DC WIC POLICY & PROCEDURE MANUAL

Policy 2.003 1 | P a g e Title: Nutrition and Breastfeeding Assessment Category: Nutrition Assessment CFR Reference: 246.7 Policy Number: 2.003 Effective Date: 1/1/2016 Revised Date: 8/15/23

POLICY STATEMENT All participants deemed geographically, financially, and categorically eligible in accordance with DC WIC policies 8.004 Categorical Eligibility, 8.005 Residency Eligibility, and 8.006 Income Eligibility will have a nutrition assessment completed by a CPA/CPPA. The nutrition assessment is necessary to identify the fourth WIC-eligibility criteria of nutritional risk. All pregnant and postpartum participants must have a breastfeeding assessment completed as part of the nutrition assessment. The nutrition assessment must be completed at the participant’s initial certification and mid- certification appointments. PROCEDURE 1. The nutrition assessment is conducted via the VENA approach and assesses nutritional risk based on the following categories: • Anthropometric • Biochemical • Clinical • Dietary • Environmental Nutritional risk may be assigned manually by the CPA/CPPA and/or automatically assigned in the MIS based on responses of required fields within the participant’s record. 2. The CPA / CPPA must conduct a breastfeeding assessment for all pregnant and postpartum participants. The breastfeeding assessment can include the participant’s thoughts, feelings, goals, and support towards breastfeeding. The CPA/ CPPA must document this portion of the assessment in the participant’s care plan in the MIS. 3. At minimum, nutritional risk must be assessed and documented in the MIS at the time of certification and mid-certification for all WIC participants. The CPA/ CPPA shall document the nutrition education provided from the nutrition assessment in accordance with DC WIC policy 2.006 Nutrition Education Documentation. 4. All high-risk participants must be referred to a CPA in accordance with DC WIC policy 2.008 Serving High Risk Participants. DEFINITIONS CPA *– Competent Professional Authority; a licensed nutritionist, registered dietitian (RD), or other staff approved by the State Agency to provide nutrition services to “high” and “low” risk DC WIC participants. CPPA *– Competent Paraprofessional Authority; staff approved by the State Agency to provide nutrition services to “low risk” DC WIC participants.

DC WIC POLICY & PROCEDURE MANUAL

Policy 2.003 2 | P a g e MIS – management information system; an information and data collection system that allows the State and Local Agency to perform and manage WIC services. The MIS used in DC WIC is called the Health and Nutrition Delivery System (HANDS). VENA – Value Enhanced Nutrition Assessment; a standardized process for conducting the nutrition assessment in a WIC setting leading to improved tailoring and delivering of nutrition services. VENA sets participant-centered standards for the nutrition assessment that determines eligibility, enabling local agency nutritionists to personalize WIC nutrition education, provide more relevant referrals, and tailor food packages to the individual participant’s needs. *See DC WIC policies 4.002 Position Descriptions and 8.007 Nutrition Risk Identification for further detail on the roles and responsibilities of CPA and CPPA REFERENCES 7 CFR § 246.7(e) FNS WIC Nutrition Service Standard # 6 FNS WIC Value Enhanced Nutrition Assessment Guidance (VENA) DC WIC policies 2.008 Serving High Risk Participants, 4.002 Position Descriptions, 8.004 Categorical Eligibility, 8.005 Residency Eligibility, 8.006 Income Eligibility, 8.007 Nutrition Risk Identification