Vendor Training September 2015 Table of Contents State WIC Contact Information What is WIC? WIC Vendor Food Card Message from Vendor Manager Food Card Changes FY.
Download ReportTranscript Vendor Training September 2015 Table of Contents State WIC Contact Information What is WIC? WIC Vendor Food Card Message from Vendor Manager Food Card Changes FY.
Vendor Training September 2015 Table of Contents State WIC Contact Information What is WIC? WIC Vendor Food Card Message from Vendor Manager Food Card Changes FY 16 (Effective October 1, 2015) Gerber and Beech-Nut Infant Food Updates Food Card Changes FY 16: Yogurt Food Card Changes FY 16: Potatoes Scanner Changes WIC Program Booklet WIC Booklet or Checks Left at Store Shelf Tags Cash Value Voucher (CVV) Redeeming WIC Checks and CVVs Vendor Manual Changes Check Rejection Reasons & Remedies WIC Approved Food Test WIC Approved Food Test: Answers Stocking Requirements Vendor Complaints WIC Pharmacies Common Check Redemption Mistakes FY 16 Vendor Food Card Image Non-discrimination Statement State WIC Contact Information Indiana State Department of Health-WIC 2 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 Toll Free: 800-522-0874 Access the WIC approved Food Card, Vendor Manual, Vendor Notices, Vendor Application and Newsletters at: www.wic.in.gov Vendor Team Kari Jagars Amy Peeler Lyndsay Perrine Mark Wolfe 317-233-7938 317-234-7250 317-233-5587 317-234-8148 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] What is WIC? WIC= Women, Infants and Children Funded by the USDA Run by the Indiana State Department of Health and local sponsoring agencies Provides nutrition education and healthy supplemental foods to: Pregnant women Breastfeeding women Postpartum women Infants Children up to the age of 5 Indiana WIC spends approximately $113 million annually to purchase food through authorized vendors WIC Food Card Specifies the only foods allowed for participants Pictures and “Not included” descriptions help identify approved foods Food brands, sizes and containers are important WIC Program Booklets are provided to each participant WIC approved food cards are provided to authorized WIC vendors for each cash register Many infant formulas and WIC eligible nutritionals are allowed but not on the food list. Allow them only when specified on the check. Examples: Neocate and Nutramigen Full list available at www.wic.in.gov 14.1 oz. Neocate Infant w/DHA & ARA powder WIC Food Card Cont. Food Groups Infant Formula Infant Food Infant Cereal Milk, Cheese and Yogurt Eggs Fruits and Vegetables (fresh and frozen) Peanut Butter Juice (shelf stable, frozen concentrate, non-frozen concentrate) Bread, Tortillas, Brown Rice and Whole Wheat Pasta Cereal Chunk Light Tuna and Pink Salmon Dry and Canned Beans Message From Vendor Manager The Indiana WIC Program will pilot EBT in January 2016. Once the pilot has been determined a success, we will gradually roll out state wide by the end of 2016. This is an exciting time for the Indiana WIC Program, our local agencies, participants and the vendors that provide the WIC food to participants. This is a difficult and complex transition that will require the cooperation of all of our partners. The state vendor staff will begin building the Approved Products List (APL) later this fall. Some of you will see us in your stores scanning UPC codes, evaluating nutrition information and recording full product descriptions. We look forward to this project and will keep you informed as we progress. Food Card Changes FY 16: Cereal Cereal Only 18 oz. and 36 oz. box sizes allowed Exception: 11.8 oz. Quaker Instant Oatmeal Original= allowed Participants may buy three (3) 11.8 oz. boxes or one (1) 11.8 oz. and one (1) 18 oz. Quaker 11.8 oz. Instant Oatmeal Original Food Card Changes FY 16: Cereal Discontinued Cereals Post: 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Banana Blueberry Kellogg’s: 18 oz. Scooby Doo Kellogg’s: 18 oz. Frosted Mini Wheats Big Bites New Approved Cereals Post: 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Honey Crunch Post 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Vanilla Bunches Post: 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Honey Crunch Post: 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Vanilla Bunches Reminder to Vendors: Cereal Many participants are having difficulty finding the correct sizes of WIC approved cereals. Please make sure to stock 18 oz. and/or 36 oz. sizes. Food Card Changes FY 16: Infant Cereal To accommodate the 16 oz. box of infant cereal, a new check message will be used starting October 1st Infant Cereal 16 oz. containers = approved May purchase any brand Infant Cereal Check Message Until Sept. 30th: 003 (8 OZ) CONTAINERS INFANT CEREAL ANY BRAND You will continue to see checks with this message until the end of December 2015 NEW Infant Cereal Check Message Beginning October 1st: 024 OUNCES INFANT CEREAL ANY BRAND IN 8 OZ OR 16 OZ CONTAINERS Food Card Changes FY 16: Baby Food Fruits & Veg. To accommodate the 2 packs of 4 oz. baby food, a new check message will be used starting October 1st Infant Foods Check Message Until September 30th: 016 4 OZ. CONTAINERS BABY FOOD FRUITS OR VEGETABLES ANY BRAND Infant Food 2-4 oz. packs = approved May purchase any brand NEW Check Message Beginning October 1st: Gerber 2nd Foods 4oz. 2 pack: Carrots 008 PACKS OF 2-4 OZ PLASTIC TUBS BABY FOOD FRUITS OR VEGETABLES OR 16 4 OZ CONTAINERS BABY FOOD FRUITS OR VEGETABLES New Check Messages Example Gerber 4 oz. Fruit and Vegetable Glass Jar Update Effective September 30, 2015, Gerber is discontinuing Gerber 2nd Foods Fruit and Vegetable Purees in 4 oz. glass jars to accelerate the transition to the 2-4 oz. packs Infant Food: Beech-Nut Update Beech-Nut Just Naturals Changing from 4.25 oz. jar to 4 oz. jar in October 2015 making the product line eligible for WIC 4 oz. Beech-Nut Natural stage 2: Just guava, pear & strawberry 4 oz. Beech-Nut Natural stage 2: Just pineapple, pear & avocado Food Card Changes FY 16: Yogurt Specifications for Allowed Yogurt Quart (32 oz.) containers only Any flavor Any brand Whole fat Low-fat/Fat Free Specifications for Yogurt not Allowed Greek, organic, light or multi-packs Yogurts with accompanying mix-in ingredients such as granola, candy pieces, honey, nuts and similar ingredients Drinkable yogurts Explanation for not allowing light yogurt Indiana chose to not allow light yogurt due to added artificial sweeteners. Food Card Changes FY16: Yogurt Examples Any brand is allowed 32 oz. Dannon Yogurt: Plain (whole fat) 32 oz. CoBurn Farms Yogurt: Vanilla (lowfat) 32 oz. Yoplait Yogurt: Plain (nonfat) Food Card Changes FY 16: Potatoes White Potatoes Allowed for purchase with CVV Whole Raw White, red and yellow varieties Individual, whole, raw, white potato Bagged, whole, raw, red potatoes Not Allowed: Processed potatoes, including but not limited to: Frozen Boxed Deli-prepared Reminder: Least Expensive Milk How to interpret the least expensive brand of milk: Must be least expensive brand Not required to buy least expensive type of milk Example of Least Expensive Brand of Milk: WIC check states “(002) gallon container(s), 1%/lowfat or fat free/skim milk least expensive brand”. Participants may choose type of milk from what is listed on the check (1%/lowfat or fat free/skim) Participants may get fat free even if it costs more than 1%/lowfat Participants may not choose brand-they must get the least expensive brand If a brand of milk goes on sale and temporarily becomes the least expensive brand, participants may get the sale brand or the brand normally least expensive Cheese Cheese 8 oz. or 16 oz. only May be block, sliced, shredded, cubed, string, stick or crumbles. (block) (cubed) (sliced) (crumbles) (string) (shredded) Deli Deluxe Cheese: Message From Kraft Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheese: Individually wrapped sliced American cheese= not allowed Ingredients changed and this item is now a cheese food Cheese food is not allowed (see Vendor Food Card) Approved Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheeses- Not individually wrapped American (yellow) Sliced Cheese, 16 oz. (021000602698) American (white) Sliced Cheese, 16 oz. (021000602704) 2% American (yellow) Sliced Cheese, 16 oz. (021000625666) American (yellow) Sliced Cheese, 8 oz. (021000602513) Sharp Cheddar Sliced Cheese, 8 oz. (021000602568) Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheese Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese Slices NOT Individually Wrapped *WIC Approved* Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese Slices Individually Wrapped *NOT* WIC Approved 64 oz. Juice Shelf Stable or Refrigerated Juice Any brand of 64 oz. 100% juice with a minimum of 120% Vitamin C content of the following flavors are allowed: Apple Juice Grape Juice Exception: Welch’s 64 oz. grape juice is not allowed Grapefruit Juice Orange Juice Pineapple Juice Tomato Juice Vegetable Juice Any flavor of Old Orchard 100% Juice Blends is allowed Any flavor of Juicy Juice 100% Juice Blends is allowed 11.5-12 oz. Juice Concentrate Frozen Concentrate Juice Any brand of 11.5-12 oz. 100% juice with a minimum of 120% Vitamin C content of the following flavors are allowed: Apple Juice Grape Juice Grapefruit Juice Orange Juice Any flavor of Welch’s with the yellow tab is allowed Any flavor of Old Orchard with the green tab is allowed Any flavor of Dole is allowed Allowed Juices Allowing any brand of the specified juice types that qualify instead of the least expensive brand of each type of juice was made in October 2014 to lower the amount of confusion by participants and vendors This change also allowed for more juice options Vendors need to: Evaluate juices in the store to see which brands qualify Reminder: Juices must be 100% juice, have at least 120% Vitamin C content, be an approved flavor, and an approved size (only 64 oz. size for shelf stable or refrigerated and 11.5 oz.-12 oz. size for frozen and non-frozen concentrates) Add juices that qualify to your scanning system so they are identified as WIC approved (if applicable) Products with names such as juice beverage, cocktail juice, fruit drink, or juice drink are not 100% juice, so they are not approved Scanner Changes Items to ADD: Cereal 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Honey Crunch 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Vanilla Bunches Yogurt Quart (32 oz.) containers Added mid year: Authorization was effective May 1, 2015 Fruits and Vegetables White Potatoes Added mid year: Authorization was effective April 1, 2015 Infant Food Multi-packs (2-4 oz. containers) Infant Cereal Items to DELETE: 16 oz. containers Cereal 18 oz. Scooby Doo 18 oz. Frosted Mini Wheats Big Bites 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Banana Blueberry Program Booklet WIC Booklet or Checks Left at Store Call your local WIC clinic Local clinic phone number should be on booklet Report the participant name and ID # to local clinic Local clinic will contact participant and have them pick up booklet and/or checks at your store Store will have a designated location where lost items can be claimed Never destroy booklets or checks Shelf Tags Shelf tags are provided to vendors to help participants select correct foods Properly placed shelf tags help speed up checkout WIC acronym and logo may not be used on other shelf tags that are not provided or approved by WIC Tags that are not the current green color need to be removed Do not display tags for items that are not stocked Contact your local WIC office for replacement shelf tags Shelf Tags Cont. Green tags should be displayed once received By October 1, 2015, only green tags should be displayed for stocked items Remove any discontinued item tags Shelf Tags: Combined Old and New Tags If you received the green set of shelf tags that were given at annual training in September 2014 plus two (2) additional loose pages of green tags you will need to remove the following tags from the old set and discard them: 18 oz. Scooby Doo (discontinued) 18 oz. Frosted Mini Wheats Big Bites (discontinued) 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Banana Blueberry (discontinued) 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Vanilla Bunches (replacement tag is provided with new tags to indicate this item is now whole grain) 18 oz. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Honey Crunch (replacement tag is provided with new tags to indicate this item is now whole grain and the name has changed from Honey Roasted to Honey Crunch) All Gerber formula tags (replacement tags that are more descriptive are provided with new tags) Cash Value Voucher (CVV) CVV is a fixed dollar amount WIC check used to purchase fruits and vegetables Upcoming Amount Changes: The $10 and $15 CVV’s will be increased due to the increased price of fruits and vegetables The $10 CVV will be increased to $11 The $15 CVV will be increased to alternate between $16.00 and $17.00 every other month Example: October $16.00, November $17.00, December $16.00, etc. Accept any amount of CVV ($4, $8, $10, $11, $15, $16, or $17) How to Redeem CVVs: CVVs have limits of specific dollar amounts Never write in more than the CVV allows CVV’s submitted over stated dollar amount cannot be corrected and resubmitted If the cost is over the dollar limit the participant may: Pay the overage Return item(s) to stay within the dollar amount Cash back is not allowed Cash Value Voucher CVVs: Decorated Pumpkins Pumpkins: Regular, plain pumpkins are WIC-eligible Reminder: Ornamental and decorative fruits and vegetables such as chili peppers on a string; garlic on a string; gourds; painted pumpkins are not WICeligible Decorative pumpkins are those that come predecorated and are not WICeligible Redeeming WIC Checks & CVVs Provide only food listed on check Substitutions are not allowed Always allow specific items on check such as formula or WIC eligible nutritionals WIC bank agent edits each check for dates, participant signature, ID stamp and price If a check is rejected for payment: Image of check is returned to your store with the reject stamp reason stamped on check image Consult your local WIC person or the WIC Vendor Manual for direction on what to do with rejected checks Redeeming WIC Checks & CVVs Cont. Check Redemption Process Put register in “WIC mode” if applicable Ask to see the participant’s WIC Program Booklet Do not redeem checks without Program Booklet Everyone authorized to redeem checks is listed on booklet No other form of ID is needed Redeem checks one at a time Participants have been instructed to separate WIC foods from other purchases Participants have been instructed to separate WIC foods by individual check If items are not separate, ask participant nicely to do so Redeeming WIC Checks & CVVs Cont. Look at the check If today’s date is not within dates of use on check, or check has been altered, tell participant you cannot redeem check Compare foods listed on check with foods grouped with check; they must match If foods match what is on check, scan foods in same order as they appear on check Complete transaction by writing in the actual dollar amount of purchase, today’s date, and your initials or ID number Get a participant signature last then move to next check If a food is not WIC approved and is rejected by scanner, work with participant to get a correct food, or participant may choose to do without item If a food is allowed according to the WIC approved Food Card, but scanner rejects it you need to override the scanner to allow the food for WIC purchase AND report the scanner programming error to your store for correction Redeeming WIC Checks & CVVs Cont. Have participant sign each check after each transaction to make each transaction complete Must use dark blue or black ink; light colored ink becomes “invisible” to equipment that sends check images to the bank for payment resulting in a rejected check “NO SIGNATURE”. Must sign in the participant signature block on check Verify that signature matches one of the signatures on the participant Program Booklet Provide a customer receipt marked “WIC” CVV Reminder: Never write in a dollar amount higher than the dollar amount listed on check If dollar amount of fruits/vegetables purchased exceeds CVV dollar limit, participant may choose to pay excess or buy fewer items Vendor Manual Changes Vendor Manual has been updated The major highlighted changes will be reviewed on the following three slides All highlighted changes to the updated Vendor Manual can be found at www.wic.in.gov Vendor Manual Changes Cont. Page 5 2. Vendor must maintain prices of WIC authorized food within 15 % of their peer group. Page 7 15, letter I. Request to complete a price survey of WIC authorized foods. Page 8 19. All infant formula and WIC eligible nutritionals must be purchased from an approved source. A list of approved sources is available at http://www.in.gov/isdh/24780.htm Vendor Manual Changes Cont. Page 9, Additional EBT Program Requirements 25. Vendors will complete an WIC EBT Settlement Authorization Form and submit to Xerox. 26. Vendors that opt to process WIC transactions without a Third Party Processor will complete a Xerox WIC Vendor Agreement. 27. Vendors will not designate special checkout lanes restricted to use by participants. 28. Vendors will not accept a WIC Card for any purpose other than the redemption of WIC benefits and benefit balance inquires. 29. Settlement shall be for the Vendor total as approved at the time of purchase, which represents the lesser of the vendor’s price or the State’s maximum allowable price. 30. Food vendors must meet the minimum WIC EBT redemption standard. Vendor Manual Changes Cont. Page 10, Additional EBT Program Requirements Cont. 31. Vendors must use the most current Approved Product List (APL) 32. Vendors must provide a receipt for each WIC EBT transaction that shows items purchased and the remaining balance of available benefits. 33. Vendors must implement and maintain a Food and Nutrition Services certified automated system to accept and process WIC Program benefits in the form of an EBT magnetic strip card using either stand beside eWIC device or integrated POS solution that perform online WIC EBT transactions in accordance with published rules, policy, specifications and procedures. Rejected Checks or CVVs and Remedy WIC checks have to pass an edit procedure prior to payment which includes a reasonable price for foods listed on check, correct redemption date, no alterations, a signature by WIC participant or proxy, a legible ID stamp, and depositing check prior to the stale date. CVVs rejected for excess dollar amount are not eligible for correction and override. Improperly redeemed checks or CVVs will be rejected and returned through your bank without payment. The following slides explain reasons for a check or CVV to be rejected and some remedies. Check Rejection Reasons & Remedy Cont. Reject Stamp Explanation/Remedy Return Unpaid NO VENDOR NUMBER Stamp check or CVV with your WIC ID stamp and re-deposit within 30 days of the last-day-to-use date. Return Unpaid UNREADABLE VENDOR # Go over vendor # with black pen or restamp check so that it is readable, then redeposit within 30 days of last-day-to-use date. Return Unpaid POST DATED VOID-Do Not Redeposit The check or CVV is redeemed prior to the first-day-to-use date. No remedy; this rejection will not be paid. Return Unpaid STALE DATED VOID-Do Not Redeposit The check or CVV is redeemed after the last-day-to-use date or was deposited more than 30 days after the last-day-to-use date. No remedy; this rejection will not be paid. Check Rejection Reasons & Remedy Cont. Reject Stamp Return Unpaid ALTERED VOID-Do Not Redeposit Explanation/Remedy The check or CVV is altered. * (see page 11 in Vendor Manual) Unapproved REDEPOSIT The check or CVV was previously rejected and then re-deposited. Normally this is a redeposit without local agency override approval stamp. It could also be a voided check that was re-deposited. Return Unpaid MISSING SIGNATURE VOID-Do Not Redeposit The check is deposited without a participant or proxy signature. No remedy; this rejection will not be paid. Check Rejection Reasons & Remedy Cont. Reject Stamp Explanation/Remedy Returned Unpaid EXCESS DOLLAR AMOUNT Price submitted on check is too high for foods listed on check. Provide rejected check or the legal copy and price justification to the local agency coordinator. Price justification is normally a journal report that recorded the items actually purchased; it must match the date, time and price printed on the back of the check. The local WIC Coordinator will review justification and approve payment only for correct foods actually purchased. Wrong items or excessive amounts of food will be deducted. See Vendor Manual for full explanation Check Rejection Reasons & Remedy Cont. Reject Stamp Explanation/Remedy Returned Unpaid UNAUTHORIZED VENDOR VOID-Do Not Redeposit Check was deposited with an unauthorized vendor number. No remedy; this rejection will not be paid. ENCODING ERROR Correct and Redeposit Vendor’s bank or store made an error assigning the wrong value to the check when preparing the deposit or an error was made in the data file sent to the Federal Reserve Bank. The value assigned to the check needs to be corrected. Point out encoding error to your bank. Instruct your bank to make the needed correction and re-deposit. This does not need WIC approval. *Reminder: Checks are time sensitive and must be deposited, or re-deposited if rejected, within 30 days of the last day to use date. Rejected Checks: Formula Be on alert for checks that are rejected when they are prescribed for concentrate but powder formula is redeemed These checks will not be paid since the incorrect item was sold When these checks are rejected and returned notify your local agency Educate cashiers to read check messages Concentrate vs. Formula Check: Example WIC Approved Food Test 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain Honey Crunch, 18 oz. box Bush’s large butter beans, 16 oz. can Welch’s Grape juice, 100% juice, 120 % Vitamin C, 64 oz. bottle Dannon Plain nonfat yogurt, 32 oz. Tropicana refrigerated orange juice, 100% juice, 120% Vitamin C, 59 oz. bottle 6. Dole, whole, raw, individual, microwave-ready wrapped Russet potato 7. Dry cranberry beans, 16 oz. bag 8. Gerber 2nd Foods Carrots infant food, 2-4 oz. packs 9. Gia Russa whole wheat Roman Rigatoni pasta, 16 oz. box 10. Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt, 32 oz. WIC Approved Food Test 11. Whole, white, raw potatoes, 5 lb. bag 12. BeechNut Rice baby cereal, 16 oz. container 13. Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, 100% juice, 100% Vitamin C, 64 oz. 14. Beech-Nut Just Guava, Pear, & Strawberry infant food, 4 oz. jar 15. Welch’s Apple, Grape, Cherry, 11.5 oz. frozen juice cocktail 16. Green Giant frozen roasted potatoes with garlic and herb sauce, 19 oz. bag 17. Cannellini beans (white kidney beans), 15.5 oz. can 18. Quaker Instant Oatmeal Original, 11.8 oz. box 19. Yoplait Original Strawberry Banana lowfat yogurt, 32 oz. 20. Romaine lettuce from salad bar (with CVV for $11.00) WIC Approved Food Test: Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Approved Approved (same as lima beans) Not Approved Approved Not Approved (not correct size) Approved Approved Approved Approved Not Approved (light yogurt is not allowed) WIC Approved Food Test: Answers 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Approved Approved Not Approved (must contain at least 120% Vitamin C) Approved Not Approved (juice cocktails are not allowed) Not Approved (frozen potatoes and vegetables with added herbs and/or sauces are not allowed) Approved Approved Approved Not Approved (salad bar items are not allowed) Stocking Requirements Gerber Infant Formula: (6) 12.1 ounce containers of Gerber Good Start Gentle concentrate (20) 12.7 ounce cans of Gerber Good Start Gentle powder (5) 12.9 ounce cans of Geber Good Start Soy powder (5) 12.4 ounce cans of Gerber Good Start Soothe powder Stocking Requirements Cont. Milk Total of 12 gallons 3 gallons whole, 2 gallons 2%, 7 gallons low fat and skim Cheese (2) kinds (3) pounds of domestic pre-packaged block, sliced, shredded, cubed, string, stick or crumbles Eggs (3) one-dozen containers White Large or extra large Juice (15) 64-ounce containers (3) kinds (5) cans of 11.5 or12-ounce frozen or shelf-stable juice concentrate (2) kinds Stocking Requirements Cont. Cereal (6) kinds dry (1) kind cooked A total of 20 boxes Must stock at least 1 whole grain cereal Peanut Butter (5) 16 to 18 ounce jars Dried Beans, Peas or Lentils and Canned Beans (2) kinds dry beans (3) pounds total in 1-pound bags AND (128) ounces of canned beans 15 to 64 ounce cans Stocking Requirements Cont. Infant Cereal (8) 8 ounce containers (2) kinds Infant Food (48) 4 ounce jars or (24) 2 packs of 4 ounce tubs (2) varieties each of fruits and vegetables (16) 2.5 ounce jars of meat only May include broth Bread (5) loaves of 16 ounce whole grain bread Fruits & Vegetables ($30.00) worth of fresh fruits and vegetables (2) varieties of each Vendor Complaints As a WIC vendor you have the right to file a complaint against a WIC participant. Form should be filled out with specific information on what was said and done by the participant. Complaint form is available at www.wic.in.gov Description should include height, weight, age, race, name, WIC household ID number, location, any witnesses, time and date. Send complaint to your local WIC contact person and the appropriate action will be taken. WIC Pharmacies Pharmacies may provide only formula and WIC eligible nutritionals. Special order formula must be provided within two working days Reason: this is the infant’s only source of food If someone asks you about a special formula that you do not have, refer them to your store pharmacy or to a pharmacy on the list provided to the participant by the WIC clinic Common Check Redemption Mistakes Not separating WIC purchases from other purchases Cashiers not comparing the foods selected to what is on the check Participants not signing checks Vendors accepting checks early Writing in an amount over the stated limit on a CVV Using light colored ink to write on checks Light colored ink “disappears” when transmitted electronically to the bank FY 16 Vendor Food Card Non-discrimination Statement The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited basis will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 6329992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected]. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.