GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL CR Collection of Ethnicity and Race Data Policy No. CR- 1130.01 Effective date: October 1, 2019

No. of Pages: 3

Page 1 of 3 Revised October 2019 Policy At each eligibility determination, the local agency must ask every applicant/participant to self- identify their ethnicity and race designation(s). Ethnicity shall be collected first, and an applicant/participant shall be offered the option of selecting one or more racial designations. Staff must use the WIC Applicant/Participant Education Tool or Interview Script Form when asking an applicant/participant to self-identify their ethnicity/race. Where an applicant/participant does not provide ethnicity, race, or both, staff shall through visual observation or utilizing historical data, secure and record the information where possible.

Medical records, tickler cards, appointments, or any other WIC documents must not openly distinguish applicants/participants by race, color, national origin, sex, age, and/or disability. Any collection of ethnic and race data for local surveys or forms must follow the procedures for data collection and reporting.

Purpose

To determine how effectively the Program is reaching potentially eligible persons and to identify population groups where additional outreach is needed.

Procedures I. Document an applicant’s/participant’s self-declared ethnic category, “Hispanic or Latino” and “Not Hispanic or Latino”.

II. Document an applicant’s/participant’s self-declared racial category(ies): 1) American Indian or Alaska Native, 2) Asian, 3) Black or African American, 4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 5) White.

III. Ask participants to self-identify their ethnicity first followed by their race only after the interviewer has explained:

A. The definitions of the ethnicity and race categories. B. The collection of this information is strictly for program evaluation purposes to assure that Georgia WIC is providing services fairly. C. Has no effect on the determination of their eligibility to participate in the program.

IV. Accept an applicant’s/participant’s self-declaration as to their ethnic category or race category(ies), without disputing the selection.

V. Notify the applicant that a visual identification of his or her race and ethnicity will be made and recorded in the data system if they decline to self-identify their ethnicity, race, or both.

VI. Any other collection of the ethnicity and race categories are required to meet the following

GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL CR Collection of Ethnicity and Race Data Policy No. CR- 1130.01 Effective date: October 1, 2019

No. of Pages: 3

Page 2 of 3 Revised October 2019 criteria:

A. Include a statement explaining why the data is collected and that the collection of ethnicity and race data is voluntary. This statement shall precede the ethnicity and race question. (e.g. “The following questions asking about your ethnicity and race are being asked for statistical purposes to make sure that we are giving fair and equal treatment to everyone. Your answers will have no effect on your WIC services.”) B. Display the ethnicity and race questions as separate categories on the form. C. Limit the use of ethnicity and race categories to the ones presented in this policy. D. Collect information about ethnicity before race.

E. List the race categories in the order described in II above.

F. Provide an option to select one or more races (“Mark one or more” or “Select one or more”). G. Keep ethnicity and race information confidential, maintain safeguards that restrict access to records only to authorized personnel, and only use for aggregate analysis. H. Keep information for five (5) years + current year if not otherwise required to be kept for a longer period. Authority 7 CFR § 246.8(a)(3) FNS Instruction 113-1, Section XII

Definitions/Supporting Information Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term “Spanish origin” can be used in addition to “Hispanic or Latino.” Not Hispanic or Latino. Not a Spanish culture or origin. Race 1) American Indian or Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL CR Collection of Ethnicity and Race Data Policy No. CR- 1130.01 Effective date: October 1, 2019

No. of Pages: 3

Page 3 of 3 Revised October 2019

2) Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

3) Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

5) White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.