Revised 3-2024 Connecticut WIC Program Manual

WIC 100-02 SECTION: Administration SUBJECT:

Local agency Caseload Management Federal Regulations: §246.7 (e) (3); §246.7 (e) (4); §246.7(f) (1) Nutrition Services Standards: Standard 20D. See also: Finding Balance in WIC Scheduling and WIC 101-07 Use of Text Messaging and Social Media in Local Agencies POLICY The State WIC program assigns a caseload and may direct the local agency to initiate a waiting list, or deny WIC benefits to the lowest priority groups or terminate participants in mid-certification due to funding shortages. Termination shall be used as a last resort. When the local agency assigned caseload level is reached, continue to enroll any individual who meets the criteria for Priorities I through VI unless notified otherwise in writing by the State agency. Each local agency is responsible for developing an effective caseload management policy. Input from clinic staff should be considered in any caseload management policy. Appointment Reminders The State agency currently uses the One Call Now (OCN) messaging system for participant reminder calls and text messages as one method to reduce the number of no-shows. Local agency management staff and designees can use the OCN Alert reports to identify participants who were not reachable through the OCN reminder calls and text messages and add a CT-WIC Alert to update their phone number at their next clinic visit. Late Shows and Walk-ins Each Local Agency shall establish a policy/procedure for accommodating participants during instances of late show or walk-in. This policy/procedure must be communicated to participants in an effective manner. The CT-WIC Daily Schedule must have a Walk-in column generated daily for every permanent or satellite site. Appointments should only be scheduled in the Walk-in column on the actual day the participant walks in or contacts the office. Appointments should not be pre-added/scheduled to a Walk-in column on a future date. Missed appointments/No-shows Any scheduled applicant or currently certified participant who does not come to the local agency to be certified or to receive nutrition education and WIC benefits is identified as a “No-show”. Participants are considered to be a “No-Show” at the end of the business day. Local agencies must not ‘move’ or ‘cancel’ appointments after the scheduled appointment time.

Revised 3-2024 For example, if a participant had an appointment scheduled at 1:30 pm today and called the WIC office to reschedule the appointment at 4:00 pm on the same day, local agency staff must leave the missed appointment on the schedule for today and create a new appointment for another day. Local agencies must have a system in place for handling missed appointments/no-shows. The State agency uses OCN to contact participants who have missed their appointments. The State agency also authorizes the local agency to utilize OCN text messages for contacting participants about missed appointments. Moving and Canceling Appointments At times, participants may not be able to attend their scheduled WIC appointment and will contact the local agency to reschedule or cancel their appointment ahead of their scheduled appointment time. The CT-WIC Daily Schedule has two functions, Move and Cancel, to assist staff with this function. These functions should only be used by staff ahead of the scheduled appointment time. • Move: the participant wishes to reschedule their appointment. • Cancel: the participant wishes to cancel their appointment. Any appointment not Moved or Canceled prior to the scheduled appointment time that is missed will be considered a No-show. Calculation and Tracking No-show rates Each Program Coordinator and/or relevant clinic staff is responsible for reviewing and determining the Local Agency’s no-show rate. The CT-WIC Clinic module has the following reports available to evaluate the no-show rate and the clinic appointment status: • CASE 10.5/SCH 7.2, 7.8 Show Rate Report: This report will show a breakdown of appointment types, methods, status and the overall Show/No-Show rate for the entered time range. • SCH 7.6, 7.7, 7.10, 7.11 Clinic Appointment List: This report will show various appointment information for the entered time range including, column name, appointment type, appointment status, category, language, and appointment method. Daily tracking of the no-show rate can be a powerful caseload management tool to identify why participants are missing appointments and develop solutions to reduce no-show/missed appointments.