VIII. Certification December 2021 8.016 - 1 8.016 Rights & Obligations 7 CFR 246.7(j) Notification of Participant Rights & Obligations I. Policy Statement

Participants and ARs shall be informed of their WIC Rights and Obligations (R&O) at every Certification and out-of-state transfer(s), in their preferred language. WIC staff shall read out loud, at minimum, the highlighted sections of the R&O to the applicant/AR (in a language they understand). The highlighted sections include:

• Health Information • Fair Treatment • Honesty • Accurate information • Good Use of the Program • Protect your Benefits

WIC staff shall inform the participant or AR that the complete R&O can be found online at dcwic.org and offer a copy (paper or electronic) each time the R&O are signed.

II. Documentation

Documentation of WIC R&O shall be completed at every certification and out-of-state transfer by having the participant/AR sign the signature type “Rights and Obligations” on the signature pad in HANDS.

III. Paper Rights and Obligations Form

If, for some reason, HANDS is not available to capture signatures on the “Rights and Obligations” signature type and/or the “Consent” signature type, a paper copy of the R&O Form shall be used. This form can be found on dcwic.org under Local Agencies > Policies & Forms. The form can be used for all members of the WIC family if desired.

1. The form shall be signed and dated at each certification by the AR and the certifier or income verifier. LAs are required to have systems in place to obtain a signature if an AR forgets to sign. 2. The AR’s initials are necessary and serve as permission that staff can weigh/measure and check hemoglobin status for each participant listed on the form. Additionally, the AR can agree to receive assistance with breastfeeding, if applicable. 3. Fill in the Family ID # in the table. 4. Fill in only the names of participants being certified on that particular day. 5. The height/weight/hemoglobin fields are not mandatory; however, LAs may choose to create a LA policy to make those fields mandatory. 6. The vertical bubbles for Family ID # and Authorized Representative Name are not mandatory; however; LAs may choose to create a LA policy to make those fields mandatory. The fields will prefill if the form is printed from HANDS. 7. Signed R&O forms must be scanned into the participant’s HANDS record.