601.0 POLICY WIC applicants must be physically present at their certification appointments unless an exception is granted and documented. PURPOSE To assure that applicants are physically present at certification appointments, or that an exception is granted and documented. This is to maintain the integrity of the WIC program by helping to prevent fraud. RELEVANT REGULATIONS 7 CFR §246.7 ¶ (i)(3)—Certification forms 7 CFR §246.7 ¶(o)—Are applicants required to be physically present at certification? OREGON WIC PPM REFERENCES  511 - Food Benefit Issuance and Overview  600 - Certification: Introduction and Overview  610 - Required Proofs – Identity, Residency, Income  645 - Certification Periods APPENDICES n/a DEFINITIONS n/a

SECTION: Local Program Operations 601 SUBJECT: Physical Presence at Certification DATE: September 1, 2017

PHYSICAL PRESENCE AT CERTIFICATION, cont. 601.1 PROCEDURE 1.0 Anyone applying for WIC must be physically present at each certification except in the situations described below. If staff know or believe an individual may be eligible for these exemptions, they must inform the participant or the participant’s guardian of the option for an exemption. Exceptions 1.1 Disabilities. Applicants with a disability who are unable to be physically present at the WIC clinic because of their disability or applicants whose parents or caretakers are individuals with disabilities that meet this standard must be granted an exception to the physical presence requirement. Examples of such disabilities include:  A medical condition that necessitates the use of medical equipment that is not easily transportable  A medical condition that requires confinement to bed rest  A serious illness that may be exacerbated by coming into the WIC clinic (i.e. an individual with compromised immunity such as an individual undergoing cancer treatment) 1.2 Receiving ongoing health care. If the infant/child is unable to be physically present at the WIC clinic because their health status creates a barrier to being present, they may be granted an exception if both of the following conditions are met:  The infant/child was present at his/her initial WIC certification; and  The infant/child is receiving ongoing health care from any health care provider, including the local agency. 1.3 Working parents or caretakers. If the infant/child has working parents/caretakers they may be granted an exception if all of the following conditions are met:  The infant/child was present at his/her initial WIC certification; and  The infant/child was present at a WIC certification or recertification determination within the one year period ending on the date of the most recent certification or recertification determination; and  The infant/child is under the care of one or more working parents or one or more primary working caretakers whose working status presents a barrier to bringing the infant/child to the WIC clinic.

PHYSICAL PRESENCE AT CERTIFICATION, cont. 601.2 1.4 Infants under 8 weeks of age. Infants under eight (8) weeks of age may be exempt from the physical presence requirement if they are determined to be medically fragile, and for whom all necessary certification information is provided.  Infant’s guardian must be present and provide all necessary certification information for the infant, including proof of identity and birth data or data from the infant’s most recent visit to their health care provider.  Hospitalized infants may be certified, but benefits cannot be issued until discharge. Documentation 2.0 If an applicant is not physically present for a certification appointment, the reason for the exception must be documented in TWIST in the “Medical Notes” field of the “Medical Data” tab in the “Certification” window. 2.1 If there is no documentation in TWIST that the participant was not physically present, it is assumed that the participant was present during certification. Reevaluate Exception 3.0 Reevaluate the need for the exception at each certification. Use of referral data 4.0 If anthropometric and hematological data comes from a health care provider, this must also be documented in TWIST in the “Medical Notes” field for that data. Document the source of the referral data and the date of the WIC certification appointment. Note: The collection date for medical data must be the actual date the data was collected, and therefore will not match the WIC appointment date when referral data is used. For this reason, the date of the WIC certification appointment must be documented.

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