Certification & Eligibility (CE) CE-5 Transfer of Certification and VOCs 1

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention WIC Nutrition Program

Effective: October 1, 2012 Policy No. CE-5 Revised: October 1, 2020 Transfer of Certification and Verification of Certification (VOC) Authority 7 CFR §246.4(a)(6) and (11)(i) 7 CFR §246.7(k) 22 MRSA §255 and §1951

Policy

1. Verification of Certifications (VOCs) shall be issued to every participant who is a member of a family in which there is a migrant farmworker or any other participant who is likely to be relocating during a certification period when the participant/authorized representative notifies WIC staff that the family is moving.

2. The State Agency shall have procedures in place that are used by all Local Agencies for transfers of certification within the State Agency (intra-State), between States’ Agencies (inter-State), and to the WIC Overseas Program (WICO).

3. All Local Agencies are required to use the standardized VOC document in the WIC electronic record.

4. VOCs from other states shall be proof of nutrition risk, income eligibility and program participation.

5. All Local Agencies must accept as valid all VOCs from both domestic WIC Programs and the WICO that contain the following essential elements:

5.1 Participant name

5.2 Name and address of the certifying agency

5.3 Expiration date of the current certification period

Procedure

1. VOC information shall be generated from the Maine WIC SPIRIT application.

2. The VOC shall be valid until the certification period expires, and shall be accepted as proof of eligibility for Maine CDC WIC Nutrition Program benefits for applicants transferring to a Maine program.

Certification & Eligibility (CE) CE-5 Transfer of Certification and VOCs 2

3. VOCs issued by Local Agencies or received by Local Agencies include the following information:

3.1 Name of participant

3.2 Date certification was completed

3.3 Date income eligibility was last determined

3.4 Nutrition risk factor(s)

3.5 Date certification period expires

3.6 Signature of certifying Local Agency official

3.7 Name/address of certifying Local Agency

3.8 Identification number or some other means of accountability

3.9 Migrant farm worker

3.10 Authorized representative

3.11 Participant category and date of birth

3.12 Anthropometric and hematological measurements and dates obtained

3.13 Benefits first date and last date to use

4. Local Agency staff must verify the VOC holder's identity and residency for those transferring to a Maine program from another state or another Local Agency.

5. Local Agencies must accept VOCs from participants, including migrant farm workers or members of their families, who have been participating in the program in another Local Agency within or outside of the jurisdiction of the State Agency.

6. A person with a valid VOC shall not be denied participation in the receiving state because the person does not meet the receiving State Agency’s eligibility criteria.

7. A participant with a VOC who transfers to Maine shall be enrolled immediately when the Local Agency is not at maximum caseload. If the receiving Local Agency has a waiting list, a transferring participant with a valid VOC card shall be placed on the list ahead of all other waiting applicants.

7.1 Data from the VOC should be entered in the participant’s electronic record. This includes, but is not limited to, anthropometric and hematological data and risk factors.

7.2 The VOC shall be scanned into the participant’s electronic record.

Certification & Eligibility (CE) CE-5 Transfer of Certification and VOCs 3

8. Local Agencies must provide VOC information for WIC participants affiliated with the military who will be transferring overseas and will need Department of Defense (DOD) WIC Overseas VOCs. These participants must be informed that:

8.1 There is no guarantee that the WIC Overseas Program will be operational at the overseas site where they will be transferred.

8.2 By law only certain individuals are eligible for the WIC Overseas Program

8.3 Issuance of a WIC VOC does not guarantee continued eligibility and participation in the WIC Overseas Program.

8.3.1 Eligibility for the overseas program will be determined at the overseas WIC service site. For more information about WIC Overseas Programs, go to: https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/SpecialPrograms/WICOverseas

8.4 Local Agencies must accept a valid WIC Overseas Program VOC presented at a WIC clinic by WIC Overseas Program participants returning to the United States from an overseas assignment. At a minimum the DOD WIC Overseas Program VOC must contain:

8.4.1 The participant’s name

8.4.2 The date the participant was certified

8.4.3 The date that the current certification period expires

9. For families who anticipate a move out of state, VOC information may be printed and given to the participant/authorized representative.