AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2018

WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2018 (PC 2018) summarizes the demographic characteristics of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nationwide in April 2018. It includes information on participant income and nutrition risk characteristics, estimates breastfeeding initiation rates for WIC infants, and describes WIC members of migrant farm-worker families.

Tags: and-children, infants, participant-and-program-characteristics, snap, wic, women
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Evaluation of the Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals - Year 1

The demonstration of Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (DCM-F/RP) allows authorized States and school districts to use information from Medicaid data files to identify students eligible to receive free or reduced-price (F/RP) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meals. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct a study of the first two years of this demonstration to describe the implementation process and explore the effects on certification, participation, Federal reimbursements, and State administrative costs. This report presents the findings from the first year of the demonstration evaluation, school year (SY) 2016–2017.

Tags: direct-certification, free-and-reduced-price-meals, medicaid, national-school-lunch-and-school-breakfast-program, national-school-lunch-program, nslp, sbp, school-breakfast-program
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Child Nutrition Program Operations Study II, School Year 2015-2016

The Child Nutrition Program Operations Study II (CN-OPS II) is a multiyear study designed to provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with information on current State Agency (SA) and school food authority (SFA) policies, practices, and needs related to school nutrition service operations, financial management, meal counting, training and professional standards, food service equipment, and technology. Results are used to inform Child Nutrition program management and policy development.

Tags: child-nutrition-program, school-food-authority, sfa, state-agency
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Calculating the SNAP Program Access Index: A Step-By-Step Guide

The Program Access Index (PAI) is one of the measures FNS uses to reward states for high performance in the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Performance awards were authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (also known as the 2002 Farm Bill). The PAI is designed to indicate the degree to which low-income people have access to SNAP benefits. The purpose of this step-by-step guide is to describe the calculation of the Program Access Index (PAI) in detail. It includes all of the data, adjustments, and calculations used in determining the PAI for every state.

Tags: farm-bill, farm-security-and-rural-investment-act, program-access-index, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Assessment of the Administrative Review Process in School Meal Programs

The Administrative Review (AR) is the process state agencies use to assess compliance with Federal requirements of SFAs participating in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The current AR process was implemented in school year (SY) 2013-2014. This study assesses the AR process by examining the results from a sample of Administrative Review forms selected and submitted by the 52 state agencies utilizing the AR process during school years 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2016-2017. The study also describes in-depth how nine selected state agencies conduct their ARs, and ways the process could be further improved.

Tags: administrative-review, ar-process, national-school-lunch-program, nslp-schools, school-breakfast, school-breakfast-program
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Assessment of States' Use of Computer Matching Protocols in SNAP

As required by federal law, state SNAP agencies verify financial and non-financial information by matching SNAP applicant and participant information to various national and state data sources to ensure they meet the program’s eligibility criteria. Data matching is an important tool for ensuring program integrity and benefit accuracy. However,  information on states’ data matching practices and protocols is limited. This study was undertaken to address this knowledge gap.

Tags: matching, national-and-state-data, snap, state-data
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Study of the Administrative Review and Training Grants in the USDA NSLP and SBP

This report examines in-depth the accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned from 20 states that received and completed Administrative Review and Training (ART) Grants by the end of FY 2017. ART Grants provide funding for diverse activities aimed at reducing administrative error, including training for administrative personnel and improving state-level technologies in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program. Data was collected through interviews with stakeholders in the interventions

Tags: administrative-review-and-training, art, grants, national-school-lunch, national-school-lunch-and-school-breakfast-program
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Smart Snacks Standards for Exempt Foods when Paired Together Notice

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day.  On June 28, 2013, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the "Smart Snacks in School" (Smart Snacks) regulation that carefully balances science-based nutrition standards with practical and flexible solutions to promote healthier eating on campus.  The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify Smart Snacks standards for exempt food that are paired together as a single snack.

Tags: beverages, fns, foods, hhfka, nutrition, school, students
Organization: Department of Agriculture
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Farm Bill Implementation Memo

On February 7, 2014, the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79, Farm Bill) was signed into law, reauthorizing TEFAP through Fiscal Year 2018.  This memorandum implements two provisions of the Farm Bill relative to TEFAP funding levels and the carryover of food entitlement funds.

Tags: entitlement-funds, farm-bill, fns, food, tefap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
National School Lunch Program Direct Certification Improvement Study

This study describes current methods of direct certification used by State and local agencies and the challenges that State and local education agencies face in attaining high matching rates.  The study presents the analysis of unmatched records in order to provide a better understanding of the categorically eligible children who are not matched in the direct certification process and identifies potential matching process improvements that might increase the number of matched children.

Tags: children, direct-certification, fns, local-agencies, state
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Examining the Evidence to Define Benefit Adequacy Study

This study examines how to define "adequacy" of SNAP allotments in the context of improving food security and access to a healthy diet, existing data sources that could inform an assessment of the adequacy of existing and potential alternative SNAP allotments, and new data requirements to strengthen the evidence-base and allow for further rigorous analyses.

Tags: adequacy, analyses, diet, food-security, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Approaches for Promoting Healthy Food Purchases by SNAP Participants Project

Due to the United States' high rates of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, this project aims to develop a plan for front of package (FOP) and shelf-labeling systems that identifies healthy choices, develops theory-based approaches that leverage FOP and shelf-labeling systems to promote healthier food purchases by SNAP participants, and identifies further exploration through the implementation and testing of a future pilot study.

Tags: chronic-diseases, fns, food, obesity, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Assessment of Sponsor Tiering Determinations

The (CACFP) provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks served in family day care homes, child care centers, and other participating facilities and programs.  This assessment examines the accuracy of the classification of Family Day Care Homes (FDCHs) participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program.  The assessment provides estimates of the number of FDCHs misclassified by sponsoring agencies into the wrong tier and the resulting erroneous payments for meals and snacks reimbursed at the wrong rate for program year 2013.

Tags: child-and-adult-care-food-program, fdch, usda
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Evaluation of the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) Final Report-Summary

This final report summary describes the background, methods, and findings of the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP). This pilot project enabled SNAP participants to receive an incentive of 30 cents for every SNAP dollar spent on targeted fruits and vegetables at participating retailers. The comprehensive data concluded that HIP participants consumed 26 percent more of targeted fruits and vegetables compared to non-participants. The summary report also details the implications for HIP retailer participants and total costs.

Tags: fruits, healthy-incentives-pilot, retailers, snap, vegetables
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, July 2014

The Food Plans represent a nutritious diet at four different cost levels: thrifty plan, low-cost plan, moderate-cost plan, and a liberal plan.  The report is based on the costs of home-prepared meals and snacks.

Tags: diet, food-plans, liberal-plan, low-cost-plan, meals, moderate-cost-plan, nutritious, snacks, thrifty-plan
Organization: Department of Agriculture
SNAP Retailer Management 2013 Annual Report

This report details the responsibilities, authorization activities, and oversight findings that the Regional Operations Division (ROD) staff found regarding retailers who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  ROD staff performed front-end authorization, reauthorization, maintenance, and administration related to retailer participation, administrative sanction activities, and retailer investigations in coordination with compliance partners.

Tags: administrative, participation, regional-operations-division, retailer-investigations, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education and Evaluation Study (Wave II)

This study presents the evaluation of the three SNAP-Ed demonstration projects. Two of the three demonstration projects studied targeted low-income children in elementary school settings with the goal of increasing children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables. The third project also focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and targeted seniors. One of the child-focused interventions and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) developed Eat Smart, Live Strong program for older Americans demonstrated increases in fruit and vegetable consumption. This study also evaluated the self-evaluations conducted by the three demonstration projects.

Tags: elementary-school, fns, fruit-and-vegetable-consumption, low-income-children, snap, snap-ed
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Calculating the SNAP Program Access Index: A Step-By-Step Guide for 2012

The Program Access Index (PAI) is one of the measures the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) uses to reward States for high performance in the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (also known as the 2002 Farm Bill) directed USDA to establish a number of indicators of effective program performance and to award bonus payments to States with the best and most improved performance. The PAI is designed to indicate the degree to which low-income people have access to SNAP benefits.

Tags: farm-bill, fns, program-access-index, program-performance, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
School Foodservice Indirect Cost Study

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) directed USDA to study the extent to which school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) pay indirect costs to local education agencies (LEAs). It specifically requested an assessment of the methodologies used to establish indirect costs, the types and amounts of indirect costs that are charged and not charged to the school food service account, and the types and amounts of indirect costs recovered by LEAs. To address the research questions, information was collected from four perspectives: (1) the State education agency finance officer, (2) the State child nutrition director, (3) the LEA business manager, and (4) the SFA director.

Tags: fns, hhfka, indirect-costs, leas, nslp, sbp, sfas
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Special Nutrition Program Operations Study: State and School Food Authority Policies and Practices for School Meals Programs School Year 2011-12

The Special Nutrition Program Operations Study is a multiyear study designed to provide the Food and Nutrition Service with a snapshot of current State and School Food Authority policies and practices, including information on school meal standards, competitive foods standards, professional standards, school lunch pricing and accounting, and standards for school wellness policies. The information in this first year study (School Year 2011-12) will provide a baseline for observing the improvements resulting from the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Tags: accounting, fns, food, healthy-hunger-free-kids-act, meal-standards, school, school-lunch-pricing, special-nutrition-program
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Report on the Summer Food for Children Demonstration Projects for Fiscal Year 2013

This Congressional report summarizes the implementation and evaluation of two approaches tested in the summers of 2011 through 2013. Summer EBT for Children (SEBTC) uses existing electronic benefits transfer systems to provide household benefits for children.  The Enhanced Summer Food Service Program (eSFSP) tests several changes to the traditional program, including incentives to extend operating periods, incentives to add enrichment activities, meal delivery for children in rural areas, and weekend and holiday backpacks.

Tags: children, ebt, electronic-benefits, esfsp, fns, household-benefits, rural-areas
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Income Eligibility Guidelines 2014-2015

On March 5, 2014, a Notice announcing revised WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines was published in the Federal Register. The adjusted income eligibility guidelines are used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the WIC Program. WIC State agencies must implement the new guidelines not later than July 1, 2014. WIC State agencies may implement the revised income guidelines at the same time States implement revised income eligibility guidelines for the Medicaid Program. On January 22, 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its annual update of the poverty guidelines (79 FR 3593). The HHS guidelines are used by a number of Federal programs, including WIC and the Medicaid Program, as the basis for determining and updating program income eligibility limits.

Tags: fns, hhs, income-eligibility, medicaid-program, state-agencies, wic
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Community Eligibility Provision Evaluation

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) provided schools and districts that predominately serve low-income children with a new option for meal certification.  Under the Community Eligibility Provision, schools do not collect or process meal applications for free and reduced-price meals served in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.  Schools must serve all meals at no cost with any costs in excess of the Federal reimbursement paid from non-Federal sources.  The evaluation, mandated by HHFKA, examined the implementation and impacts of the Community Eligibility Provision.

Tags: districts, fns, hhfka, meals, national-school-lunch-program, schools
Organization: Department of Agriculture
White Paper on the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that for three decades has helped supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including seniors, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost. This white paper explains the program and describes some of its key results.

Tags: emergency-food, fns, nutrition-assistance, tefap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
State of Origin for USDA Foods in Fiscal Year 2012

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Food Distribution Programs provide food and nutrition assistance to school children and families and support American agriculture by distributing high quality, 100 percent American-grown USDA Foods. This report analyzes State of origin data for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, which captures the State where USDA purchased USDA Foods during FY 2012. In FY 2012, USDA purchased over 2 billion pounds of food, worth nearly $2 billion. Purchased USDA Foods included both raw food products such as meats, vegetables, and fruits, as well as finished food products like cereal, crackers, and pasta.

Tags: fns, meat, raw-food, vegetable
Organization: Department of Agriculture
2013 WIC Vendor Management Study

This study is part of a larger FNS effort to ensure WIC program integrity and to comply with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) (Public Law 107-300), which requires FNS to estimate improper payments (IP) in its programs. To evaluate program integrity, the 2013 report includes two complementary studies: A study, comparable to the 1998 and 2005 WIC Vendor Management Studies, which examined purchases made through compliance buys using paper- or Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)-based FIs, and a cash value voucher study, which examined purchases made through compliance buys using the CVVs or, in the case of EBT, cash value benefits (CVBs) to purchase fruits and vegetables.

Tags: ebt, fns, fruits, vegetables, wic
Organization: Department of Agriculture
National and State Level Estimates of Special SNP for WIC Eligibles and Program Reach

This report offers updated estimates of the number of people eligible for WIC benefits in 2011, including (1) estimates by participant category (including children by single year of age) and coverage rates; (2) updated estimates in U.S. territories; and (3) confidence intervals. The national estimates presented in this report are based on a methodology developed in 2003 by the Committee on National Statistics of the National Research Council (CNSTAT). The report’s State-level estimates use a methodology developed by the Urban Institute that apportions the national figures using data from the American Community Survey

Tags: children, fns, infant, wic, women
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Measuring the Effect of SNAP Participation on Food Security

SNAP is designed to reduce food insecurity – reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns in a household due to lack of money or other resources – but data quantifying this effect is limited. The objectives of this study were to: Assess how food security and food expenditures vary with SNAP participation. Examine how relationships between SNAP and food security and between SNAP and food expenditures vary by household characteristics and circumstances. Estimating the effect of SNAP on food insecurity using household survey data is challenging because households that choose to participate in SNAP can differ in systematic ways from households that do not participate, making it hard to distinguish the impact of SNAP from these other factors. This study sought to control for the SNAP participation “selection bias” by comparing information collected from households within days of entering the program (new entrants) to information obtained after about 6 months of participation.

Tags: fns, food-security, household, snap
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Farm to School Census

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) formally established a Farm to School Program within USDA to improve access to local foods in schools. In order to establish realistic goals with regard to increasing the availability of local foods in schools, in 2013, USDA conducted the first nationwide Farm to School Census (the Census). In 2015, USDA conducted a second Farm to School Census to measure progress towards reaching this goal.

Tags: districts, farm-to-school-census, school, usda
Organization: Department of Agriculture
Farmers Market Incentive Provider Study

To encourage Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program  participants to shop at farmers markets, various organizations have been providing financial incentives to participants who redeem SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets.  This report is meant to be the first systematic study of the roles different organizations play in designing and implementing SNAP based incentive programs, how they choose markets for their programs, and how they evaluate success of their programs.

Tags: farmers-market, financial, incentive-programs, report, snap, success
Organization: Department of Agriculture
National School Lunch Program: State Implementation Progress, School Year 2012–2013: Report to Congress

This report responds to the requirement of Public Law 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the States and by local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. States and LEAs directly certified 12.3 million children at the start of SY 2012-2013, an increase of 740,000, or 6 percent, from the previous school year. Over the same period, the population of school-age SNAP participant children increased by just 1.5 percent. As a result, the share of SNAP participant children certified for free school meals without application increased to 89 percent in SY 2012-2013, up from 86 percent in SY 2011-2012.

Tags: children, free-meals, school, snap, states
Organization: Department of Agriculture
WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2012 Final Report

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). WIC benefits include nutritious supplemental foods; nutrition education; counseling, including breastfeeding promotion and support; and referrals to health care, social service, and other community providers for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to the age of 5 years. 1 For women and their unborn children, WIC seeks to improve fetal development and reduce the incidence of low birth weight, short gestation, and anemia through intervention during the prenatal period. For infants and children, WIC seeks to provide nutritious foods during critical times of growth and development in an effort to prevent health problems and to improve the health status of these children. The reports, including PC2012, contain information on a census of WIC participants in April of the reporting year.

Tags: children, fns, health-problems, infant, wic
Organization: Department of Agriculture