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West Virginia WIC Policy & Procedure 8.11 Effective Date: 10/01/18 8.11

Minimum Stock Requirements and Allowable Exemptions ______ concerning the availability of exempted items once a need has been identified. The Vendor Management Unit may require submission of invoices, receipts or purchase orders from a WIC-approved supplier to document the items requested were ordered within the specified time period. Any abuse of an exemption may result in the revocation of the exemption and may also result in disciplinary action against the vendor. An exemption approval may be revoked at any time at the discretion of the West Virginia WIC Program. PROCEDURE: A. Minimum stock requirements are calculated by using average monthly redemption per peer group for a 12-month period. Refer to Policy 8.05 Selection Criteria for information on vendor peer group classification.

B. Minimum stock exemptions may be provided for WIC food items or food categories which are not purchased by WIC customers on a regular basis. However, the vendor agrees to order exempted contract formula immediately, and other exempted WIC stock within 72 hours of a WIC customer request to redeem WIC benefits. A Local WIC Agency or Vendor Management Unit request may also prompt the vendor to order exempted stock within 72 hours.

C. Approval for exemption from minimum stock is granted by the Vendor Management Unit within 14 business days of an authorized vendor. The Vendor Management Unit will conduct a participant access assessment as well as review 12 months of store redemption records when considering an exemption request.

D. The Vendor Management Unit has sole discretion in granting an exemption from minimum stock to the vendor. Minimum stock exemptions are issued on a case-by-case basis and will be granted for a maximum of three years (i.e. an agreement period). A copy of the Minimum Stock Exemption Approval letter must be on file at the vendor’s location. The original will be maintained in the vendor Crossroads record as scanned documents in the Vendor Authorization Screen as well as filed in the paper record in the Authorization section.

E. An alert will be added to the vendor Crossroads record noting the dates of an active minimum stock requirement exemption. REFERENCES: 1. WIC Regulations 7 CFR 246.12 Food Delivery Methods Page 2 of 2