PROCESSING STANDARDS Presentation to: Nutrition Services Directors Presented by: Sonia Jackson Date: July 7, 2015

What is Processing Standards? The definition of Processing Standards comes from the Code of Federal Regulations Part 246- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children 246.7(f)(2)(ii) Processing Standards Processing Standards describes the amount of time permitted between the date when an applicant request WIC benefits (Initial Contact) and the date the first appointment is offered.

When Does Processing Standards Begin? Processing standards begin when an applicant requests WIC benefits: face-to-face pre-registration telephone

Processing Standards Must Be Met Within Ten (10) calendar days – Prenatal women – Breast-feeding women – Infants (0-12months) – Migrants Twenty (20) calendar days – Post-partum women – Children (1-5 years)

Processing Standards Extensions 246.7(f)(2)(iii)....State agencies may provide an extension of the notification period to a maximum of 15 days for those local agencies which make written request, including a justification of the need for an extension.

Ways To Meet Processing Standards Walk ‑ in clinics/ overbooking appointments Extended clinic hours – lunch, evenings, and Saturdays Documenting the correct initial contact dates for breaks in service Rescheduling missed appointments and documenting correct initial contact date

Processing Standards Compliance Georgia WIC Program Out of Compliance Requires Corrective Action Plan Must be in compliance to close ME Finding

How Will We Work Towards Compliance? Clinic Data

Quarterly Processing Standards Report Clinic Name and Number Met Processing Standards ? Yes or No Number of appts. scheduled Number of appts. not meeting standards Percentage of appts. meeting standards *Reason for not meeting standards

Compliance Criteria When reviewing the quarterly reports the monitoring criteria below is used: % = Satisfactory (meets minimum regulatory requirements) 95-91% = Satisfactory Needs Improvement 90%-< = Unsatisfactory (Does not meet regulatory requirements and constitutes an Improvement Plan)

Monitoring Standards Quarterly Reports will be compared to – Findings from program reviews – Compliance visits to clinics Technical assistance provided by regional advisors Revised Improvement Plan CSC Processing Standards Report (when available)

Processing Standards Compliance Critical Data Elements (DE) needed to produce an accurate report: – Date of Initial Contact (DE 110) – Initial Contact Type (DE 111) – Date Appointment Kept (DE 127) – Date Appointment Requested (DE 129)

Improvement Plan ReasonStrategies/ Activities Expected Outcomes Position Responsible Targeted Timeline Technical Assistance Requested Yes/No Next Steps What caused the deficiency and how frequent is it occurring? (for each clinic not meeting processing standards give specific reason, ex: clinic closed due to weather, staff shortages) Describe the tasks and/or steps developed to resolve the deficiency. Describe the districts expected outcomes at each interval. The position responsible for the activity (i.e., Clinic, District, Staff Person, Supervisor, etc.) The targeted task completion date for each strategy. (complete by December 2015 ) Is the District requesting assistance from the Regional Advisors? How does the district plan to monitor if the tasks/steps taken have resolved the deficiency? Continue… Begin...

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