in compliance with NIST Special Publication 800-37 Rev 2, "Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems" and will implement appropriate controls from NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 5, "Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations." This will ensure we meet the goals for confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and information systems. We will also continue to monitor and improve our security posture during the duration of the contract with a Continuous Monitoring and Risk Remediation program.

FNS stores all data collected for WIC PC on the USDA Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud (GCC) environment. The USDA Microsoft 365 GCC environment provides compliance with federal requirements for cloud services, including FedRAMP High, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS), and requirements for criminal justice and federal tax information systems (CJI and FTI data types). USDA Microsoft 365 GCC meets the criteria in NIST SP 800-171 for Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).



Chapter 2. WIC PC 2024 Task Checklist and Procedure Manual

Shape5 Please use this Task Checklist to make sure you complete all necessary tasks throughout the WIC PC 2024 cycle. This chapter can serve to document your internal procedures for preparing the WIC PC data submission if you fill in detailed information about how to complete each step. You are not required to submit this chapter; it is meant to guide your internal processes if you find that helpful.

All data items with this icon are required for WIC PC 2024. All other items are highly encouraged, but not required.

Shape6 December 2023

Required: Appoint a WIC PC 2024 coordinator for your State agency to serve as a point of contact throughout the study and take responsibility for the timely completion of all tasks. Optional: Fill in the information below about the WIC PC 2024 coordinator.

Shape7 Shape8

[type coordinator name here]

[type coordinator title here]

Coordinator name:

Shape9

[type coordinator email address here]

Coordinator title:

Coordinator email address:

Shape10

[Type WIC PC folder location here. Note that this information is strictly for your internal record keeping. You do not need to share it with FNS.]

☐ Set up a computer folder to store all documents related to WIC PC. Write the location of this folder below.

WIC PC folder location:



☐ Read the WIC PC 2024 Guidance. Contact Westat and/or USDA FNS with questions.

☐ Send the WIC PC 2024 Guidance to everyone who will be involved in preparing and submitting the data. In some State agencies, this will include MIS and EBT contractors. Some people do not need to read the entire Guidance; you can direct them to the chapter(s) that are most relevant for their role. See chapter 5 of this Guidance for sample email language. Fill in the table below to record who was asked to read the Guidance, the sections they were asked to read, and any other action items assigned to them. Collect any questions about the Guidance and contact Westat for assistance as needed.

Note: Examples are provided in the table for illustrative purposes. Many State agencies already have their own processes and are welcome to continue using those.

WIC PC Guidance Recipients

Name

Title

Email address

Chapters
to read

Other action items

[Example Person]

[Director of Example MIS Contractor]

[[email protected]]

[Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4; appendices C, E, F, and G]

  • Begin preparing code to pull longitudinal characteristics data and submit sample longitudinal file in January or February

  • Send code used to pull WIC PC 2022 data or technical specifications of the report(s) used to pull WIC PC 2022 data

  • Confirm understanding of how to use the “PC Data Checker.xlsx” file

[Example Person2]

[Director of Example EBT Processor]

[[email protected]]

[Chapters 1, 2, and 4; appendices D and H]

[Begin preparing code to pull EBT data and submit sample file in January]

[Example Person3]

[Title]

[[email protected]]

[Chapter #, appendix X]

[Other action items]

State agencies: Note that WIC PC 2024 is the first time FNS has recommended you obtain a copy of the code used to pull WIC PC data. Having a copy of the code is a way for State agencies to have full ownership over their WIC PC data process. It can also enable State agencies to make their own adjustments to their WIC PC data pull. If your agency does not work directly with code, you can focus on the report(s) available in your data system interface that allow you to pull WIC PC data.

Shape12 ☐Shape11 Locate the final, approved WIC PC data submitted in 2022, and save the file to your WIC PC folder. Use it to try out the “PC Data Checker.xlsx” file. This Excel tool can help State agencies and contractors quickly spot some data issues, reducing back-and-forth between the State agency and Westat. Contact Westat with any questions about how to use the “PC Data Checker.xlsx.”

Note: Westat developed this Excel tool to reduce the burden of WIC PC on State agencies. Click the embedded file to use the tool.

For State agencies that pull their own data: Using this tool can help you quickly spot issues in the layout of your data. It enables you to finalize your data more quickly and independently than previous years, which relied more heavily on back-and-forth with the Westat team.

For State agencies that have their MIS provider pull data: We recommend you ask your contractor to submit a completed copy of the tool alongside characteristics data files to demonstrate the data are in the correct layout. This step will prevent you from spending time preparing data files with information entered in the wrong columns.

Shape13

Required: Complete the contact information survey from Westat (sent to you in the same email as this Guidance) and answer initial questions about WIC PC 2024 by January 5, 2023 (click to complete survey).

January 2024

☐ Receive the Nutritional Risk Worksheet, a recent version of the WIC Local Agency Directory (LAD), and login details for the secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) from Westat. Save all in the WIC PC folder.

☐ Begin preparing the nutritional risk worksheet (provided in Excel, shown in appendix A) and food code documentation (example shown in appendix B) due March 18, 2024.

☐ Attend informational webinar hosted by Westat (dates and times forthcoming). Invite all State agency staff, MIS contractors, and EBT contractors involved in WIC PC to attend.

☐ Begin preparing sample characteristics and EBT data due February 28, 2024, to receive feedback and technical assistance. You may submit data for a small number of enrollees, all enrollees, or any number in between. We encourage you to submit what you can to take advantage of this new opportunity for support.

February 2024

☐ Prepare the nutritional risk worksheet (provided in Excel, shown in appendix A) and food code documentation (example shown in appendix B) due March 18, 2024.

☐ Submit sample characteristics and EBT data by February 28, 2024, to receive feedback and technical assistance. You may submit data for a small number of enrollees, all enrollees, or any number in between. We encourage you to submit what you can to take advantage of this new opportunity for support. These data can cover one month, or multiple months. Our goal is to verify that data from your State agency can be successfully processed by Westat.

Shape14 March 2024

Required: Submit the nutritional risk worksheet (provided in Excel, shown in appendix A) and food code documentation (example shown in appendix B) by March 18, 2024.

☐ Begin preparing to pull WIC PC data (starting May 1, 2024) by checking on action items sent to contractors in December and previewing work to be completed by the end of April. Chapter 5 contains sample email language that may be helpful as you communicate the request to your MIS provider and EBT processor.

☐ If needed, update information in the WIC Local Agency Directory (LAD) through the Food Programs Reporting System and/or your Regional Office by March 31, 2024.

April 2024

☐ Continue preparing to pull WIC PC data (starting May 1, 2024). You can save a copy of the code to be used to pull all PC data to your WIC PC folder and/or save the technical specifications of the report created to pull PC 2024 data to your WIC PC folder. The goal is to make sure you are ready to simply press “go” to create your WIC PC submission as soon as the data are ready.

May–July 2024

Shape15

It is critical for all State agencies to start on the May–July tasks at the beginning of May. These steps can take time. Starting these tasks at the beginning of May will ensure all files are submitted by the July 2, 2024, deadline.

☐ As soon as all data have been finalized for April 2024, pull WIC PC data. If you expect to obtain updated data after April 2024 for income, breastfeeding, participation, redemption, or other data fields, submit your data files only after entering this additional information.

☐ We recommend that in the space below, you describe the data pull process in enough detail for a new staff member to successfully complete this task. You can include separate notes for the characteristics and EBT data pulls. This will serve as a tool for staff in your State agency. There is no requirement to submit this to Westat.

  • If there is a specific report to be run, list all the steps required to run the report. We encourage you to include screenshots.

  • If there is computer code to run, include the name of the file with the code, the folder where the code is stored, and instructions to run the code. We encourage you to include screenshots.

  • If a contractor is responsible for pulling the data, include a copy of the email or other communications you use to request the data pull.

Characteristics Data Pull Process

[Describe characteristics data pull process here. Note that file names, file locations, and other potentially sensitive details are for internal use only. You are not required to share any sensitive information with FNS.]

Shape16

EBT Data Pull Process

[Describe EBT data pull process here. Note that file names, file locations, and other potentially sensitive details are for internal use only. You are not required to share any sensitive information with FNS.]

Shape17

☐ We highly recommend you create and retain a backup copy of the entire May 2022 - April 2024 system files (not just the WIC PC 2024 submission) in case problems with the WIC PC 2024 data submission require a second submission. Maintaining a backup of the entire system files for May 2022 – April 2024 will ensure the required data can be recreated.


Shape18

Required: Submit WIC PC data, Data Transmittal Worksheets for both characteristics and EBT data (provided as separate attachments, shown in appendices C and D). All files are due no later than July 2, 2024. Before submitting the data, confirm the following:

☐ Data are in ASCII text format (.txt file). Westat will not accept Excel files (.xls, .xlsx), comma-separated values files (.csv), or other file types.

☐ The data files have no header or footer rows.

☐ The data files have no commas, semicolons, tabs, or other delimiters.

☐ The data have been checked with the “PC Data Checker.xlsx” sent alongside this Guidance.

☐ Respond to follow-up questions from Westat to address any issues in the original data submission.

Shape19 August–September 2024

Required: Finish responding to follow-up questions from Westat to address any issues in the original characteristics and EBT data submissions. Final data submissions are due September 12, 2024.

  • State agencies must meet this deadline to be represented in the WIC PC 2024 products.

  • We recommend that State agencies should retain all WIC PC 2024 data and materials for at least 3 years.

Shape20 October–November 2024

Required: Respond to follow-up questions from Westat about characteristics and EBT data. Final responses are due November 15, 2024.


Chapter 3. WIC PC 2024 Data Definitions and Specifications: Characteristics Data

State agencies are responsible for providing accurate data for WIC PC 2024. State agencies should review all data for accuracy and consistency. Westat staff will check WIC PC 2024 data submissions for accuracy and bring any questions or concerns to the attention of State agency contacts. Each State agency is responsible for correcting its WIC PC 2024 data submission if needed.

Specifications for Characteristics Data

Shape21

The layout of the MDS and SDS variables for WIC PC 2024 is exactly the same as WIC PC 2022. No changes have been made to the columns assigned to each data item. The additional items requested for WIC PC 2024 have been added to the rightmost columns of the file layout.

For WIC PC 2024, all State agencies are required to submit the MDS and four additional items (Household ID, EBT Card Number, Enrollee Home ZIP Code, and Record Reference Date). State agencies are strongly encouraged to submit the SDS but are not required to do so.

It is critical that all data submissions meet WIC PC specifications. State agencies are responsible for ensuring all data files meet these specifications.

Appendices E and F highlight some cleaning specifications for the WIC PC data. State agencies should not delete outliers to conform to these cleaning specifications if they consider the data to be legitimate. These specifications are provided to help State agencies write cleaning routines for their own systems and to provide quality control for WIC PC 2024 and future data submissions. Many State agencies have additional cleaning specifications of their own. State agencies should continue to use their own quality-control procedures in maintaining their WIC participant information databases.

Definition of “WIC Enrollee”

For WIC PC 2024, WIC enrollees are defined as persons on WIC master lists or persons listed in WIC operating files who are certified to receive WIC benefits in a given month.2 In 2022, all State agencies were able to provide data on all WIC enrollees. If your State agency is unable to provide data on all enrollees in WIC PC 2024, contact Westat for detailed instructions.

People to Include in WIC PC Data

  • All enrollees, some of whom will have been certified up to 1 year before the record reference date

  • Partially breastfeeding women, even if they receive no food package

  • Fully breastfed infants, even if they receive no food package

People to Exclude From WIC PC Data

  • Persons on waiting lists for WIC benefits

All data should reflect the enrollee's status for each item at the time of the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date used to pull the data.

Reference Dates

Starting with WIC PC 2024, you must submit data on all WIC enrollees for each month from May 2022 through April 2024, a total of 24 months. You may compile all the data for these 24months into a single file or submit the data in 24 separate files. In previous WIC PC cycles, State agencies submitted only one month of data.

If a person was on the WIC master list or certified to receive benefits in a month, they should have a record for that month in the data submission. This means that some people may only have one record in the data submission, while others may have as many as 24 records (one for each month).

Note that a person does not need to be certified for an entire month to be counted as an enrollee in that month. Even if a person is only certified during one day of a month (e.g., the certification starts on the last day of the month), that person should have a record for that month.

Missing Data Format

If data are missing, the corresponding field(s) should be left blank.

  • Zero should never be used to indicate missing data. Zero should be used to indicate only an actual value of zero. This instruction is particularly important for income values because there is a critical difference between an income value of zero and a missing income value.

  • Do not use reserve codes to indicate missing data. Reserve codes have been found to be unnecessary and unwieldy in processing PC data. (Reserve codes are consistent values used to indicate missing values, e.g., 88, 99, -9, or .I.)

State agencies must report participant categories and risk priority codes in every record. (See items 6a—Participant Category and 9—Risk Priority.) No missing data are allowed for these items.

Date Format

State agencies must ensure all dates appear in MMDDYYYY format. Dates should be complete for month, day, and year and be within logical ranges. For any part of the date that is missing or unavailable—such as the day—the field should be left blank. For instance, if the day is missing for a December 2023 date, report it as “12 2023.” For WIC PC 2024, no dates after April 30, 2024, should appear, except for expected dates of delivery for pregnant women, hemoglobin or hematocrit measurement dates, and breastfeeding data collection dates.

Income Data

WIC regulations for the WIC PC report (7 CFR 246.25(b)(3)(i)) require State and local agencies to provide participant income information. It is essential to report income information for all WIC enrollees—including those who are automatically and adjunctively income-eligible to the extent possible3—to describe income among the overall WIC population. These data are for descriptive purposes only and do not affect an enrollee’s eligibility for WIC.

Participant Category

In previous years, it appeared that between certification appointments, some State agency systems automatically updated the participant category information based on date of birth. For example, on an infant enrollee’s first birthday, the system might change the participant category from that of an infant to that of a child, though the enrollee had not yet been recertified as a child. For WIC PC 2024, State agencies should report the participant category used at the most recent certification as of the record reference date. For example, even if a State agency’s system automatically updates an infant’s participant category on or around the enrollee’s first birthday, you should report the enrollee in WIC PC 2024 as an infant if the official recertification has not yet occurred as of the record reference date. (See item 6a—Participant Category.)

Breastfeeding Data

State agencies need to submit breastfeeding data for infants and children who are aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data. To provide the most accurate estimates of breastfeeding duration for April 2024, an especially important month for WIC PC, it is important that State agencies collect data as close to April 2024 as is feasible, particularly for currently breastfed infants. All four breastfeeding variables must be provided to calculate breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. (See items 19a—Currently Breastfed; 19b—Ever Breastfed; 19c—Length of Time Breastfed; and 19d—Date Breastfeeding Data Collected.)

Note that you may submit breastfeeding data for infants and children of all ages; you do not need to make any special efforts to remove breastfeeding data from your files for enrollees outside the 6–13-month age range.

File Format

All data files must be in ASCII text format (.txt file) with one record per line. Do not include any header rows with variable names or other information. Do not include any footer rows. Do not include any commas, semicolons, tabs, or other delimiters.

Data must be in the appropriate columns. Column numbers and field lengths are based on the number of bytes (characters). To ensure all data submissions are consistent in format, binary data may not be submitted.

Shape23 AShape22 ll fields are right justified except for race/ethnicity (MDS item 5), the 10 nutritional risk codes (MDS items 14a–14j), and the 14 food codes (MDS items 20a–20n), which are alphanumeric fields that should be left justified and blank filled.

To see an example of a properly formatted file, click the embedded file titled “Sample Characteristics Data.TXT”

Characteristics Item Definitions

The MDS data items are defined as follows. Refer to appendix E for full details of all MDS items:

1. State Agency ID. A unique number that permits linkage to the State agency where the enrollee was certified; it is the first 7 digits of the 10-digit Local Agency Code maintained by FNS in the WIC Local Agency Directory (WIC LAD)

2a. Local Agency ID. A unique number that permits linkage to the local agency where the enrollee was certified as eligible for WIC benefits; it is the last 3 digits of the 10-digit Local Agency Code maintained by FNS in the WIC LAD

2b. Service Site ID. A unique number that permits linkage to the service site where the enrollee was certified; for State agencies that submitted service site- or clinic-level data for the WIC LAD, service site IDs appear in the WIC LAD as the three-digit codes under Administering Agency

Note: For WIC PC 2024, State agencies are asked not to substitute Service Site ID for Local Agency ID (item 2a)

3. Participant ID. A unique identification number the State agency assigns to each enrollee

Note: Previously, FNS asked State agencies to create a case ID that was distinct from the participant ID listed in State agency-held files. Starting with WIC PC 2024, you should submit the participant ID your State agency uses in its internal files

4. Date of Birth. Month, day, and year of the enrollee's birth reported in MMDDYYYY format

5. Race/Ethnicity. Requires classification of enrollees based on one ethnicity category (Hispanic/Latino or Non-Hispanic/Latino) and five racial categories, which consist of (1) American Indian or Alaska Native, (2) Asian, (3) Black or African American, (4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and (5) White. The Office of Management and Budget requires these categories; one or more racial categories may be selected

You may report race/ethnicity using one of two formats:

  • Yes/No for each of the categories, generating a six-digit code (1 = Yes; 2 = No)

  • Three digits to represent key combinations of racial selections, with the first digit representing ethnicity and the last two representing race combinations

6a. Participant Category. One of five possible categories under which a person is certified as eligible for WIC benefits: (1) pregnant woman, (2) breastfeeding woman, (3) postpartum woman (not breastfeeding), (4) infant (younger than 12 months), and (5) child (12–59 months)

6b–c. Expected Date of Delivery or Number of Weeks Gestation. For pregnant women, the projected date of delivery (MMDDYYYY format) or the number of weeks since the last menstrual period as determined at WIC certification

7. Date of Certification. The date the person was declared eligible for the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record; month, day, and year should be reported in MMDDYYYY format

8. Sex. For infants and children, male or female

9. Risk Priority Code. The priority level for WIC certification at the time of the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record. For descriptions of the priority levels, refer to https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-priority-system

10a–c. Participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid. The enrollee's reported participation in each of these programs at the time of the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record

11. Migrant Status. The enrollee’s migrant status according to the definition of a migrant farmworker in Federal WIC regulations4

12. Number in Family or Economic Unit. The number of persons in the family or economic unit upon which WIC income eligibility was based

States may report a self-declared number in the family or economic unit for an enrollee whose income was not required to be determined as part of the WIC certification process. These enrollees are—

  • Adjunctively income-eligible enrollees (eligible because of TANF, SNAP, or Medicaid participation)

  • Enrollees deemed income-eligible under optional procedures available to the State agency in section 246.7(d)(2)(vi–viii) of Federal WIC regulations. These optional procedures are means-tested programs the State identified to determine automatic WIC income eligibility, income eligibility of pregnant women, and income eligibility of American Indian and instream migrant farmworker applicants

13a–c. Family or Economic Unit Income.

  • For persons for whom income is determined during the certification process, the income amount that was determined to qualify the enrollee for WIC at the time of the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record

  • FNS will convert income expressed in nonannual measures (weekly, monthly, etc.) to annual amounts

  • For descriptive purposes only, for enrollees whose income was not required to be determined as part of the WIC certification process, the self-reported income at the time of certification; these enrollees include adjunctively income-eligible enrollees and those persons deemed eligible under optional procedures available to the State agency in section 246.7(d)(2)(vi–viii) of Federal WIC regulations

  • You should not use zero to indicate income values that are missing or not available; zero should indicate only an actual income value of zero

14a–j. Nutritional Risks Present at Certification. Highest priority nutritional risks assigned for the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record, up to a maximum of 10; uniform coding is required in submissions from all State agencies according to WIC Policy Memorandum 98-9

15a–b. Hemoglobin or Hematocrit. Value for the measure of iron status that applies for the most current WIC certification as of the reference date for the record

15c. Date of Blood Test. Month, day, and year (in MMDDYYYY format) that hemoglobin or hematocrit measure was collected and reported; you must submit this for all enrollees reporting a blood measure

16a–b. Weight. Enrollee's weight measured according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nutrition surveillance program standards (nearest one-quarter pound); you may report weight in grams if weight is not measured in pounds and quarter pounds

17a–b. Height. Enrollee's height (or length) measured according to CDC nutrition surveillance program standards (nearest one-eighth inch); you may report height in centimeters if height is not measured in inches and eighth inches. Note that centimeters should be reported to the nearest tenth of a centimeter with an implied decimal place—for example, 30.5 should be coded as 305

18. Date of Height and Weight Measure. Date (in MMDDYYYY format) of the height and weight measures that were used during the most recent WIC certification period as of the reference date for the record

19a. Currently Breastfed. For infants and children, whether the enrollee was being breastfed at that time

Note: You must report this variable for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date for the record. You may also include this information for other infants and children

19b. Ever Breastfed. For infants and children, whether the enrollee ever received breastmilk

Note: You must report this variable for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date for the record. You may also include this information for other infants and children

19c. Length of Time Breastfed. For infants and children, the number of weeks the enrollee received breastmilk

Note: You must report this variable for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date for the record. You may include this information for other infants and children as well

19d. Date Breastfeeding Data Collected. For infants and children, the date (in MMDDYYYY format) on which breastfeeding status was reported

Note: You must report this variable for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date for the record. You may also include this information for other infants and children

20a–n. Food Codes. You have the option of providing food data in an item-quantity format or a food package format; you must provide documentation on food package codes or item codes and quantities for all foods prescribed from May 2022 through April 2024

20o. Food Package Type. A code representing the final rule food package descriptor; this descriptor uniquely represents the FNS food package number (I through VII), participant type, breastfeeding status, and (for infants and children only) age associated with the reported food code(s) for that enrollee

The SDS data items are defined as follows. Refer to appendix F for full details of all SDS items:

21. Date of First WIC Certification. Date the enrollee was first certified for WIC in MMDDYYYY format; for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, this applies to the current/most recent pregnancy and not to prior pregnancies

22. Education Level. For pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, the highest grade or year of school completed; for infants and children, the highest grade or year of school completed by the mother or primary caretaker

23. Number in Household in WIC. The number of people in the enrollee's household receiving WIC benefits

24. Date Previous Pregnancy Ended. For pregnant women, the date the previous pregnancy ended in MMDDYYYY format

25. Total Number of Pregnancies. For pregnant women, the total number of times the woman has been pregnant, including this pregnancy; all live births; and any pregnancies resulting in miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth

26. Total Number of Live Births. For pregnant women, the total number of babies born alive to this woman, including babies who may have died shortly after birth

27a–b. Prepregnancy Weight. For pregnant women only, the enrollee's weight immediately prior to pregnancy; weight may be reported either in pounds and quarter pounds or in grams

28a–b. Weight Change During Pregnancy. For breastfeeding and postpartum women, the enrollee's weight change during pregnancy as taken immediately at or prior to delivery; weight change during pregnancy may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or in grams

29a–b. Birth Weight. For infants and children, the enrollee's weight at birth measured according to CDC nutrition surveillance program standards (pounds/ounces); birth weight may be reported either in pounds and ounces or in grams

30a–b. Birth Length. For infants and children, the enrollee's length measured according to CDC nutrition surveillance program standards (nearest one-eighth inch); birth length may be reported either in inches and eighth inches or in centimeters. Note that centimeters should be reported to the nearest tenth of a centimeter with an implied decimal place—for example, 30.5 should be coded as 305

31. Participation in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. The enrollee's reported participation in this program at the time of the most recent WIC certification as of the reference date for the record

Starting with WIC PC 2024, FNS requires four additional items. Refer to appendix G for full details of the additional characteristics items:

32. Household ID. The household identification number. This variable will be used to link characteristics and EBT data, so it must match what the State agency uses in its EBT system

33. EBT card number. Identifies EBT card issued for the enrollee. This card number will be unique to the household but may vary over time if the card is reissued

34. Enrollee home ZIP Code. The 5-digit ZIP Code for the enrollee’s home address

35. Record reference date. The reference date for the record. All people on the WIC master list or certified to receive benefits in a month should have a record for that month in the data submission. If a specific day is used to pull the record, use MMDDYYYY format. If no specific day of the month is used to pull the record, leave the day blank, as in “MM YYYY”



Layout of Characteristics Data for Submission

You should submit your data as specified in table 3.1. If you cannot fully report your data using these specifications, contact Westat for guidance.

Table 3.1. Characteristics Data File Layout

Data Item Number

Description of Data Item

Beginning Column

Ending Column

Field Width
by Bytes
(No Binary Data)

MDS

1.

State Agency ID

1

7

7

2a.

Local Agency ID

8

10

3

2b.

Service Site ID

11

13

3

3.

Participant ID

14

24

11

4.

Date of Birth (MMDDYYYY)

25

32

8

5.

Race/Ethnicity (Left Justified)

33

38

6

6a.

Shape24 Participant Category

39

39

1

6b.

Expected Date of Delivery

(MMDDYYYY)

40

47

8

6c.

Weeks Gestation

48

49

2

7.

Date of Certification (MMDDYYYY)

50

57

8

8.

Sex

58

58

1

9.

Risk Priority Code

59

59

1

10a.

Participation in TANF

60

60

1

10b.

Participation in SNAP

61

61

1

10c.

Participation in Medicaid

62

62

1

11.

Migrant Status

63

63

1

12.

Number in Family/Economic Unit

64

65

2

13a.

Family/Economic Unit Income

66

70

5

13b.

Income Period

71

71

1

13c.

Income Ranges

72

73

2

14a.

Nutritional Risk 1 (Left Justified)

74

79

6

14b.

Nutritional Risk 2 (Left Justified)

80

85

6

14c.

Nutritional Risk 3 (Left Justified)

86

91

6

14d.

Nutritional Risk 4 (Left Justified)

92

97

6

14e.

Nutritional Risk 5 (Left Justified)

98

103

6

14f.

Nutritional Risk 6 (Left Justified)

104

109

6

14g.

Nutritional Risk 7 (Left Justified)

110

115

6

14h.

Nutritional Risk 8 (Left Justified)

116

121

6

14i.

Nutritional Risk 9 (Left Justified)

122

127

6

14j.

Nutritional Risk 10 (Left Justified)

128

133

6

15a.

Hemoglobin

134

136

3

15b.

Hematocrit

137

139

3

15c.

Date of Blood Test (MMDDYYYY)

140

147

8

16a(i).

Shape25 Enrollee’s Weight in Pounds

148

150

3

16a(ii).

Nearest Quarter-Pound

of Enrollee’s Weight

151

151

1

16b.

Enrollee’s Weight in Grams

152

157

6

17a(i).

Shape26 Enrollee’s Height in Inches

158

159

2

17a(ii).

Nearest Eighth of an Inch

of Enrollee’s Height

160

160

1

17b.

Enrollee’s Height in

Centimeters

161

164

4

18.

Date of Height and Weight Measure

(MMDDYYYY)

165

172

8

19a.

Currently Breastfed

173

173

1

19b.

Ever Breastfed

174

174

1

19c.

Length of Time Breastfed

175

176

2

19d.

Date Breastfeeding Data Collected

(MMDDYYYY)

177

184

8

20a.

Food Code 1 (Left Justified)

185

194

10

20b.

Food Code 2 (Left Justified)

195

204

10

20c.

Food Code 3 (Left Justified)

205

214

10

20d.

Food Code 4 (Left Justified)

215

224

10

20e.

Food Code 5 (Left Justified)

225

234

10

20f.

Food Code 6 (Left Justified)

235

244

10

20g.

Food Code 7 (Left Justified)

245

254

10

20h.

Food Code 8 (Left Justified)

255

264

10

20i.

Food Code 9 (Left Justified)

265

274

10

20j.

Food Code 10 (Left Justified)

275

284

10

20k.

Food Code 11 (Left Justified)

285

294

10

20l.

Food Code 12 (Left Justified)

295

304

10

20m.

Food Code 13 (Left Justified)

305

314

10

20n.

Food Code 14 (Left Justified)

315

324

10

20o.

Food Package Type

325

326

2

SDS

21.

Date of First WIC Certification (MMDDYYYY)

327

334

8

22.

Education Level

335

336

2

23.

Number in Household in WIC

337

338

2

24.

Date Previous Pregnancy Ended (MMDDYYYY)

339

346

8

25.

Total Number of Pregnancies

347

348

2

26.

Shape27 Total Number of Live Births

349

350

2

27a(i).

Prepregnancy Weight in Pounds

351

353

3

27a(ii).

Nearest Quarter Pound of

Enrollee’s Prepregnancy Weight

354

354

1

27b.

Enrollee’s Prepregnancy
Weight in Grams

355

360

6

28a(i).

Shape28 Weight Change During Pregnancy in Pounds

361

363

3

28a(ii).

Nearest Quarter Pound of Enrollee’s

Weight Change During Pregnancy

364

364

1

28b.

Enrollee’s Weight Change During

Pregnancy in Grams

365

370

6

29a(i).

Shape29 Birth Weight in Pounds

371

372

2

29a(ii).

Ounces of Birth Weight

373

374

2

29b.

Shape30 Birth Weight in Grams

375

378

4

30a(i).

Length at Birth in Inches

379

380

2

30a(ii).

Nearest Eighth of an Inch of

Length at Birth

381

381

1

30b.

Length at Birth in Centimeters

382

384

3

31.

Participation in the Food
Distribution Program
on Indian Reservations

385

385

1

Additional Characteristics Items

32.

Household ID

386

421

36

33.

EBT Card Number

422

437

16

34.

Enrollee Home ZIP Code (5 digits)

438

442

5

35.

Record Reference Date (MMDDYYYY)

443

450

8

EBT = electronic benefit transfer; MIS = management information system; SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; TANF = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Chapter 4. WIC PC 2024 Data Definitions and Specifications: EBT

State agencies are required to provide EBT data for WIC PC 2024 for all months from May 2022 through April 2024 when EBT was used to issue benefits.5 State agencies should review all data for accuracy and consistency. Westat staff will check WIC PC 2024 EBT data submissions for accuracy and bring any questions or concerns to the attention of State agency contacts. Each State agency is responsible for correcting its WIC PC 2024 EBT data submission if needed.

Specifications for WIC PC EBT Data

Starting with the WIC PC 2024 data collection, FNS is requiring State agencies submit monthly EBT issuance and redemption data and each State agency’s approved product list from May 2022 through April 2024. Some State agencies did not issue EBT throughout this period. If your State agency did not issue EBT during part of the requested period, please provide data for all months when EBT was issued; no additional data are needed for the months when EBT was not issued. If your State agency did not issue EBT at all, you do not need to provide any data for this request.

Shape31

Issuance and redemption files will be linked to determine redemption rates. Analysts will use benefit start and end dates and transaction dates to determine which issuance records should be connected with which redemption records.


Benefits issued for redemption in April 2024 will extend into May 2024. Months with incomplete redemption data (i.e., April 2024) will be excluded from redemption rate analyses. Issuance and redemption data for April 2024 will be retained and used to produce redemption rates when future months of data are collected as part of WIC PC 2026.

EBT data requested for WIC PC include four types of files:

  1. Issued benefits. The unit of data should be month-household-food category (or subcategory). For example, a unique row would include all milk issued to household XYZ in May 2022. Please include all issued benefits with a benefit start date between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024. Benefits with a start date between May 1, 2022, and May 31, 2022, should all appear in the same file.

  2. Redeemed benefits. The unit of data should be month-household-transaction-item. A unique row would include the date and time when a specific item was purchased using WIC benefits. Please include all transactions that occurred between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024, regardless of benefit month.

  3. Approved product list (APL). Each State agency should provide an APL including all WIC-approved products. Some State agencies regularly update their approved product lists. Please provide one file that includes all products approved for WIC at any time between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024.

  4. Vendor list. Each State agency should provide a monthly file of WIC-approved vendors and related data. Please provide one file that includes vendors approved by WIC at any time between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024.

It is critical that all data submissions meet WIC PC specifications. State agencies are responsible for ensuring all data files meet these specifications.

Missing Data Format

If data are missing, the corresponding field(s) should be left blank.

  • Zero should never be used to indicate missing data. Zero should be used to indicate only an actual value of zero.

  • Do not use reserve codes to indicate missing data. Reserve codes have been found to be unnecessary and unwieldy in processing PC data. (Reserve codes are consistent values used to indicate missing values, e.g., 88, 99, -9, or .I.)

Date and Time Format

State agencies must ensure all dates appear in MMDDYYYY format. Dates should be complete for month, day, and year and be within logical ranges. For any part of the date that is missing or unavailable—such as the day—the field should be left blank.

State agencies must ensure all fields that include a date and time appear in MMDDYYYYHHMM format. For any part of the date/time that is missing or unavailable, the field should be left blank.

For WIC PC 2024, dates for EBT data should range from May 1, 2022, through April 30, 2024.

File Format

All data files must be in ASCII text format (.txt file) with one record per line. Do not include any header rows with variable names or other information. Do not include any footer rows. Do not include any commas, semicolons, tabs, or other delimiters.

Data must be in the appropriate columns. Column numbers and field lengths are based on the number of bytes (characters). To ensure all data submissions are consistent in format, binary data may not be submitted. Please left justify all fields that do not require the full allotted length.

EBT Item Definitions

We define EBT data items for each of the four data sets: issuance, redemption, APL, and vendor list. Refer to appendix H for full details of all EBT items. Items included in multiple EBT data files are defined just once; the definition includes which EBT data files include each item.

Common Linking Variables

E1. State Agency ID. A unique number that permits linkage to the State agency where the enrollee was certified; it is the first 7 digits of the 10-digit Local Agency Code maintained by FNS in the WIC LAD. State agency ID should be included in all four EBT data file (issuance, redemption, APL, and vendor list)

E2. Household ID. A unique number that permits linkage to the WIC household. This should be the same ID as the household ID in the characteristics data. Some systems may refer to this field as the WIC MIS Account ID. Household ID should be included in the EBT issuance and EBT redemption files

EBT Issuance

E3. EBT Card Number. A unique number that identifies the card issued to the WIC household

Note: If your EBT system does not track EBT card number in the issuance file, please do not merge in the EBT card number from a separate data source. This can cause record duplication issues. EBT card number should be included in the EBT issuance and EBT redemption files

E4. Issuance Reason Code. Reasons for issuance action (e.g., benefit add/update, card add/update, local agency or clinic add/update)

E5. Benefit Issuance ID. Unique ID identifying benefit issuance at Household (WIC MIS account) ID level. Benefit issuance ID should be included in the EBT issuance data. It is optional for the EBT redemption data, but should be included in the redemption file if it is tracked

Note: For redemption, this is an optional field. If your EBT system does not track benefit issuance ID in the issuance file, please do not merge in the benefit issuance ID from a separate data source. This can cause record duplication issues

E6. Date, Begin Benefit. First date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format. Date, begin benefit should be included in the EBT issuance and EBT redemption files

E7. Date, End Benefit. Last date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format. Date, end benefit should be included in the EBT issuance and EBT redemption files

E8. Benefit Quantity. The quantity of the food item issued that can be redeemed. There is a unique benefit quantity for each benefit issuance ID

E9. Benefit Unit. Describes benefit unit of measure (e.g., can, pkg, jar). Please provide only first ten characters

E10a. Category Code. Two-digit code describing food group. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, include the full five-digit code here. Category code should be included in the EBT issuance, EBT redemption, and approved product list files

E10b. Subcategory Code. Three-digit component used to identify food type, brand, and/or size. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, provide the five-digit code for E9a. Subcategory code should be included in the EBT issuance, EBT redemption, and approved product list files

E11a. Category Description. Text description of food category. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory descriptions in the same field, leave this field blank, and provide the full description under “subcategory description.” Category description should be included in the EBT issuance, EBT redemption, and approved product list files

E11b. Subcategory Description. Text description of food subcategory. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory descriptions in the same field, provide the full description here. Subcategory description should be included in the EBT issuance, EBT redemption, and approved product list files

EBT Redemption

E12. WIC MIS WIC Vendor ID. Identifies each WIC vendor where purchases occur. The Vendor ID should match the Vendor ID in the Vendor List. WIC MIS WIC vendor ID should be included in the EBT redemption and vendor list files

E13. WIC MIS WIC Vendor Peer Group ID. Identifier for each WIC vendor's peer group for cost containment purposes. This ID should match the Peer Group ID in the Vendor List. WIC MIS WIC vendor peer group ID should be included in the EBT redemption and vendor list files

E14. Amount, Discount. Amount, in U.S. dollars, deducted from gross amount of transaction (with coupons or other reductions)

E15. Amount, Paid (Transaction). Amount, in U.S. dollars, paid for each transaction. The amount should equal Amount, paid (E29) after adjusting for Amount, NTE adjustment (E27) and Amount, recoupment adjustment (E28) multiplied by Purchase quantity (E39)

E16. Amount, Total Adjustment. Amount, in U.S. dollars, equal to the sum of all adjustments to reported line items

E17. Amount, Transaction. Original amount, in U.S. dollars, of transaction before adjustments and discounts

E18. Date and Time, Host. Date and time a transaction occurred based on date/time on EBT processor system, using MMDDYYYYHHMM format

E19. Date and Time, Local Transaction. Date and time a transaction occurred based on date and time of WIC vendor system, using MMDDYYYYHHMM format

E20. Date, Business. Calendar date a transaction occurred or date reported by EBT system in MMDDYYYY format

E21. Date, Settlement. Date the financial reconciliation was completed, recorded by EBT system in MMDDYYYY format

E22. Original Unique EBT Transaction Identifier. Identifies original EBT transaction. This ID is assigned by WIC EBT system interface

E23. Transaction Reason Code. Identifies action taken in response to request; required for WIC online EBT

E24. Type Code. Identifies transaction type (e.g., purchase, void, adjustment)

E25. Unique EBT Transaction Identifier. Identifies unique EBT transactions within WIC MIS and WIC EBT system; contains information on approval codes

E26. Amount, Item Discount. Amount, in U.S. dollars, deducted from item price for individual food item

E27. Amount, NTE Adjustment. Amount, in U.S. dollars, of adjustment applied to price because original item price exceeds price range designated for peer group

E28. Amount, Recoupment Adjustment. Amount, in U.S. dollars, of adjustment applied to price of food item

E29. Amount Paid (Item). Amount paid at item level equals sum of all reported prices minus Amount, Item Discount (E26) at item level

E30. Item Action Code. Identifies action taken on item. This item is not required for offline EBT systems

E31. Item Description. Text description of food item

E32. Item Price. Identifies purchase amount, in U.S. dollars, assigned to one unit of food item, usually after adjustment

E33. Line Item ID. Identifies line item within transaction. This element is required if food item requires multiple records to indicate units across Subcategory Codes (E9b) or Benefit Issuance ID (E5)

E34. Original Category Code. Identifies food category, assigned to Universal Product Code (UPC) or Price Look-Up (PLU)

E35. Original Item Price. Requested item price, in U.S. dollars, before any adjustments

E36. Original Purchase Quantity. Number of food items or quantity of a food item requested in Unit of Measure (E40) in UPC/PLU

E37. Original Subcategory Code. Identifies food subcategory, assigned to UPC or PLU

E38. Package Size. Size of redeemed food items in standard units of measures. Package size should be included in the EBT redemption and approved product list files

E39. Purchase Quantity. Approved purchase quantity by prorated amount of benefit units applied to food item

E40. Unit of Measure. Identifies quantity of food items as described on container (e.g., ounce, pound, quart). Unit of measure should be included in the EBT redemption and approved product list files

E41. Units. Number of units of redeemed food items being reported

E42. UPC/PLU Data. Identifies UPC or PLU assigned to a food item. This element contains four subelements: (1) UPC/PLU indicators; (2) UPC; (3) UPC/PLU check digit; and (4) UPC/PLU data length

Approved Product Lists

E43. Record Sequence Number. Assigned to every record in file, in sequential order, beginning with 1 and incremented by 1 for each subsequent record on file

E44. Message Type Identifier. Describes type of message in APL file (e.g., UPC/PLU store file)

E45. UPC/PLU Indicator. Indicates whether item is UPC or PLU

E46. UPC/PLU. UPC or PLU code to identify the approved food item

E47. Benefit Quantity. Indicates quantity of specified item to be deducted from prescribed benefit issuance

E48. Benefit Unit Description. Standardizes display on food item’s issued size on receipt

E49. Price Type. Indicates type of price for food item (e.g., maximum price allowed, cash-value benefit item, reserved for national or private use)

E50. Date, Effective. First date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format

E51. Date, End. Last date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format

E52. UPC/PLU Data Length. Length of UPC/PLU; value includes check digit as significant digit

E53. UPC/PLU Check Digit. Digit in last position of UPC/PLU data element

E54. Purchase Indicator. Identifies whether food item can be purchased with benefits issued to specific subcategory (e.g., 001) or broadband subcategory (e.g., 000)

E55. Manual Voucher Indicator. Used to indicate whether item is allowed for purchase with manual voucher

Vendor Lists

E56. Above 50 Percent Vendor. Indicates whether WIC sales account for more than 50 percent of total food sales for the vendor (i.e., vendor is an A-50 vendor)

E57. Action Code. Identifies action for each observation (i.e., activate or add; change or update; deactivate or delete; reserved; reactivate or unlock; hold)

E58. Address Line 1. First line of the vendor’s physical location (not mailing) street address

E59. Address Line 2. Second line of the vendor’s physical location (not mailing) street address

E60. Address City. City for the vendor’s physical location (not mailing) street address

E61. Address State. State for the vendor’s physical location (not mailing) street address

E62. Address ZIP Code. ZIP Code (5 digits) for the vendor’s physical location (not mailing) street address

E63. Amount, total food sales. Amount, in U.S. dollars, of total food sales reported by WIC vendors

E64. Business Name, WIC Vendor. Business name of the WIC vendor

E65. Corporation ID. Identifies corporation WIC vendors are associated with

E66. Date, Begin Vendor. First date vendor was active and accepting WIC, in MMDDYYYY format

E67. Date, Effective. Date action is effective, in MMDDYYYY format

E68. Date, End Vendor. Last date vendor will accept WIC, in MMDDYYYY format

E69. FNS Number. Identifies retail location; assigned by SNAP

E70. Reason Code. Indicates reason for action indicated in Action Code (E56)

E71. Type Code. Indicates entity being acted on or reported

Layout of EBT Data for Submission

You should submit your EBT data in four separate files for (1) issuance, (2) redemption, (3) approved vendors, and (4) approved product lists. Requested data items are specified in tables 4.1 through 4.4 with one table per file. If you cannot fully report your data using these specifications, contact Westat for guidance. Please left justify all fields that do not require the full allotted length.

Table 4.1. WIC EBT Data File Layout: EBT Issuance

Data Item Number

Description of Data Item

Beginning Column

Ending Column

Field Width
by Bytes
(No Binary Data)

E1.

State agency ID

1

7

7

E2.

Household ID

8

43

36

E3.

EBT card number

44

59

16

E4.

Reason code

60

62

3

E5.

Benefit issuance ID

63

98

36

E6.

Date, begin benefit

99

106

8

E7.

Date, end benefit

107

114

8

E8.

Benefit quantity

115

124

10

E9.

Shape32 Benefit unit

125

134

10

E10a.

Category code

135

136

2

E10b.

Shape33 Subcategory code

137

139

3

E11a.

Category description

140

169

30

E11b.

Subcategory description

170

229

60

EBT = electronic benefit transfer; MIS = management information system

Table 4.2. WIC EBT Data File Layout: EBT Redemption

Data Item Number

Description of Data Item

Beginning Column

Ending Column

Field Width
by Bytes
(No Binary Data)

E1.

State agency ID

1

7

7

E2.

Household ID

8

43

36

E3.

EBT card number

44

59

16

E5.

Benefit issuance ID

60

95

36

E6.

Date, begin benefit

96

103

8

E7.

Date, end benefit

104

111

8

E9.

Shape34 Benefit unit

112

121

10

E10a.

Category code

122

123

2

E10b.

Shape35 Subcategory code

124

126

3

E11a.

Category description

127

156

30

E11b.

Subcategory description

157

216

60

E12.

WIC MIS WIC Vendor ID

217

224

8

E13.

WIC vendor peer group ID

225

227

3

E14.

Amount, discount

228

234

7

E15.

Amount paid (transaction)

235

241

7

E16.

Amount, total adjustment

242

248

7

E17.

Amount, transaction

249

255

7

E18.

Date and time, host

256

267

12

E19.

Date and time, local transaction

268

279

12

E20.

Date, business

280

287

8

E21.

Date, settlement

288

295

8

E22.

Original unique EBT transaction identifier

296

327

32

E23.

Transaction reason code

328

337

10

E24.

Type code

338

347

10

E25.

Unique EBT transaction identifier

348

379

32

E26.

Amount, item discount

380

386

7

E27.

Amount, not-to-exceed adjustment

387

393

7

E28.

Amount, recoupment adjustment

394

400

7

E29.

Amount paid (item)

401

407

7

E30.

Item action code

408

410

3

E31.

Item description

411

470

60

E32.

Item price

471

476

6

E33.

Line item ID

477

479

3

E34.

Original category code

480

481

2

E35.

Original item price

482

487

6

E36.

Original purchase quantity

488

489

2

E37.

Original subcategory code

490

492

3

E38.

Package size

493

498

6

E39.

Purchase quantity

499

500

2

E40.

Unit of measure

501

506

6

E41.

Units

507

509

3

E42.

UPC/PLU data

510

534

25

EBT = electronic benefit transfer; MIS = management information system; PLU = Price Look-Up; UPC = Universal Product Code

Table 4.3. WIC EBT Data File Layout: Approved Products List

Data Item Number

Description of Data Item

Beginning Column

Ending
Column

Field Width
by Bytes
(No Binary Data)

E1.

Shape36 State agency ID

1

7

7

E10a.

Category code

8

9

2

E10b.

Shape37 Category description

10

12

3

E11a.

Subcategory code

13

42

30

E11b.

Subcategory description

43

102

60

E31.

Item description

103

162

60

E32.

Item price

163

168

6

E38.

Package size

169

174

6

E40.

Unit of measure

175

180

6

E43.

Record sequence number

181

190

10

E44.

Message type identifier

191

193

3

E45.

UPC/PLU indicator

194

196

3

E46.

UPC/PLU

197

214

18

E47.

Benefit quantity

215

217

3

E48.

Benefit unit description

218

227

10

E49.

Price type

228

237

10

E50.

Date, effective

238

245

8

E51.

Date, end

246

253

8

E52.

UPC/PLU data length

254

255

2

E53.

UPC/PLU check digit

256

256

1

E54.

Purchase indicator

257

259

3

E55.

Manual voucher indicator

260

260

1

EBT = electronic benefit transfer; PLU = Price Look-Up; UPC = Universal Product Code

Table 4.4. WIC EBT Data File Layout: Vendor List

Data Item Number

Description of Data Item

Beginning Column

Ending Column

Field Width
by Bytes
(No Binary Data)

E1.

State agency ID

1

7

7

E12.

WIC MIS WIC vendor ID

8

15

8

E13.

WIC vendor peer group ID

16

18

3

E56.

Above 50 percent vendor

19

19

1

E57.

Action code

20

22

3

E58.

Address line 1

23

54

32

E59.

Address line 2

55

86

32

E60.

Address city

87

102

16

E61.

Address State

103

104

2

E62.

Address ZIP Code (5 digits)

105

109

5

E63.

Amount, total food sales

110

119

10

E64.

Business name, WIC vendor

120

155

36

E65.

Corporation ID

156

159

4

E66.

Date, begin vendor

160

167

8

E67.

Date, effective

168

175

8

E68.

Date, end vendor

176

183

8

E69.

FNS number

184

190

7

E70.

Reason code

191

193

3

E71.

Type code

194

194

1

MIS = management information system


Chapter 5. Working With Your MIS and EBT Contractors

You may use the sample emails in this chapter to work with your MIS and EBT contractors. These sample emails are intended to be sent from State agencies to MIS and EBT contractors as needed in your State agency. Sample emails include—

  • Email to MIS contractors sharing the Guidance (proposed send date: December 2023; see page 36)

  • Email to MIS contractors confirming progress on previous action items and previewing work due in April (proposed send date: March 2024, see page 37)

  • Email to EBT processors sharing the Guidance (proposed send date: December 2023; see page 38)

  • Email to EBT processors confirming ability to pull WIC EBT data extract (proposed send date: March 2024; see page 39)


Sample Emails From State Agency to MIS Contractors

December 2023 Email to Share the Guidance

Dear [name],

As a WIC State agency, we are required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), Public Law 111-296, to submit our enrollee characteristics data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the biennial WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024 report (WIC PC 2024) once we finalize data for April 2024. For WIC PC 2024, the USDA requires all State agencies to submit longitudinal files.

This month, we would like you to complete the following four tasks:

  1. Read chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 and appendices C, E, F, and G in the WIC PC 2024 Guidance (attached)

  • If you have any questions about what to do for WIC PC 2024, please send them to us. We can set a time to meet with Westat (USDA’s contractor facilitating WIC PC data collection) to get additional information on anything that needs clarification. Otherwise, please confirm you are comfortable with all the work to be completed for WIC PC 2024 by [date].

  1. Begin preparing code and any other processes/procedures to pull the data. This will be the first year USDA collects longitudinal WIC PC data. Chapters 3 and 4 of the attached Guidance describe exactly how to prepare those data.

USDA recommends that we submit sample data files to Westat by February 28, 2024, to receive feedback and technical assistance. This will ensure that when the full data collection for WIC PC 2024 begins in May 2024, we’ll be able to pull our data. Sample data could include 1 or 2 months of data (enrollee characteristics and/or EBT data) between May 2022 and April 2024. Please plan to send us sample data files by [date], so we can receive this assistance. [Insert any additional details about the sample data file(s) you would like your contractor to prepare.]

  1. As part of the preparation for WIC PC 2024, please send us the code used to pull WIC PC 2022 data or the technical specifications of the report created for WIC PC 2022 data along with any documentation you have about WIC PC processes and procedures. This information about previous data pulls will help prepare us for the WIC PC 2024 pull.

  2. Review and test the data we submitted for WIC PC 2022 using the attached “PC Data Checker.xlsx.” If you have any questions about how to use it, please send them to us. For WIC PC 2024, we would like you to send a completed copy of the “PC Data Checker.xlsx” file along with the data to show the WIC PC 2024 data are in the appropriate layout.

As this is an ask with a short turn-around, please respond to this email and acknowledge receipt of this email by 'replying to all’.  We look forward to hearing back from you by [date] about these action items.

Thank you,

[name]


March 2024 Email to Confirm Progress on Past Action Items and Preview Work Due in April

Dear [name],

We are following up regarding preparation for the WIC PC 2024 data collection and reporting. As we are quickly approaching April 30, the final reference date for WIC PC 2024, we are touching base on the four action items we sent you in December:

  1. Review WIC PC 2024 Guidance and reach out with any questions or concerns. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding work. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

  1. Prepare code and processes/procedures to pull the longitudinal WIC PC data. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding work. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

  2. Send us the code and processes/procedures used to pull WIC PC 2022 data. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding work. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

  3. Test the pulled sample data file(s) from one or two months between May 2022 and April 2024 using the “PC Data Checker.xlsx” and reach out with any questions or concerns. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding work. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

USDA also encourages all State agencies to obtain a copy of the code that will be used to pull WIC PC 2024 data by April 30, 2024. This step will make sure all State agencies are ready to pull data as soon as the final reference date passes. Please send us a copy of the code and any associated documentation by April 30, 2024.

We look forward to hearing back from you by [date] about these action items.

Thank you,

[name]

Emails to EBT Processors

December 2023 Email to Share the Guidance

Dear [name],

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for preparing a biennial report on WIC participant and program characteristics, known as WIC PC.

The 2024 round of WIC PC data collection will be used for the WIC Modernization and Innovation evaluation as well as the typical analyses it supports. To track key variables, including retention, participation, and benefit redemption, we will include in the data collection certain linking variables and monthly characteristics data pulled from the MIS, along with EBT data. This will reduce burden for State agencies by combining the data collections so State agencies do not have to pull similar information twice for the different studies.

All WIC State agencies with EBT are being asked to submit issuance and redemption data from May 2022 through April 2024. Full details of this data request can be found in the attached WIC PC 2024 Guidance.

This month, we would like you to complete the following two tasks:

  1. Read chapters 1, 2, and 4 and appendices D and H in the WIC PC 2024 Guidance.

  • If you have any questions about what to do for WIC PC 2024, please send them to us. We can set a time to meet with Westat (USDA’s contractor facilitating WIC PC data collection) to get clarification. Otherwise, please confirm you are comfortable with all the work to be completed for WIC PC 2024 by [date].

  1. Begin preparing code and any other processes/procedures to pull the requested EBT data (see chapter 4 and appendix H in the attached Guidance).

USDA recommends that we submit sample data files to Westat by February 28, 2024, to receive feedback and technical assistance. This will ensure that when the full data collection for WIC PC 2024 begins in May 2024, we will be able to pull our data. Sample data could include 1 or 2 months of EBT data between May 2022 and April 2024. Please plan to send us sample data files by [date], so we can receive this assistance. [Insert any additional details about the sample data file(s) you would like your EBT processor to prepare.]

We look forward to hearing back from you by [date] about these action items.

Thank you,

[name]


March 2024 Email to Confirm Readiness to Pull WIC PC EBT Data

Dear [name],

We are following up regarding preparation for the WIC PC 2024 data collection and reporting. Because we are quickly approaching April 30, the final reference date for WIC PC 2024, we are touching base on the two action items we sent you in December:

  1. Review WIC PC 2024 Guidance and reach out with any questions or concerns. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding tasks. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

  1. Prepare code and processes/procedures to pull the requested EBT data. [Summarize progress and set due dates for any outstanding tasks. If this task has been completed, delete this item from the email.]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages all State agencies to obtain a copy of the code that will be used to pull WIC PC 2024 EBT data by April 30, 2024. This step will make sure all State agencies are ready to pull data as soon as the final month of data collection passes. Please send us a copy of the code and any associated documentation by April 30, 2024.

We look forward to hearing back from you by [date] about these action items.

Thank you,

[name]

Appendix A. Nutritional Risk Worksheet

State agencies that do not use standard FNS nutritional risk codes must submit their nutritional risk worksheet by March 18, 2024, to specify whether they will provide their nutritional risk data using established Federal nutritional risk codes (available at www.partnerweb.usda.gov/default.aspx) or codes specific to the State agency. Agencies using State codes must complete a copy of this worksheet (sent as a separate Excel file) to crosswalk their coding schemes to the Federal codes. See table A.1 for an example.

Table A.1. Example rows from nutritional risk worksheet

Category/Title

FNS Nutritional Risk Code

PC 2022 State Agency Code

Revised/ Additional State Agency Codes

Revisions/Additions
Please separate each code with a comma (e.g., '102, 105' or 'A5, H7')

First Date of Use

Last Date of Use

Notes

Anthropometric

Low Weight-
for-Height

100

[STATE AGENCY CODE FOR PREVIOUS STUDY YEAR]

No Change

 



Used for all months of data

Underweight (women)

101

[STATE AGENCY CODE FOR PREVIOUS STUDY YEAR]

New Code(s) -- Delete PC 2022 Code

101

May 2022

January 2024

Starting in February 2024, we began using a new code for underweight (women).

Underweight or At Risk of Becoming Underweight

103

[STATE AGENCY CODE FOR PREVIOUS STUDY YEAR]

No Change

 



Used for all months of data

Westat will provide the Nutritional Risk Worksheet in January 2024. For convenience, Westat will provide you with the information you submitted on your nutritional risk worksheet for WIC PC 2022. Please provide all nutritional risks that were active at any time between May 2022 and April 2024. Use the “first date of use” and “last date of use” column to note any nutritional risk codes active for only part of the time between May 2022 and April 2024.

Appendix B. Food Code Documentation

You must submit your State agency’s food code documentation by March 18, 2024. This documentation defines the food items and quantities that correspond to each food package code the State agency uses to prescribe foods to WIC enrollees. Provide all food codes that were active at any time from May 2022 through April 2024. If food codes changed during this time, explain when they changed and how they changed. See table B.1 for examples.

Table B.1. Example rows from food code documentation

Food_Code

Description

Unit of Measure

First Date of Use

Last Date of Use

Notes

000100

Cheese or Tofu

OZ



No Change from 2022

000101

Cheese

OZ



No Change from 2022

000102

Sardines

OZ

April 2022

current

New since April 2022

2463

Low-Fat Milk

QTS

May 2022

January 2023


2463

Whole Milk

QTS

February 2023

current




Appendix C. Characteristics Data Transmittal Worksheet

You must provide a completed copy of this data transmittal worksheet alongside your State agency’s data files. A fillable copy will be sent to you as a separate attachment. Characteristics data submissions should be sent to Westat as soon as possible after April 2024 and no later than July 2, 2024. Submit only complete data files. If your State agency expects to receive updated data after April 2024 for income, breastfeeding, participation, or other data fields, please wait until the updated data are available to submit your data file.

  1. State agency: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

  2. Name, title, phone number, and email address of the person able to answer questions regarding the State agency’s data submission:

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

  1. Characteristics data specifications:

  1. Number of files:
    _______________________________________________________________________________________

  2. Number of enrollee records:
    _____________________________________________________________________

  3. Maximum record length:
    ____________________________________________________________________________

  1. Was racial/ethnic data reported using the three-digit code, the series of six yes/no questions, or another format? Check only one answer.

Three-digit code provided in guidance

Series of six yes/no questions

Other format (describe): __________________________________________________________________________

  1. How does your State agency record an income of $0?

We enter “0”

We enter “1” (e.g., our system does not allow a value of 0)

We enter another value. Please explain: ________________________________________________


  1. Breastfeeding data collection procedures:

  1. When was breastfeeding data collected? Check all that apply.

At issuance

At certification/recertification

During healthcare appointments

At nutrition education sessions

Separate telephone or mail inquiry

Other (describe): ________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  1. Are breastfeeding data collected routinely or only for the biennial WIC PC reporting? Check only one answer.

Routinely Only for WIC PC reporting

  1. Does the State agency’s automated data system maintain the most recent breastfeeding information? Check only one answer.

Yes No

  1. Was food package code documentation submitted for the types and amounts of WIC foods prescribed? Check only one answer.

Food package translations

Are enclosed

Were already sent

Will be sent under separate cover

  1. Were food code data submitted using food package codes, an item/quantity format, or another format?

Food package codes (up to 14 codes with no more than 10 digits per code)

Item-quantity format

Other format (describe): _____________________________________________________________________________

  1. Was food package type reported using the specified codes 1 through 28 or another format?

Used specified codes 1 through 28

Other format (describe): _____________________________________________________________________________


  1. Supplemental Data Set items submitted for WIC PC 2024:

Date of first WIC certification

Education level

Number in household on WIC

Date previous pregnancy ended

Total number of pregnancies

Total number of live births

Prepregnancy weight

Weight change during pregnancy

Birth weight

Birth length

Participation in Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

  1. Were Service Site IDs reported in the data?

Yes No

  1. Management Information System (MIS) details:

  1. Please provide the name of the MIS used to collect and submit the WIC PC 2024 characteristics data and the contractor that developed the MIS.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

  1. Has the State agency changed its MIS since the WIC PC 2022 data collection? If yes, please provide the name of the previous MIS.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

  1. Other information:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please send files and documentation to Westat’s Secure File Transfer Protocol site. Instructions follow; these will be provided separately to the State agency along with username and password.

Note: The Secure File Transfer Protocol process has changed. The user who submits the data must be the same individual whose name and email was submitted on the contact information survey.

  1. Navigate to https://securetransfer2.westat.com .

  2. Enter your username (will be provided separately).


  1. Enter your password (will be provided separately).

When the user logs in with their credentials, they will be sent a six-digit code by the system to the email address on file. The email will be from [email protected]. The user must enter that code into the browser.

  1. Upload the files.

Email questions to [email protected].

Appendix D. Electronic Benefit Transfer Data Transmittal Worksheet

Please include a completed copy of this worksheet with your State agency’s EBT data submission. A fillable copy will be sent to you as a separate attachment.

EBT data submissions should be sent to Westat as soon as possible after April 30, 2024, and no later than July 2, 2024. Submit only complete data files. Please wait until all months of EBT data are complete before submitting your files.

  1. State agency:

  1. Name, phone number, and email address of the person able to answer questions regarding the State agency’s EBT data submission:

  1. Name:

  2. Telephone:

  3. Email:

  1. Please describe the source of each data file type:

Benefit issuance MIS EBT system

Benefit redemption MIS EBT system

Approved Product List MIS EBT system Other (describe)

Vendor list MIS EBT system Other (describe)

  1. What is the name of your EBT processor? If your State agency used more than one EBT processor between May 2022 and April 2024, please provide the name and dates for each processor involved with your data.

  1. EBT data files specifications:

  1. EBT issuance: File name(s):

  2. EBT issuance: Number of records:

  3. EBT issuance: How are benefit reissuances handled in the data?

  1. EBT redemptions: File name(s):

  2. EBT redemptions: Number of records:

  3. EBT redemptions: How do voided transactions appear in the data?

  4. Comments/State agency-specific data file specifications:

  1. Authorized product list specification:

  1. File name(s):

  2. Number of product records:

  3. Comments/State agency-specific data file specifications:

  1. Vendor list file specifications:

  1. File name(s):

  2. Number of vendor records:

  3. Comments/State agency-specific data file specifications:

Note: The Secure File Transfer Protocol process has changed. The user who submits the data must be the same individual whose name and email was submitted on the contact information survey.

  1. Does your State agency use any codes in the EBT data that are not the WIC standards? (For example, action codes; category codes)?

Yes No

  1. Please provide the data element name(s) that use(s) different codes. Please also provide a file defining the unique codes used in your data.

  1. Navigate to https://securetransfer2.westat.com.

  1. Enter your username (will be provided separately).

  2. Enter your password (will be provided separately).

When the user logs in with their credentials, they will be sent a six-digit code by the system to the email address on file. The email will be from [email protected]. The user must enter that code into the browser.

  1. Upload the files.

Email questions to [email protected].

Appendix E. Detailed Specifications for Minimum Data Set Variables

1. State Agency ID

Description

This is the State agency where the enrollee is certified.

Column position

1–7

Field length

7

Data type

Numeric

Special instructions

Using the 10-digit identification code used in the WIC Local Agency Directory maintained by FNS, enter the first 7 digits.

2a. Local Agency Number

Description

This is the unique number for the Local Agency where the enrollee is certified.

Column position

8–10

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Special instructions

Using the 10-digit identification code used in the WIC Local Agency Directory maintained by FNS, enter the last 3 digits.

2b. Service Site ID

Description

This is the unique number for the service site or clinic where the enrollee is certified.

Column position

11–13

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Special instructions

Service Site ID is not a substitute for Local Agency Number. State agencies that submit service site-level or clinic-level data for the WIC Local Agency are asked to include the corresponding service site IDs in their WIC PC 2024 submissions. Service Site IDs appear in the WIC Local Agency Directory as the three-digit codes under Administering Agency.

3. Participant ID

Description

This is the participant ID the State agency uses internally.

Column position

14–24

Field length

11

Data type

Alphanumeric

4. Date of Enrollee's Birth

Description

This is the enrollee's birth date. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

Column position

25–32

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

There should be no birth dates after April 30, 2024.

For children, there should be no birth dates before May 2017.

All dates should fall within valid month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or unavailable should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be

01032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)



5. Enrollee's Race/Ethnicity

Description

Since WIC PC 2006, State agencies have been required to submit their data using the revised WIC racial and ethnic categories the Office of Management and Budget requires. Under these standards, enrollees are classified according to their ethnicity as well as their race; there are five racial classifications and one ethnic classification.

  1. Enrollees are classified as either Hispanic/Latino or Not Hispanic/Latino according to the following criteria:

Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term "Spanish origin" can be used in addition to "Hispanic or Latino"

  1. The five racial classifications follow; one or more racial categories may be selected by each enrollee:6

American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment

Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam

Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" may be used in addition to “Black or African American”

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands

White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa

State agencies may report race/ethnicity using one of two methods:

Yes/No Format: Responses of either 1 (for Yes) or 2 (for No) for each of the racial/ethnic categories in the order listed above to form a six-digit string; the first digit of the string represents whether the enrollee is Hispanic, and the remaining five digits represent whether the enrollee belongs to each of the racial categories as listed in the order above

Example: Non-Hispanic Asian and Black 221122

Standard Codes: Three-digit codes representing key combinations of one or more racial selections, with the first digit representing ethnicity and the last two digits representing race; these codes are defined as follows:

101 = American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino

201 = American Indian or Alaska Native, Not Hispanic/Latino

102 = Asian, Hispanic/Latino

202 = Asian, Not Hispanic/Latino

Description, continued

103 = Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino

203 = Black or African American, Not Hispanic/Latino

104 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino

204 = Native Hawaiian, Not Hispanic/Latino

105 = White, Hispanic/Latino

205 = White, Not Hispanic/Latino

106 = American Indian or Alaska Native; White; Hispanic/Latino

206 = American Indian or Alaska Native; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

107 = Asian; White; Hispanic/Latino

207 = Asian; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

108 = Black or African American; White; Hispanic/Latino

208 = Black or African American; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

109 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino

209 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black or African American; Not Hispanic/Latino

110 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Hispanic/Latino

210 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Not Hispanic/Latino

111 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

211 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

112 = Asian; Black; Hispanic/Latino

212 = Asian; Black; Not Hispanic/Latino

113 = Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

213 = Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

114 = Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

214 = Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

115 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

215 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

116 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Hispanic/Latino

216 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Not Hispanic/Latino

117 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

217 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

118 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; White; Hispanic/Latino

218 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; White; Not Hispanic/Latino



Description, continued

119 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

219 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

120 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; White; Hispanic/Latino

220 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

121 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

221 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

122 = Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

222 = Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

123 = Asian; Black; White; Hispanic/Latino

223 = Asian; Black; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

124 = Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

224 = Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

125 = Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

225 = Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

126 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic/Latino

226 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Not Hispanic/Latino

127 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; White; Hispanic/Latino

227 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

128 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

228 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

129 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

229 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

130 = Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

230 = Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino

131 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Hispanic/Latino

231 = American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; Not Hispanic/Latino


Description, continued

199 = Hispanic/Latino; Missing race

299 = Not Hispanic/Latino; Missing race

9xx = Missing ethnicity

999 = Missing ethnicity and race

Column position

33–38

Field length

6

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

In Yes/No Format: Six-digit code with each digit representing 1 = Yes
or 2 = No

In Standard Codes: 101–131; 199; 201–231, 199, 299, 9xx, 999. Left justified followed by three blank columns

6a. Participant Category

Description

This is one of five possible categories the enrollee was assigned at certification.

1 = Pregnant woman

2 = Breastfeeding woman

3 = Postpartum woman, not breastfeeding

4 = Infant (younger than 12 months)

5 = Child (12–59 months)

Column position

39

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Carefully check the assignment of participant category codes. Errors in these assignments affect every reported number in WIC PC 2024.

Participants certified as children may not be younger than 11 months or older than 5 years.

A breastfeeding woman may not be certified past her child’s first birthday.

A postpartum woman who is not breastfeeding may not be certified for more than 6 months after her child is born or the pregnancy has otherwise ended.


6b. Expected Date of Delivery

Description

This is the expected date of delivery for the pregnant woman participant. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

This item may be supplied instead of Number of Weeks Gestation (item 6c).

Column position

40–47

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Expected Date of Delivery should be reported only for pregnant women.

All dates should fall within valid month, day, and year ranges. Unlike most other PC 2024 dates, expected dates of delivery may fall after April 2024.

Example

For May 3, 2022, the entry would be

05032022

If day is unknown, the entry would be

05 2022 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

6c. Number of Weeks Gestation

Description

This is the number of weeks since the pregnant woman enrollee's last menstrual period as of the date of the most recent certification as of the reference date used to pull the data.

This item may be supplied instead of Expected Date of Delivery (item 6b).

Column position

48–49

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–43

Notes

Number of weeks gestation should be reported only for pregnant women.



7. Date of Certification

Description

This is the date (month, day, and year) on which the enrollee was most recently certified for WIC as of as of the reference date used to pull the data. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

Column position

50–57

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

There should be no certification dates after April 30, 2024, or before March 1, 2021.

All dates should fall within valid month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or unavailable should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be

01032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

8. Enrollee's Sex

Description

This is the indication of whether the infant or child is male or female.

1 = Male

2 = Female

Column position

58

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

9. Risk Priority Codes

Description

This is the enrollee's risk priority level on the date of the most recent certification as of the reference date used to pull the data.

1 = Priority I: Pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants at nutritional risk as demonstrated by anthropometric or hematological assessment or by other documented nutritionally related medical condition

2 = Priority II: Infants up to 6 months of age of mothers who participated in WIC during pregnancy or who would have been eligible to participate under Priority I documented medical condition. This priority may also be assigned to a breastfeeding mother of an infant who is classified as Priority II

3 = Priority III: Children at nutritional risk as demonstrated by anthropometric or hematological assessment or other documented medical condition. Can also include high-risk postpartum women

4 = Priority IV: Pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants at nutritional risk as demonstrated by inadequate dietary pattern. Can also include high-risk postpartum women and homeless and migrant pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants

5 = Priority V: Children at nutritional risk because of inadequate dietary pattern. May also include high-risk postpartum women and homeless and migrant children

6 = Priority VI: Postpartum women, not breastfeeding, at nutritional risk on either medical or dietary criteria unless assigned to higher priorities at State agency discretion. At State agency option, this priority can also include homeless and migrant postpartum women

7 = Priority VII: Previously certified enrollees likely to regress in nutritional status without continuation of supplemental food. At State agency option, this priority may also include homeless and migrant enrollees

Column position

59

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–7

Notes

If the Risk Priority Code equals 1, the Participant Category should equal 1 or 2 or 4.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 2, the Participant Category should equal 2 or 4.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 3, the Participant Category should equal 3 or 5.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 4, the Participant Category should equal 1 or 2 or 3
or 4.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 5, the Participant Category should equal 3 or 5.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 6, the Participant Category should equal 3.

If the Risk Priority Code equals 7, the Participant Category should equal 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5.

10a. Participation in Other Programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Description

This indicates whether the enrollee or family member of the enrollee receives TANF benefits.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

60

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Notes

This item indicates reported participation at the time of the most recent certification. If this information has been updated since certification, indicate the enrollee's current participation status for this program.

If column 60 = 1, then income entries should be present in the column positions of either 66–70 or 72–73.

10b. Participation in Other Programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Description

This indicates whether the enrollee receives SNAP benefits.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

61

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Notes

This item indicates reported participation at the time of the most recent certification. If this information has been updated since certification, indicate the enrollee’s current participation status for this program.

If column 61 = 1, then income entries should be present in the column positions of either 66–70 or 72–73.

10c. Participation in Other Programs: Medicaid

Description

This indicates whether the enrollee receives Medicaid benefits or is a member of a family in which a pregnant woman or an infant is certified eligible to receive assistance under Medicaid.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

62

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Notes

This item indicates reported participation at the time of the most recent certification. If this information has been updated since certification, indicate the enrollee's current participation status for this program.

If column 62 = 1, then income entries should be present in the column positions of either 66–70 or 72–73.

11. Migrant Status

Description

This indicates whether any member of the family is a migrant worker. According to Federal WIC regulations, a migrant farmworker is an individual whose principal employment is in agriculture on a seasonal basis, who has been so employed within the last 24 months, and who has established a temporary abode for the purposes of such employment.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

63

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2



12. Number in Economic Unit

Description

This is the number of persons in the economic unit income eligibility is based on. This is a self-declared number in the economic unit for those eligible for WIC as a result of participation in other means-tested programs or those persons deemed eligible under optional procedures available to the State agency according to section 246.7(d)(2)(vi-viii) of Federal WIC regulations.

Column position

64–65

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–20

Notes

Zero is not a valid value for this item.

13a. Family Income

Description

For a person whose income was determined during the certification process, enter the income amount that was used to qualify the individual for WIC benefits. Amounts may be reported for various periods of time (weekly, monthly, biweekly, annually, or twice monthly) as specified in item 13b. For an enrollee whose income was not required to be determined for WIC certification, enter a self-declared income for descriptive purposes only. Self-declared incomes for these enrollees may be entered in dollar amounts in items 13a and 13b or by income categories in item 13c.

For an enrollee whose income was not required to be determined for WIC certification, entry of a self-declared amount should not be used by State agency data systems to alter WIC eligibility decisions. From a regulatory point of view, such eligibility is based on the means test provided by other programs such as TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, or other programs selected by the State agency. As long as the enrollee is a bona fide participant in such other programs, apparent discrepancies in income amounts need not be edited from WIC files or examined for potential effects on WIC eligibility.

For State agencies that are also Indian Tribal organizations and that have opted to implement alternative income eligibility procedures as set forth in section 246.7(d)(2)(viii) of Federal WIC regulations, self-declared incomes may be stated in dollars or selected from income codes in item 13c.

Column position

66–70

Field length

5

Data type

Numeric

State agencies may enter income for adjunctively income-eligible enrollees in either item 13a or item 13c.

Notes

If a record does not contain a dollar amount income in column positions 66–70, it should contain an income value in column positions 72–73.

13b. Income Period

Description

This is the period covered by the amount described in family income (item 13a).

1 = Weekly

2 = Monthly

3 = Biweekly

4 = Annually

5 = Twice monthly (Bimonthly)

Income Period should be present for every record containing a dollar value for income.

Column position

71

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–5

Notes

FNS will convert income expressed in different measures (i.e., weekly, monthly, yearly) to annual amounts.



13c. Income Ranges for Enrollees With Adjunct Eligibility

Description

This is the self-declared income for the family/economic unit expressed in a dollar range for any enrollee whose income was not required to be determined as part of the WIC certification process.

Enrollees whose incomes are not required to be determined during WIC certification include adjunctively income-eligible enrollees and those persons deemed income-eligible under optional procedures available to the State agency according to section 246.7(d)(2)(vi-vii) of Federal WIC regulations.


Code

Monthly

Annually


Code

Monthly

Annually



1

$0 –99

$0 –1,199


33

$3,200–3,299

$38,400–39,599



2

$100–199

$1,200–2,399


34

$3,300–3,399

$39,600–40,799



3

$200–299

$2,400–3,599


35

$3,400–3,499

$40,800–41,999



4

$300–399

$3,600–4,799


36

$3,500–3,599

$42,000–43,199



5

$400–499

$4,800–5,999


37

$3,600–3,699

$43,200–44,399



6

$500–599

$6,000–7,199


38

$3,700–3,799

$44,400–45,599



7

$600–699

$7,200–8,399


39

$3,800–3,899

$45,600–46,799



8

$700–799

$8,400–9,599


40

$3,900–3,999

$46,800–47,999



9

$800–899

$9,600–10,799


41

$4,000–4,099

$48,000–49,199



10

$900–999

$10,800–11,999


42

$4,100–4,199

$49,200–50,399



11

$1,000–1,099

$12,000–13,199


43

$4,200–4,299

$50,400–51,599



12

$1,100–1,199

$13,200–14,399


44

$4,300–4,399

$51,600–52,799



13

$1,200–1,299

$14,400–15,599


45

$4,400–4,499

$52,800–53,999



14

$1,300–1,399

$15,600–16,799


46

$4,500–4,599

$54,000–55,199



15

$1,400–1,499

$16,800–17,999


47

$4,600–4,699

$55,200–56,399



16

$1,500–1,599

$18,000–19,199


48

$4,700–4,799

$56,400–57,599



17

$1,600–1,699

$19,200–20,399


49

$4,800–4,899

$57,600–58,799



18

$1,700–1,799

$20,400–21,599


50

$4,900–4,999

$58,800–59,999



19

$1,800–1,899

$21,600–22,799


51

$5,000–5,099

$60,000–61,199



20

$1,900–1,999

$22,800–23,999


52

$5,100–5,199

$61,200–62,399



21

$2,000–2,099

$24,000–25,199


53

$5,200–5,299

$62,400–63,599



22

$2,100–2,199

$25,200–26,399


54

$5,300–5,399

$63,600–64,799



23

$2,200–2,299

$26,400–27,599


55

$5,400–5,499

$64,800–65,999



24

$2,300–2,399

$27,600–28,799


56

$5,500–5,599

$66,000–67,199



25

$2,400–2,499

$28,800–29,999


57

$5,600–5,699

$67,200–68,399



26

$2,500–2,599

$30,000–31,199


58

$5,700–5,799

$68,400–69,599



27

$2,600–2,699

$31,200–32,399


59

$5,800–5,899

$69,600–70,799



28

$2,700–2,799

$32,400–33,599


60

$5,900–5,999

$70,800–71,999



29

$2,800–2,899

$33,600–34,799


61

$6,000–6,099

$72,000–73,199



30

$2,900–2,999

$34,800–35,999


62

$6,100–6,199

$73,200–74,399



31

$3,000–3,099

$36,000–37,199


63

$6,200 +

$74,400 +



32

$3,100–3,199

$37,200–38,399






Description, continued

Column position

72–73

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–63

Notes

State agencies may enter income for adjunctively income-eligible enrollees in either item 13a or item 13c.

If a record does not contain a dollar amount for income in column positions 66–70, an entry should be present for adjunctive income range in column positions 72–73.

If column positions 60, 61, or 62 equal 1, then an entry for adjunctive income should be present in the column positions of either 66–70 or 72–73.

Zero is not a valid entry for this item.

14a–14j. Nutritional Risks

Description

These items indicate the enrollee’s nutritional risks present at certification as recorded in State agency files.

Column position


Nutritional Risk (any order)

Position



a. Nutritional Risk 1

74–79



b. Nutritional Risk 2

80–85



c. Nutritional Risk 3

86–91



d. Nutritional Risk 4

92–97



e. Nutritional Risk 5

98–103



f. Nutritional Risk 6

104–109



g. Nutritional Risk 7

110–115



h. Nutritional Risk 8

116–121



i. Nutritional Risk 9

122–127



j. Nutritional Risk 10

128–133


Field length

6 for each code; 60 total

Data type

Alphanumeric

Notes

Using this format, State agencies can report up to 10 nutritional risks per enrollee. Nutritional risks may be listed in any order. State agency nutritional risk codes will be translated into Federal nutritional risk codes.

Each nutritional risk should be left justified and blank filled.



15a.Hemoglobin

Description

This is the value for the measure of iron status that applies to the enrollee’s current certification. This item must be reported in grams/dl (XX.Y) with a single implied decimal place. For example, 14.9 should be coded as 149.

This item may be supplied instead of Hematocrit (item 15b).

Column position

134–136

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item is not required for infant enrollees younger than 9 months.

For children, if there is no blood measurement recorded for the current certification, provide the value for the most recent available certification.

15b. Hematocrit

Description

This is the value for the measure of iron status that applies to the enrollee’s current certification. This item must be reported to the nearest tenth of a percent (XX.Y) with a single implied decimal place. For example, 37.6 should be coded as 376.

This item may be supplied instead of Hemoglobin (item 15a).

Column position

137–139

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item is not required for infant enrollees younger than 9 months.

For children, if there is no blood measurement recorded for the current certification, provide the value for the most recent available certification.



15c. Date of Blood Test

Description

This is the date (month, day, and year) on which the enrollee’s blood measure was most recently taken as of the reference date used to pull the data. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format. This is required for all enrollees for whom a blood measure is reported.

Column position

140–147

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

All dates must fall within legitimate month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or unavailable should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be

01032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

16a(i). Enrollee's Weight in Pounds

Description

This is the enrollee's weight in whole pounds.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Weight in Grams (item 16b).

Column position

148–150

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Enrollee weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight of 9 pounds 12 ounces, the entry would be

“ 9”

(If the length of the field is fewer than three characters, the leftmost column(s) should be left blank; there should be no quotation marks.)

The number of ounces is reported as quarter pounds in item 16a(ii).



16a(ii). Nearest Quarter Pound of Enrollee's Weight

Description

This is the nearest quarter pound of the enrollee's weight.

Column position

151

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–3

Notes

Quarter pounds should be reported only when weight in pounds is reported.

Enrollee weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight of 9 pounds 12 ounces, the entry would be

3

because 12 ounces is equal to 3 quarter pounds.

The number of whole pounds is reported in item 16a(i).

16b. Enrollee's Weight in Grams

Description

This is the enrollee's weight in grams.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Weight in Pounds (item 16a).

Column position

152–157

Field length

6

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Enrollee weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight of 90,718 grams (approximately 200 pounds), the entry would be

“ 90718”

(If the length of the field is fewer than six characters, the leftmost column(s) should be left blank; there should be no quotation marks.)



17a(i). Enrollee's Height in Inches

Description

This is the enrollee's height (length) in whole inches.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Height in Centimeters (item 17b).

Column position

158–159

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Enrollee height may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

Example

For a height of 33.5 inches, the entry would be

33

The fractional number of inches is reported as one-eighth inches in item 17a(ii).

17a(ii). Nearest Eighth of an Inch of Enrollee's Height

Description

This is the nearest eighth of an inch of the enrollee's height (length).

Column position

160

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–7

Notes

Eighth inches should be reported only when height in inches is reported.

This measure is typically only reported for infants.

Enrollee height may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

Example

For a height of 33.5 inches, the entry would be

4

because half an inch is equal to 4 one-eighth inches.



17b. Enrollee's Height in Centimeters

Description

This is the enrollee's height (length) measured to the nearest tenth of a centimeter with a single implied decimal place.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Height in Inches (item 17a).

Column position

161–164

Field length

4

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Enrollee height may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

Example

For 30.5 centimeters, the entry would be

“ 305”

For 28 centimeters, the entry would be

“ 280”

to allow for the single implied decimal place.

18. Date of Height and Weight Measure

Description

This is the date (month, day, and year) on which the enrollee's height and weight was most recently measured as of April 2022. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

Column position

165–172

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

There should be no dates after April 30, 2024.

All dates should fall within valid month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or unavailable should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be

01032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

19a. Currently Breastfed

Description

For infants and children, this indicates whether the enrollee is currently receiving breastmilk.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

173

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Notes

This item is required only for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data.

A State agency may report breastfeeding data for additional infant and children enrollees if this approach is better suited to the configuration of the State agency's automated processing system.

See figure E.1 for a flowchart of breastfeeding items in this data set.

19b. Ever Breastfed

Description

For infants and children not currently receiving breastmilk, this indicates whether the enrollee ever received breastmilk.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

174

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Notes

This item is required only for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data and for whom a value of 2 is entered for item 19a.

A State agency may report breastfeeding data for additional infant and children enrollees if this approach is better suited to the configuration of the State agency's automated processing system.

19c. Length of Time Breastfed

Description

For infants and children who are not currently receiving breastmilk but who have ever received breastmilk, this is the number of weeks the enrollee received breastmilk.

The conversions listed below are consistent with conversions applied by the CDC Surveillance System.


To convert months to weeks:


To convert days to weeks:



Months

Weeks


Days

Weeks



1 month

4 weeks


Fewer than 4 days

0 weeks



2 months

9 weeks


4–10 days

1 week



3 months

13 weeks


11–17 days

2 weeks



4 months

17 weeks


18–24 days

3 weeks



5 months

22 weeks


25–31 days

4 weeks



6 months

26 weeks


32–38 days

5 weeks



7 months

30 weeks


39–45 days

6 weeks



8 months

35 weeks






9 months

39 weeks






10 months

43 weeks






11 months

48 weeks






12 months

52 weeks






13 months

56 weeks





If this information is missing or not available, leave the column positions blank.

Column position

175–176

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–59

Notes

This item is required only for infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data who have ever breastfed but are not currently breastfeeding, and for whom a value of 2 (not currently breastfeeding) is entered for item 19a and a value of 1 (yes response to ever breastfed) is entered for item 19b.

A State agency may report breastfeeding data for additional infant and child WIC enrollees if this approach is better suited to the configuration of the State agency's automated processing system.

Zero is a valid entry for this item. If the infant or child was breastfed for fewer than 4 days, enter zero.

Example

If the infant or child was breastfed for 5 months, the entry would be 22.


19d. Date Breastfeeding Data Collected

Description

For infants or children, this is the date (month, day, and year) on which breastfeeding status was reported. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

Column position

177–184

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item is required only for infants who are aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data.

A State agency may report breastfeeding data for additional infant and child WIC enrollees if this approach is better suited to the configuration of the State agency's automated processing system.

Some State agencies may not update this field every time breastfeeding status is confirmed. In these cases, the date of the most recent food issuance or office visit may be used as a proxy for the most recent date breastfeeding data were collected if breastfeeding status was confirmed during the visit.

All dates should fall within valid month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or unavailable should be left blank.

For infants and children reported as no longer breastfeeding in the State agency’s system, there is no need to repeat the breastfeeding questions when these infants and children are aged 6 through 13 months. However, the State agency must ensure the data accurately reflect the full breastfeeding duration for each infant and child enrollee.

State or local agency staff can verify this information when the infant or child is aged 6 through 13 months. The date of this administrative validation should be entered as the date of breastfeeding data collected. The agency should consult its WIC administrator to determine which process to use. The State agency should be sure to document derivation of dates when submitting its data file.

Entries in column positions 177–184 are essential for analysis of all breastfeeding data entries. Ensure these data are provided along with the data on other breastfeeding items.



Description, continued

Example

For March 3, 2024, the entry would be

03032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

03 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

Figure E.1. Flowchart of Breastfeeding Questions for WIC Minimum Data Set WIC PC 2024

Shape38































Data are to be reported for all infants and children aged 6 through 13 months as of the reference date used to pull the data.



20a–20n. Food Codes

Note: State agencies have the option of providing food data in a food package format or in an item-quantity format. The item-quantity format is preferred.

For State Agencies Submitting Food Items and Quantities

Description

These are item codes and quantities for all food items prescribed for the enrollee during the month of the reference date used to pull the data.

Column position


Item Code

Position


Quantity

Position



a. Item Code 1

185–191


a. Quantity 1

192–194



b. Item Code 2

195–201


b. Quantity 2

202–204



c. Item Code 3

205–211


c. Quantity 3

212–214



d. Item Code 4

215–221


d. Quantity 4

222–224



e. Item Code 5

225–231


e. Quantity 5

232–234



f. Item Code 6

235–241


f. Quantity 6

242–244



g. Item Code 7

245–251


g. Quantity 7

252–254



h. Item Code 8

255–261


h. Quantity 8

262–264



i. Item Code 9

265–271


i. Quantity 9

272–274



j. Item Code 10

275–281


j. Quantity 10

282–284



k. Item Code 11

285–291


k. Quantity 11

292–294



l. Item Code 12

295–301


l. Quantity 12

302–304



m. Item Code 13

305–311


m. Quantity 13

312–314



n. Item Code 14

315–321


n. Quantity 14

322–324


Field length

10 for each item/quantity combination; 140 total

Data type

Alphanumeric

Notes

Using this format, State agencies can report up to 14 food items and quantities. Each item code can include up to seven characters, and each quantity can include up to three characters. State agencies that cannot fully report their food codes using these specifications should contact Westat for guidance on developing an alternative file layout.

Each food item code and food quantity should be left justified and blank filled.



For State Agencies Submitting Food Package Codes

Description

These are food package code(s) for the WIC food package or for all food instruments prescribed for the enrollee as of the reference date used to pull the data.

Column position


Item Code

Position



a. Food Package Code 1

185–194



b. Food Package Code 2

195–204



c. Food Package Code 3

205–214



d. Food Package Code 4

215–224



e. Food Package Code 5

225–234



f. Food Package Code 6

235–244



g. Food Package Code 7

245–254



h. Food Package Code 8

255–264



i. Food Package Code 9

265–274



j. Food Package Code 10

275–284



k. Food Package Code 11

285–294



l. Food Package Code 12

295–304



m. Food Package Code 13

305–314



n. Food Package Code 14

315–324


Field length

10 for each code; 140 total

Data type

Alphanumeric

Notes

Using this format, State agencies can report up to 14 food package codes—each 10 characters. State agencies that cannot fully report their food codes using these specifications should contact Westat for guidance on developing an alternative file layout.

Each food package code should be left justified and blank filled.



20o. Food Package Type

Description

This is the enrollee’s final rule food package descriptor. This descriptor uniquely represents the enrollee’s FNS food package number (I through VII), participant type, breastfeeding status, and (for infants and children only) age. This is to be reported as a number from 1 to 28 as defined in the table that follows:


Food Package Type

Participant Type

Food
Package Number

Final Rule
Food Package Descriptor

Age

Category


1

Infants

Food Package I

I-FF-A

0–3.9 months

Fully formula-fed


2

I-FF-B

4–5.9 months

Fully formula-fed


3

I-BF/FF-A

0–0.9 months

Partially breastfed


4

I-BF/FF-B

1–3.9 months

Partially breastfed


5

I-BF/FF-C

4–5.9 months

Partially breastfed


6

I-BF-A

0–3.9 months

Fully breastfed


7

I-BF-B

4–5.9 months

Fully breastfed


8

Food Package II

II-FF

6–11.9 months

Fully formula-fed


9

II-BF/FF

6–11.9 months

Partially breastfed


10

II BF

6–11.9 months

Fully breastfed


11

Medical

Food Package III

III I-FF-A

0–3.9 months

Fully formula-fed


12

III I-FF-B

4–5.9 months

Fully formula-fed


13

III I-BF/FF-A

0–0.9 months

Partially breastfed


14

III I-BF/FF-B

1–3.9 months

Partially breastfed


15

III I-BF/FF-C

4–5.9 months

Partially breastfed


16

III II-FF

6–11.9 months

Fully formula-fed


17

III II-BF/FF

6–11.9 months

Partially breastfed


18

III IV-A

1–1.9 years

Children


19

III IV-B

2–4.9 years

Children


20

III V

Women

Pregnant and partially breastfeeding (up to 1 year postpartum)


21

III VI

Women

Non-breastfeeding postpartum and partially (minimally) breast feeding (up to 6 months postpartum)


22

III VII

Women

Fully breastfeeding (up to 1 year postpartum)


23

Children

Food Package IV

IV-A

1–1.9 years

Children


24

IV-B

2–4.9 years

Children


25

Women

Food Package V

V

Women

Pregnant and partially (mostly) breastfeeding (up to 1 year postpartum)


26

Food Package VI

VI

Women

Non-breastfeeding postpartum and partially (minimally) breastfeeding (up to 6 months postpartum)


27

Food Package VII

VII

Women

Fully breastfeeding; partially (mostly) breastfeeding multiples; pregnant with multiples


28

No Food Package

N/A

Women

Partially (minimally) breastfeeding (more than 6 months postpartum)

Column position

325–326

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Notes

Food Package Type should correspond to the enrollee’s Food Code(s).

Appendix F. Detailed Specifications for Supplemental Data Set Variables

21. Date of First WIC Certification

Description

This is the date (month, day, and year) on which the enrollee was first certified for WIC. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

For pregnant women, this item applies to the current pregnancy and not to prior pregnancies. For breastfeeding and postpartum women, this item applies to the most recent pregnancy. For infants and children, this item refers to the first WIC certification ever recorded.

Column position

327–334

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

The date of first WIC certification should not fall after April 30, 2024.

All dates must fall within legitimate month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or not available should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be

01032024

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)



22. Education Level

Description

For women, this is the highest grade of school (0–12) or year of college (13, 14, 15, 16 . . .) completed by the enrollee; for infants and children, this is the highest grade of school or year of college completed by the mother or primary caretaker.

Column position

335–336

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–18

Notes

Zero is a valid entry for this item and should be used for any WIC enrollee who has completed less than 1 year of school.


23. Number in Household in WIC

Description

This is the number of people in the enrollee's household (the economic unit used for WIC certification) enrolled in WIC in the reference date used to pull the data; for example, all those individuals who have the same family identifier.

Column position

337–338

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–20

Notes

This number should be no greater than the number in the economic unit entered in item 12.



24. Date Previous Pregnancy Ended

Description

This is the date (month, day, and year) on which the pregnant woman enrollee’s previous pregnancy ended. Date must be reported in MMDDYYYY format.

Column position

339–346

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Notes

All dates must fall within legitimate month, day, and year ranges.

Any part of the date that is missing or not available should be left blank.

Example

For January 3, 2023, the entry would be

01032023

If day is unknown, the entry would be

01 2023 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.)

25. Total Number of Pregnancies

Description

This is the total number of times the pregnant woman enrollee has been pregnant, including this pregnancy and any pregnancies resulting in birth, miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth.

Column position

347–348

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–20

Notes

This item should be reported for pregnant women only.

The count should include the current pregnancy.

Zero is not a valid entry for this item.



26. Total Number of Live Births

Description

This is the total number of babies born alive to the pregnant woman enrollee, including those infants who may have died shortly after birth.

Column position

349–350

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–20

Notes

This item should be reported for pregnant women only.

Zero is a valid entry for this item and should be used for reporting information on women who have experienced no previous live births.

27a(i). Prepregnancy Weight in Pounds

Description

This is the pregnant woman enrollee’s weight immediately prior to pregnancy in whole pounds.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Prepregnancy Weight in Grams (item 27b).

Column position

351–353

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for pregnant women.

Prepregnancy weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight of 120 pounds 8 ounces, the entry would be

120

The number of ounces is reported as quarter pounds in item 27a(ii).



27a(ii). Nearest Quarter Pound of Enrollee's Prepregnancy Weight

Description

This is the nearest quarter pound of the pregnant woman enrollee’s weight immediately prior to pregnancy.

Column position

354

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–3

Notes

This item should be reported only if prepregnancy weight in pounds [item 27a(i)] is reported.

This item should be reported only for pregnant women.

Prepregnancy weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight of 120 pounds 8 ounces, the entry would be

2

(8 ounces = 2 quarter pounds)

The number of whole pounds is reported in item 27a(i).

27b. Enrollee's Prepregnancy Weight in Grams

Description

This is the pregnant woman enrollee’s weight immediately prior to pregnancy in grams.

This item may be supplied instead of Prepregnancy Weight in Pounds (item 27a).

Column position

355–360

Field length

6

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for pregnant women.

Prepregnancy weight may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.



28a(i). Weight Change During Pregnancy in Pounds

Description

This is the breastfeeding or postpartum woman enrollee’s weight change (i.e., gain or loss) in pounds during pregnancy as measured at or immediately prior to delivery.

This item may be supplied instead of Enrollee’s Weight Change in Grams (item 28b).

Column position

361–363

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

-20–50

Notes

This item should be reported only for breastfeeding and postpartum women.

Weight change during pregnancy may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

If weight loss is reported, insert a negative sign (-) before the value.

Example

For a weight gain of 20 pounds 4 ounces, the entry would be

20

For a weight loss of 20 pounds 4 ounces, the entry would be

-20

The number of ounces is reported as quarter pounds in item 28a(ii).

28a(ii). Nearest Quarter Pound of Enrollee's Weight Change During Pregnancy

Description

This is the nearest quarter pound of the breastfeeding or postpartum woman enrollee’s weight change as measured during pregnancy.

Column position

364

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–3

Notes

This item should be reported only if weight change during pregnancy in pounds [item 28a(i)] is reported.

This item should be reported only for breastfeeding and postpartum women.

Weight change during pregnancy may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

Example

For a weight gain of 20 pounds 4 ounces, the entry would be

1

(4 ounces = 1 quarter pound)

For a weight loss of 20 pounds 4 ounces, the entry would also be

1

(4 ounces = 1 quarter pound)

Note that whether the 4 ounces were part of a weight gain or weight loss will be based on the presence of a negative sign in item 28a(i).

The number of whole pounds is reported in item 28a(i).

28b. Enrollee's Weight Change During Pregnancy in Grams

Description

This is the breastfeeding or postpartum woman enrollee’s weight change (i.e., gain or loss) in grams during pregnancy as measured at or immediately prior to delivery.

This item may be supplied instead of Weight Change During Pregnancy in Pounds (item 28a).

Column position

365–370

Field length

6

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

-10000–25000

Notes

This item should be reported only for breastfeeding and postpartum women.

Weight change during pregnancy may be reported in either pounds and quarter pounds or grams.

If weight loss is reported, insert a negative sign (-) preceding the value.

29a(i). Birth Weight in Pounds

Description

This is the infant or child enrollee’s birth weight in whole pounds.

This item may be supplied instead of Birth Weight in Grams (item 29b).

Column position

371–372

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth weight may be reported in either pounds and ounces or grams.

Example

For a birth weight of 7 pounds 12 ounces, the entry would be

“ 7”

The number of ounces is reported in item 29a(ii).

If the length of the field is fewer than two characters, the leftmost column(s) should be left blank; there should be no quotation marks.



29a(ii). Nearest Number of Ounces of Birth Weight

Description

This is the nearest number of ounces of the infant or child enrollee’s weight at birth.

Column position

373–374

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–15

Notes

This item should be reported only if weight in pounds [item 29a(i)] is reported.

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth weight may be reported in either pounds and ounces or grams.

Example

For a birth weight of 7 pounds 12 ounces, the entry would be

12

The number of whole pounds is reported in item 29a(i).

29b. Birth Weight in Grams

Description

This is the infant or child enrollee’s birth weight in grams.

This item may be supplied instead of Birth Weight in Pounds [(item 29a(i)].

Column position

375–378

Field length

4

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth weight may be reported in either pounds and ounces or grams.

30a(i). Length at Birth in Inches

Description

This is the infant or child enrollee’s length at birth in whole inches.

This item may be supplied instead of Length at Birth in Centimeters [(item 30a(ii)].

Column position

379–380

Field length

2

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth length may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

Example

For a birth length of 20.5 inches, the entry would be

20

The fractional number of inches is reported in item 30a(ii).

30a(ii). Nearest Eighth of an Inch of Length at Birth

Description

This is the nearest eighth of an inch of the infant or child enrollee’s length at birth.

Column position

381

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

0–7

Notes

This item should be reported only if birth length in inches [item 30a(i)] is reported.

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth length may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

Example

For a birth length of 20.5 inches, the entry would be

4

(one-half inch = 4 one-eighth inches)

The number of whole inches is reported in item 30a(i).

30b. Length at Birth in Centimeters

Description

This is the infant or child enrollee’s length at birth to the nearest tenth of a centimeter (XX.Y), with a single implied decimal place—for example, 30.5 should be coded as 305.

This item may be supplied instead of Length at Birth in Inches (item 30a).

Column position

382–384

Field length

3

Data type

Numeric

Notes

This item should be reported only for infants and children.

Birth length may be reported in either inches and one-eighth inches or centimeters.

31. Participation in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Description

This indicates whether the enrollee receives Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations benefits.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Column position

385

Field length

1

Data type

Numeric

Allowable values

1–2

Appendix G. Detailed Specifications for Additional Characteristics Items

32. Household ID

Description

This is the household identification number. This variable will be used to link characteristics and EBT data, so it must match what the State agency uses in its EBT system.

Column position

386–421

Field length

36

Data type

Alphanumeric

33. EBT Card Number

Description

This identifies EBT card issued for the enrollee. This card number will be unique to the household but may vary over time if the card is reissued.

Column position

422–437

Field length

16

Data type

Numeric

34. Enrollee Home ZIP Code

Description

This is the 5-digit ZIP Code for the enrollee’s home address.

Column position

438–442

Field length

5

Data type

Numeric


35. Record Reference Date

Description

This is the reference date for the record. All people on the WIC master list or certified to receive benefits in a month should have a record for that month in the data submission.

Column position

443–450

Field length

8

Data type

Numeric

Example

To pull data for May 2022, many State agencies will use the reference date of May 31, 2022. That date would be reported as

05312022

Special instructions

Use MMDDYYYY format. If no specific day of the month is used to pull the record, leave the day blank, as in “MM YYYY”

Each State agency should choose the appropriate data pull settings in its MIS to make sure there is a record for each enrollee for each month. Some State agencies will simply set a data pull for a given month while others will need to pick a specific day of the month to pull the data.


Appendix H. Detailed Specifications for EBT Variables

E1. State Agency ID

Description

This is the State agency where the enrollee is certified.

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption; Approved product list; Vendor list

Column position (Issuance)

1–7

Column position (Redemption)

1–7

Column position (APL)

1–7

Column position (Vendor list)

1–7

Field length

7

Data type

Numeric

Special instructions

Using the 10-digit identification code used in the WIC Local Agency Directory maintained by FNS, enter the first 7 digits.

E2. Household ID

Description

This is unique number that permits linkage to the WIC household. Some systems may refer to this field as the WIC MIS Account ID. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance)

8–43

Column position (Redemption)

8–43 

Field length 

36 

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

This should be the same ID as the household ID in the characteristics data. 


E3. EBT Card Number

Description 

This ID identifies the EBT card used for benefit issuance and redemption. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance)

44–59 

Column position (Redemption)

44–59 

Field length 

16 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

If your EBT system does not track EBT card number in the issuance file, please do not merge in the EBT card number from a separate data source. This can cause record duplication issues. If the EBT card number is the only link between the characteristics and EBT data, please make sure the card number is provided. 

E4. Issuance Reason Code

Description

This data element describes the reasons for issuance action. 

001 = Activate or add

002 = Change or update

003 = Deactivate or delete

004 = Reserved

005 = Reactivate or unlock

006 = Hold

EBT data files

Issuance

Column position

60–62 

Field length

3 

Data type

Numeric 

Special instructions

Some Stage agencies may use alternate codes to indicate the status of the benefits/EBT card. The State agency should provide a definition of these codes


E5. Benefit Issuance ID 

Description

This is the unique ID identifying benefit issuance at household (WIC MIS account) ID level. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance)

63–98

Column position (Redemption)

60–95 

Field length 

36 

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

Note: for redemption, this is an optional field. This is required for issuance. 

If your EBT system does not track benefit issuance ID in the issuance file, please do not merge in the benefit issuance ID from a separate data source. This can cause record duplication issues. 

E6. Date, Begin Benefit 

Description

This is the first date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance)

99–106 

Column position (Redemption)

96–103 

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 


E7. Date, End Benefit 

Description

This is the last date benefits can be redeemed for each month in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance)

107–114 

Column position (Redemption)

104–111 

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 

E8. Benefit Quantity 

Description

This is the quantity of the food item issued that can be redeemed. There is a unique benefit quantity for each benefit issuance ID. 

EBT data files

Issuance

Column position 

115–124 

Field length 

10 

Data type 

Numeric 

E9. Benefit Unit 

Description

This describes benefit unit of measure (e.g., can, pkg, jar).

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption

Column position (Issuance) 

125–134 

Column position (Redemption)

112–121 

Field length 

10

Data type 

Character 

E10a. Category Code 

Description

This is a two-digit code describing food group. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, include the full five-digit code here. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Issuance)

135–136 

Column position (Redemption)

122–123 

Column position (APL) 

8–9 

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Numeric 

Special instructions 

If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, include the full five-digit code starting in the first column listed above. 

E10b. Subcategory Codes 

Description

This is a three-digit code used in conjunction with the category code to identify food type, brand, and/or size. If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, provide the five-digit code for E10a. 

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Issuance)

137–139 

Column position (Redemption)

124–126 

Column position (APL) 

10–12 

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

Special instructions 

If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory codes in one field, include the full five-digit code starting in the first column listed for element E10a. 

E11a. Category Description 

Description

This is a text description of food category.  

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Issuance)

140–169 

Column position (Redemption)

127–156 

Column position (APL) 

13–42 

Field length 

30 

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory descriptions in the same field, provide the full description under “subcategory description.” 

E11b. Subcategory Description 

Description

This is a text description of food subcategory.  

EBT data files

Issuance; Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Issuance)

170–229 

Column position (Redemption)

157–216 

Column position (APL) 

43–102 

Field length 

60 

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

If your EBT system tracks category and subcategory descriptions in the same field, provide the full description under “subcategory description.” 



E12. WIC MIS WIC Vendor ID 

Description

This element Identifies each WIC vendor where purchases occur. 

EBT data files

Redemption; Vendor list

Column position (Redemption)

217–224 

Column position (Vendor list)

8–15 

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

The Vendor ID should match Vendor ID in the Vendor List. 

E13. WIC MIS WIC Vendor Peer Group ID 

Description

This is an identifier for each WIC vendor's peer group for cost-containment purposes. 

EBT data files

Redemption; Vendor list

Column position (Redemption)

225–227 

Column position (Vendor list)

16–18 

Field length 

 3

Data type 

Character 

Special instructions 

This ID should match the Peer Group ID in the Vendor List. 

E14. Amount, Discount

Description

This is the amount, in U.S. dollars, deducted from gross transaction amount, accounting for coupons or other reductions. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

228–234 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

E15. Amount, Paid (Transaction) 

Description

Amount, in U.S. dollars, paid for each transaction. The amount should equal Amount, Paid (E29) after adjusting for Amount, NTE [not-to-exceed] adjustment (E27) and Amount, Recoupment Adjustment (E28) multiplied by Purchase Quantity (E39) 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

235–241 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

 E16. Amount, Total Adjustment 

Description

Amount, in U.S. dollars, equal to the sum of all adjustments to reported line items 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

242–248 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

E17. Amount, Transaction 

Description

Original amount, in U.S. dollars, of transaction before adjustments and discounts 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

249–255 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 



E18. Date and Time, Host 

Description

This is the date and time a transaction occurred based on date/time on EBT processor system. Please use format MMDDYYYYHHMM.

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

256–267 

Field length 

12

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

A transaction occurring at 11:45am on April 10, 2023 would be coded as 041020231145.

A transaction occurring at 1:45pm on May 22, 2022 would be coded as 052220221345.

E19. Date and Time, Local Transaction 

Description

This is the date and time a transaction occurred based on date/time on the date and time in the WIC vendor system. Please use format MMDDYYYYHHMM.

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

268–279 

Field length 

12

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

A transaction occurring at 11:45am on April 10, 2023 would be coded as 041020231145.

A transaction occurring at 1:45pm on May 22, 2022 would be coded as 052220221345.


E20. Date, Business 

Description

This is the calendar date a transaction occurred or date reported by EBT system in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

280–287 

Field length 

8

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 

E21. Date, Settlement 

Description

This is the calendar date the financial reconciliation was completed, recorded by EBT system in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

288–295 

Field length 

8

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 



E22. Original Unique EBT Transaction Identifier 

Description

This element Identifies the original EBT transaction. The ID is assigned by the WIC EBT system interface. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

296–327 

Field length 

32

Data type 

Numeric 

E23. Transaction Reason Code 

Description

This element identifies action taken in response to request. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

328–337 

Field length 

10

Data type 

Numeric 

Special instructions 

This element is required for WIC online EBT but may not appear for offline State agencies  

E24. Type Code 

Description

This element identifies transaction type (e.g., purchase, void, adjustment). 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

338–347 

Field length 

10

Data type 

Character 



E25. Unique EBT Transaction Identifier

Description

This element identifies unique EBT transactions within WIC MIS and WIC EBT system and contains information on approval codes. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

348–379 

Field length 

32

Data type 

Numeric 

E26. Amount, Item Discount 

Description 

This is the amount, in U.S. dollars, deducted from item price for individual food item. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

380–386 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

E27. Amount, NTE Adjustment

Description

This is the amount, in U.S. dollars, of adjustment applied to price because original item price exceeds price range designated for peer group. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

387–393 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

Notes 

NTE = not to exceed 



E28. Amount, Recoupment Adjustment

Description

This is the amount, in U.S. dollars, of adjustment applied to price of food item. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

394–400 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

E29. Amount, Paid (Item) 

Description

This is the amount, in U.S. dollars, paid at item level equals sum of all reported prices minus Amount, Item Discount (E26) at item level. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

401–407 

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

E30. Item Action Code  

Description

This element identifies action taken on item. This item is not required for offline EBT systems. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

408–410 

Field length 

3

Data type 

Numeric 

Special instructions 

This item is not required for offline EBT systems. 


E31. Item Description 

Description

This is a description of the food item. 

EBT data files

Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Redemption)

411–470

Column position (APL) 

103–162

Field length 

60 

Data type 

Character 

E32. Item Price 

Description

This is the purchase amount, in U.S. dollars, assigned to one unit of food item, usually after adjustment. 

EBT data files

Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Redemption)

471–476

Column position (APL) 

163–168

Field length 

6 

Data type 

Numeric 

E33. Line Item ID 

Description

This element identifies the line item within the transaction.  

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

477–479

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

Special instructions 

This element is required if food item requires multiple records to indicate units across Subcategory Codes (E10b) or Benefit Issuance ID (E5). 

E34. Original Category Code 

Description

This element Identifies food category, assigned to the Universal Product Code or Price Look-Up.

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

480–481

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Character 

E35. Original Item Price

Description

This is the requested item price, in U.S. dollars, before any adjustments. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

482–487

Field length 

6 

Data type 

Numeric 

E36. Original Purchase Quantity 

Description

This is the number of food items or quantity of a food item requested in Unit of Measure (E40) in the Universal Product Code or Price Look-Up.

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

488–489

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Numeric 


E37. Original Subcategory Code 

Description

This element identifies food subcategory, assigned to the Universal Product Code or Price Look-Up. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

490–492

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Character 

E38. Package Size 

Description

This is the size of the redeemed food item in standard units of measure. 

EBT data files

Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Redemption)

493–498

Column position (APL) 

169–174

Field length 

6 

Data type 

Numeric 

E39. Purchase Quantity 

Description

This is the approved purchase quantity by prorated amount of benefit units applied to food item. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position 

499–500

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Numeric 


E40. Unit of Measure 

Description

This element Identifies quantity of food items as described on container (e.g., ounce, pound, quart). 

EBT data files

Redemption; Approved Product List

Column position (Redemption)

501–506

Column position (APL) 

175–180

Field length 

6 

Data type 

Character 

E41. Units

Description

This is the number of units of redeemed food items being reported. 

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position

507–509

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

E42. UPC/PLU Data

Description

This element identifies the Universal Product Code (UPC) or Price Look-Up (PLU) assigned to a food item. This element contains four subelements: 

  1. UPC/PLU indicators

  2. UPC

  3. PLU UPC/PLU check digit

  4. UPC/PLU data length

EBT data files

Redemption

Column position

510–534

Field length 

25 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

UPC = Universal Product Code  

PLU = Price Look-Up 

E43. Record Sequence Number 

Description

This identifier is assigned to every record in file, in sequential order, beginning with 1 and incremented by 1 for each subsequent record on file. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

181–190

Field length 

10 

Data type 

Numeric 

E44. Message Type Identifier

Description

This element describes the type of message in the Approved Product List file (e.g., Universal Product Code/Product Look-Up store file). 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

191–193

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

E45. UPC/PLU Indicator

Description

This indicates whether item is Universal Product Code (UPC) or Price Look-Up (PLU). 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

194–196

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 


E46. UPC/PLU

Description 

This is the Universal Product Code or Price Look-Up code that identifies the approved food item. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

197–214

Field length 

18 

Data type 

Numeric 

E47. Benefit Quantity

Description

This element indicates the quantity of an item that is deducted from the benefit issuance. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

215–217

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

E48. Benefit Unit Description

Description

This element standardizes display of the food item’s issued size on the receipt. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

218–227

Field length 

10 

Data type 

Character 


E49. Price Type

Description

This element indicates the type of price for the food item (e.g., maximum price allowed, cash-value benefit item, reserved for national or private use). 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

228–237

Field length 

10 

Data type 

Character 

E50. Date, Effective

Description

This element advises the WIC vendor of the first full day food is available for purchase. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

238–245

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 


E51. Date, End

Description

This is the last full day the food item is available for purchase, in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

246–253

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 

E52. UPC/PLU Data Length

Description

This is the length of the Universal Product Code or Price Look-Up; value includes check digit as significant digit. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

254–255

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Numeric 

E53. UPC/PLU Check Digit

Description

This is the digit in last position of UPC/PLU data element. It is calculated using UPC-A check digit algorithm. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

256

Field length 

1

Data type 

Numeric 

E54. Purchase Indicator

Description

This identifies whether the food item may be purchased with benefits issued to a specific subcategory (e.g., 001) or broadband subcategory (e.g., 000). 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

257–259

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

E55. Manual Voucher Indicator 

Description

This element indicates whether the item is allowed for purchase with a manual voucher. 

EBT data files

Approved Product List

Column position 

260

Field length 

1 

Data type 

Numeric 

E56. Above 50 Percent Vendor

Description

This element indicates whether WIC sales account for more than 50 percent of total food sales for the vendor (i.e., vendor is an A-50 vendor) 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

19

Field length 

1 

Data type 

Numeric 


E57. Action Code

Description

This element identifies the action for each observation: 

001 = Activate or add 

002 = Change or update 

003 = Deactivate or delete 

004 = Reserved 

005 = Reactivate or unlock 

006 = Hold 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

20–22

Field length 

3 

Data type 

Numeric 

E58. Address Line 1 

Description

This is the first line of the vendor’s physical location street address. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

23–54

Field length 

32 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

Not mailing address 

E59. Address Line 2

Description

This is the second line of the vendor’s physical location street address. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

55–86

Field length 

32 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

Not mailing address 

E60. Address City

Description

This is the city of the vendor’s physical location street address. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

87–102

Field length 

16 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

Not mailing address 

E61. Address State

Description

This is the State of the vendor’s physical location street address. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

103–104

Field length 

2 

Data type 

Character 

Notes 

Not mailing address 

E62. Address ZIP Code

Description

This is the 5-digit ZIP Code of the vendor’s physical location street address. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

105–109

Field length 

5 

Data type 

Numeric 

Notes 

Not mailing address 


E63. Amount, Total Sales

Description

This is the total amount, in U.S. dollars, of food sales reported by the WIC vendor. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

110–119

Field length 

10 

Data type 

Numeric 

E64. Business Name, WIC Vendor

Description

This is the official business name of the WIC vendor. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

120–155

Field length 

36 

Data type 

Character 

E65. Corporation ID

Description

This is an identifier of the corporation associated with the WIC vendor. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

156–159

Field length 

4 

Data type 

Numeric 


E66. Date, Begin Vendor

Description 

This is the first date the vendor was active and accepting WIC, in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

160–167

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 

E67. Date, Effective

Description

This is the date vendor action is effective, in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

168–175

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 


E68. Date, End Vendor

Description

This is the last date vendor accepts WIC, in MMDDYYYY format. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

176–183

Field length 

8 

Data type 

Numeric 

Example

For January 3, 2024, the entry would be 

01032024 

If day is unknown, the entry would be 

01  2024 (The missing part of the date—the day—should be left blank.) 

E69. FNS Number

Description

This ID is assigned by SNAP and identifies the retail location. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

184–190

Field length 

7

Data type 

Numeric 

Notes 

SNAP = Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

E70. Reason Code

Description

This code indicates the reason for the Action described in element E56. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

191–193

Field length 

3

Data type 

Character 

E71. Type Code

Description

This element describes the entity being acted on or reported in element E56. 

EBT data files

Vendor List

Column position 

194

Field length 

1

Data type 

Character 


1 State agencies that do not issue benefits via EBT are not required to submit EBT data.

2 Note the difference between enrollees and WIC participants. For regulatory reporting, participation is defined as the number of certified individuals who claim their WIC food instruments each month. WIC PC data should include all people certified to receive benefits, even if no food benefits are issued or redeemed.

3 See WIC Policy Memorandum #2023-6: Streamlining Certification – Documentation Guidance. If an adjunctively or automatically income-eligible participant is not able to readily provide income information or declines to self-report their income, it must not interfere with their certification, nor result in collecting additional income documentation.

4 For this and other references to WIC regulations in the descriptions of the MDS data items, see Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (2014a).

5 State agencies that do not issue benefits via EBT are not required to submit EBT data.

6 Note that official definitions of racial categories do not always adhere to current standards for preferred language. Definitions as written in this Guidance are from https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/2002-6-Rev1WICRacial-EthnicDataCollection.pdf#page=4.

File Typeapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
File TitleGuidance for State Agencies Providing Characteristics and Electronic Benefit Transfer Data
SubjectWIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024
AuthorNancy McKenzie
File Modified0000-00-00
File Created2024-08-04
© 2024 OMB.report | Privacy Policy