WIC and FMNP Modernization Annual Evaluation Report 2024
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Key Findings
- FNS awarded grants to all 88 WIC state agencies to modernize technology and service delivery, improve the shopping experience, and improve access to farmers’ markets. As of September 2024, many projects were in the planning (pre-implementation) stage.
- In 2021, Congress gave FNS time-limited authority through Sept. 30, 2024 to grant waivers for WIC and FMNP state agencies to support modernization. FNS approved 1,069 waivers across 24 waiver categories.
- Two WIC state agencies successfully converted from offline electronic benefit transfer (EBT) technology to online EBT by September 2024. Offline EBT technology limits state agencies to issuing and modifying benefits in person. Modernizing to online EBT technology enables WIC families to receive benefits without having to visit a WIC clinic and makes online shopping possible.
- Of the 37 FMNP state agencies awarded grants to transition to electronic purchasing methods (eSolutions), 24 reported successfully procuring and implementing eSolutions throughout their service areas by September 2024.
In 2021, Congress provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with $390 million and waiver authority for outreach, innovation, and program modernization in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). The WIC and FMNP Modernization Evaluation tracks the progress and outcomes of these efforts.
This first annual report provides an overview of the WIC and FMNP modernization efforts underway and highlights early implementation findings, covering activities from September 2022 – September 2024.
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