[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15153-15154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8096]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 61 / Monday, March 31, 1997 / 
Notices

[[Page 15153]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Consumer Service


Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and 
Children (WIC): Poverty Income Guidelines

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department announces adjusted poverty income guidelines to 
be used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of 
persons applying to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition 
Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC Program). These poverty 
income guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC 
Regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Hallman, Branch Chief, Policy 
and Program Development Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division, 
FCS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, (703) 
305-2730.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This action is not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and thus is exempt from the provisions of this 
Act.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This notice does not contain reporting or recordkeeping 
requirements subject to approval by the Office of Management and Budget 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507).

Executive Order 12372

    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance Programs under No. 10.557 and is subject to the provisions 
of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental consultation 
with State and local officials (7 CFR part 3015, subpart V, 48 FR 29112 
June 24, 1983).

Description

    Section 17(d)(2)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1786 (d)(2)(A)) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish 
income criteria to be used with nutritional risk criteria in 
determining a person's eligibility for participation in the WIC 
Program. The law provides that persons will be income eligible for the 
WIC Program only if they are members of families that satisfy the 
income standard prescribed for reduced price school meals under section 
9(b) of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)). Under 
section 9(b), the income limit for reduced price school meals is 185 
percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, as adjusted.
    Section 9(b) also requires that these guidelines be revised 
annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The annual 
revision for 1997 was published by the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) in the Federal Register on March 10, 1997 at 62 FR 
10856. The guidelines published by DHHS are referred to as the poverty 
income guidelines.
    Section 246.7(d)(1) of the WIC regulations specifies that State 
agencies may prescribe income guidelines either equaling the income 
guidelines established under section 9 of the National School Lunch Act 
for reduced price school meals or identical to State or local 
guidelines for free or reduced price health care. However, in 
conforming WIC income guidelines to State or local health care 
guidelines, the State cannot establish WIC guidelines which exceed the 
guidelines for reduced price school meals, or which are less than 100 
percent of the Federal poverty income guidelines. Consistent with the 
method used to compute eligibility guidelines for reduced price meals 
under the National School Lunch Program, the poverty income guidelines 
were multiplied by 1.85 and the results rounded upward to the next 
whole dollar.
    At this time the Department is publishing the maximum and minimum 
WIC poverty income limits by household size for the period July 1, 1997 
through June 30, 1998. Consistent with section 17(f)(17) of the Child 
Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(f)(17)), a State agency may 
implement the revised WIC income eligibility guidelines concurrently 
with the implementation of income eligibility guidelines under the 
Medicaid program established under title XIX of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). State agencies may coordinate implementation 
with the revised Medicaid guidelines, but in no case may implementation 
take place later than July 1, 1997. State agencies that do not 
coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines must 
implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines July 1, 1997. The first 
table of this notice contains the income limits by household size for 
the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia and all Territories, 
including Guam. Because the poverty income guidelines for Alaska and 
Hawaii are higher than for the 48 contiguous States, separate tables 
for Alaska and Hawaii have been included for the convenience of the 
State agencies.

                                          Income Eligibility Guidelines                                         
                                 [Effective from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998]                                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Federal Poverty Guidelines             Reduced Price Meals--185%      
          Household size           -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Annual       Month         Week        Annual       Month         Week   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     48 CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM AND TERRITORIES                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................................        7,890          658          152       14,597        1,217          281

[[Page 15154]]

                                                                                                                
2.................................       10,610          885          205       19,629        1,636          378
3.................................       13,330        1,111          257       24,661        2,056          475
4.................................       16,050        1,338          309       29,693        2,475          572
5.................................       18,770        1,565          361       34,725        2,894          668
6.................................       21,490        1,791          414       39,757        3,314          765
7.................................       24,210        2,018          466       44,789        3,733          862
8.................................       26,930        2,245          518       49,821        4,152          959
For each add'l family member add..       +2,720         +227          +53       +5,032         +420          +97
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     ALASKA                                                     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................................        9,870          823          190       18,260        1,522          352
2.................................       13,270        1,106          256       24,550        2,046          473
3.................................       16,670        1,390          321       30,840        2,570          594
4.................................       20,070        1,673          386       37,130        3,095          715
5.................................       23,470        1,956          452       43,420        3,619          835
6.................................       26,870        2,240          517       49,710        4,143          956
7.................................       30,270        2,523          583       56,000        4,667        1,077
8.................................       33,670        2,806          648       62,290        5,191        1,198
For each add'l family member add..       +3,400         +284          +66       +6,290         +525         +121
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     HAWAII                                                     
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1.................................        9,070          756          175       16,780        1,399          323
2.................................       12,200        1,017          235       22,570        1,881          435
3.................................       15,330        1,278          295       28,361        2,364          546
4.................................       18,460        1,539          355       34,151        2,846          657
5.................................       21,590        1,800          416       39,942        3,329          769
6.................................       24,720        2,060          476       45,732        3,811          880
7.................................       27,850        2,321          536       51,523        4,294          991
8.................................       30,980        2,582          596       57,313        4,777        1,103
For each add'l family member add..       +3,130         +261          +61       +5,791         +483         +112
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dated: March 21, 1997.
William E. Ludwig,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-8096 Filed 3-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P