Illinois Administrative Code › Title 77 - PUBLIC HEALTH › Part 672 - WIC VENDOR MANAGEMENT CODE › Subpart D - WIC VENDOR AUTHORIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES › Section 672.415 - Food Benefit Processing

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
The Vendor shall submit Food Benefits for payment for the
				  provision of WIC supplemental foods in the process determined by the software
				  developer and maker of the point of sale register system or device in
				  accordance with the USDA Operating Rules for WIC EBT and the USDA Technical
				  Implementation Guide (TIG) for eWIC (see Section
				  672.105(b))
				  . The following minimum standards shall be met:
a) Vendors shall accept eWIC payment from any
				person presenting an eWIC card and upon entering a valid PIN.
b) WIC Cardholders may redeem Food Benefits
				over as many, or as few, transactions as desired until the benefit expiration
				date. Cardholders are not required to use all or most of their benefits at
				once.
c) Vendors shall provide WIC
				Cardholders with a receipt for foods purchased with eWIC benefits. The receipt
				shall include the remaining benefit balance.
d) Vendors shall process a balance inquiry
				when requested by a WIC Cardholder. Vendors shall not require a minimum
				purchase in order to process a balance inquiry.
e) Vendors using an integrated system shall
				allow WIC Cardholders to purchase both WIC and non-WIC Foods in a single
				transaction. Vendors must allow WIC customers to use another form of payment
				(SNAP, cash, or debit/credit card) to pay for anything not covered by
				WIC.
f) Vendors shall not provide
				incentive items dependent upon WIC Cardholders redeeming some or all of their
				benefits at one time.
g) EBT
				Minimum Lane Coverage. Point of sale (POS) terminals used to support the WIC
				program shall be deployed in accordance with the minimum lane coverage
				provisions of
				7 CFR
				246.12(z)(2). The Department
				may remove excess terminals if actual redemption activity warrants a reduction
				consistent with the redemption levels outlined in
				7 CFR 246.12(z)(2)(i) and
				(ii).
h) EBT Third-Party Processing Costs and Fees.
				The Vendor shall not charge to the Department any third-party commercial
				processing costs and fees incurred by the Vendor from EBT multi-function
				equipment. Commercial transaction processing costs and fees imposed by a
				third-party processor that the Vendor elects to use to connect to the EBT
				system of the State shall be borne by the Vendor.
i) EBT Interchange Fees. The Department will
				not pay or reimburse the Vendor for interchange fees related to WIC EBT
				transactions.
j) EBT Ongoing
				Maintenance and Operational Costs. The Department will not pay for ongoing
				maintenance, processing fees, or operational costs for vendor systems and
				equipment used to support WIC EBT after the Department has implemented WIC EBT
				statewide, unless the equipment was provided to the Vendor during the
				implementation of the WIC EBT system, is used solely for the WIC Program and
				the Department determines the Vendor using multi-function equipment is
				necessary for Participant access. This provision also applies to authorized
				farmers and farmers' markets. Costs shared by the Department will be
				proportional to the usage for the WIC Program.
k) Compliance with EBT Operating Rules,
				Standards and Technical Requirements. The Vendor shall comply with the
				operating rules, standards and technical requirements incorporated by the
				Department (see Section 672.105).