1. Training for WIC Vendors
Kansas eWIC
Training for WIC Vendors

2. AGENDA Schedule of Events Frequently Asked Questions
Mapping Criteria and Tips
Live Shopping
Plan for Live Shopping
Questions

3. Schedule of Events August 2017
Vendor Participation Addendum
August 29th – 31st - Live Shopping (Jim-CDP, Valerie and Janna- State WIC)
Will visit each pilot store
September 2017
September 13th – Live Shopping (Shawnee Co WIC and State WIC staff)
September 14th – Pilot begins!
December 2017
End of pilot
January-June 2018
Rollout to the rest of the state (by region)

5. Frequently Asked Questions
The following section is further clarification from the eWIC presentation provided by the state contractor. We highly recommend that your staff be allowed time to hear and/or review the Kansas Retailer Presentation (PowerPoint) found at:

6. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
eWIC Ready
Q: How do we know if we have an integrated system?
A: If the register is integrated, then all tender types can be completed on your store ECR point of sale. Your cashiers do not have to use a separate device to complete debit/credit/Snap transactions. Otherwise, if your cashiers are using a separate device (stand-beside) to complete some transactions, then you are not integrated.
Q: How will we know if our store is eWIC Ready?
A: The State Agency’s contractor (FIS/CDP) will verify a Level I and Level II certification has been completed for the store’s point of sale system for Kansas or a previous eWIC state, making it a eWIC certified system.
The Level III certification (Live Shopping) will be done by local agency, state agency, and/or contractor staff.

7. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
eWIC Card Usage
Q: If the eWIC card does not scan through the PIN pad, can the cashier hand- key the number.
A: Yes, as long as the client has the physical card and the reader will not read the card, the cashier can manually enter the card number but never the PIN.
The client is the only one who should ever enter the PIN.
Q: Is there a way for the client to swipe their card to check their balances without being in the transaction?
A: Yes, it’s called a balance inquiry. The client can ask for the balance inquiry.

8. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
Food Benefits
Q: How will the client know what benefits they have left on their card?
A: Every completed eWIC transaction will have a receipt with an ending balance.
Q: What if an item does not go through as WIC?
A: The only thing that impacts the ending balance is when an actual WIC item is approved and paid for. If the item did not show as WIC allowed, the quantity would remain the same as the item cannot be deducted from the client’s benefits.
Please download the WIC Shopper app and scan items if there is a question about whether or not the item is WIC approved. If the client and/or store staff believe an item should be WIC approved, use the application to submit the product for consideration of inclusion in the Approved Product List (APL)
Q: If the participant brings up Highland milk instead of the store brand, will the system allow that redemption?
A: Yes, if it is the correct fat content, then the system would allow the Highland milk because all eligible WIC foods will be in the APL. Clients will be educated to make smart purchases such as least expensive, store brand for milk, eggs, and cheese, etc. Cashiers will not be asked to enforce our “least expensive item” policy.

9. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
Not to Exceed (NTE) Amounts
Q: If there is an item over the NTE, is the customer responsible for paying the difference?
A: The customer is not responsible. The client CANNOT be charged for a WIC purchase. Your agreement with the state forbids the vendor from collecting money for an item not covered with the NTE.
Q: Will we know what the maximum (NTE) amount paid will be?
A: It is a moving price. The system recalculates the NTE based on the pricing being submitted via the vendors’ WIC transactions in each peer group. It is an average based on all the vendors in that peer group. If there is a huge change in pricing, please contact the state WIC immediately, as a manual adjustment to the pricing may be needed (e.g. large increase in egg prices).
Currently w/ checks, NTEs are calculated by averaging prices (per food item) submitted on the QPA per peer group. With eWIC, NTEs will be calculated by using actual redemption data (per product) per peer group.

10. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
Split Tender
Q: What happens if the client’s fresh fruit and vegetable benefit (FVB/CVB) goes over the amount?
A: The system will notify the cashier of the benefit covered and the total left to pay that the client may then use a different type of tender, i.e. food stamp card, debit/credit card, check or cash. OR
The client can have the cashier remove products to get it down to the available benefit amount.
Q: Does the FVB/CVB need to be separated from the other items?
A: Yes, for stand-beside devices. The other WIC items should be rang up first, the FVB/CVB. No, for integrated, as the system knows which items are WIC allowed.
Example: client has $2.00 of FVB and purchased a bag of apples for $ The client can either pay the difference or have the item voided/removed from the transaction. Some POS system may not allow the item to be removed and the whole transaction will need to be voided and started over.
PLEASE REMEMBER - The client must run the eWIC card first before they use any other tender type.

11. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
APL/UPCs/PLUs
Q: Does the APL include fresh produce as well?
A: Yes, the State of Kansas WIC program will only use PLUs from the IFPS (International Federation for Produce Standards) website. That is the governing body over PLUs because they have to be unique, so the products have to go through the process.
IFPS website:
Q: Will the state load a similar format for the UPCs that the state has been putting on their website?
A: No, the listing has been maintained because there was no way for the system to track individual items. eWIC will allow the stores to have a current listing through the daily download of the WIC Approved Product List (APL.)
APL = Approved Product List
UPC = Universal Product Code
PLU = Price Look up Code
For Q #2- the current list on our website is not all-inclusive. It doesn’t include all products that are not brand specific. Our APL has over 14, 000 products (including FV and PLUs), and it’s not feasible to keep up with this separate list.

12. Help us keep our APL up to date
We need your help keeping our APL up to date. You can do this by letting us know when there are:
Foods are missing from our APL
UPC changes
New products that might be WIC approved
To submit a UPC to see if WIC approved:
Submit the UPC and product information through the WIC Shopper app; or
Complete the “Request to Add an UPC” form. The form can be found on our website (
Foods missing from APL- Food that should have been WIC approved, but not ringing up at the register as WIC approved
New products- like canned beans

13. eWIC Frequently Asked Questions
APL/UPCs/PLUs
Q: I work for a store whose wholesaler has 23 PLUs for red seedless grapes, are you working with the growers to attain their PLUs?
A: No, we only get our PLUs from the IFPS (International Federation for Produce Standards) website. That is our governing body over PLUs because they have to be unique, so the products have to go through the process. If a store gets a PLU that is not a standard PLU then it needs to be mapped to an approved IFPS PLU.
Q: Will we have to provide our PLU codes or do we have to enter the dollar amount?
A: In an integrated system, the only PLUs that we can take are those from the national IFPS. The system won’t let any other PLUs to be entered. Those items will need to be mapped to the standard PLU (from IFPS), and then the state will approve.

14. Produce Mapping
The Kansas Approved Product List (APL) contains over 2000 produce PLUs and hundreds of packaged produce UPCs.
WIC retailers may alternately submit redemption requests for payment for fresh fruits and vegetables using a Product Look-up (PLU) code from the International Fresh Produce Standard (IFPS) if the item UPC is mapped (translated) as follows:
Partial Mapping: The item has a non-specific Product Look-up code (PLU) or a store specific Universal Product Code (UPC) mapped to a generic IFPS PLU; i.e., #4469, or
Full Mapping: The item has a non-specific Product Look-up code (PLU) or a store specific Universal Product Code (UPC) mapped to a produce specific IFPS PLU code that identifies the fruit or vegetable by name and type; i.e., banana, red delicious apple, eggplant, yellow onion, etc.

15. Produce Mapping (Cont.)
WIC retailers must use the partial or full mapping approach for the following products:
Loose fresh fruit and vegetables,
Fresh fruit and vegetables packaged according to weight,
Store packaged items labeled with UPC-A’s that begin with 2, and
Seasonal produce items
If a produce item doesn’t ring up for WIC, talk to your POS provider about mapping the item.

16. Live Shopping
Live Shopping is the method of testing the vendor’s cash register system, also referred as a Level III certification.
Representatives from the State Agency, Contractor (CDP), and/or Local Agency will visit the store to check the system to ensure it will properly record food redemptions.

17. Live Shopping At a minimum the Live Shopping will include:
Balance Inquiry
Prints a customers eWIC balance outside of the transaction
Purchase of some WIC authorized foods
POS Allowed/disallowed WIC item to be redeemed
Void/Reversal of a WIC Completed Purchase w/ non-WIC items remaining. (Transaction still open)
POS Replaced benefit back into client’s account
CVB/FVB
POS system appropriately applied dollar amount of CVB/FVB to the client’s account

18. Live Shopping At a minimum the Live Shopping will include (Cont.):
Coupon
System appropriately applied the discount to the food item
Total Redemption
Completing the purchase and verifying it is correct
Verifying the correct store is credited/paid and the correct X9 # is in the system
Client Receipt accurately reflected foods redeemed and balance remaining after purchased items

19. Live Shopping Plan Tuesday, August 29th Morning Store Visits
Walmart Supercenter #6392 – 2630 SE California
Dillon Store #67 – 2010 SE 29th St
Walmart Supercenter #2131 – 1301 SW 37th St
Dillon Store #47 – 2815 SW 29th St
Afternoon Store Visits
Dillon Store #37 – 6829 SW 29th St
HyVee #1658 – 2951 SW Wanamaker Rd
Target Store T-0355 – 2120 SW Wanamaker Rd
Dillon Store #87 – 5311 SW 22nd Pl
Walmart Supercenter #1802 – 1501 SW Wanamaker Rd

20. Live Shopping Plan Wednesday, August 30th Morning Store Visits
Seabrook Apple Market – 1945 SW Gage Blvd
Dillon Store #88 – 4015 SW 10th Ave
Walmart Neighborhood Market #6585 – 335 SW MacVicar Ave
Mikes IGA – 2620 NE Sardou Ave
Afternoon Store Visits
Wehners Thriftway #34 – 550 E US Hwy 24 TRFY (Rossville)
Wehners Thriftway #33 – NW US HWY 24 E (Silverlake)
Dillon Store #54 – 800 NW 25th St
Walmart Supercenter #5441 – 2600 NW Rochester Rd

21. WIC Clients eWIC is a new process for everyone!
Clients are being trained by their local WIC agency
Topics include:
How to shop with the eWIC card
What to expect at the register
No overrides!
How to use helpful resources/tools like the WIC Shopper app
How to report a lost/stolen/damaged card
How to check balances
How to shop w/ eWIC card- (ex: encouraging the purchase of least expensive eggs, milk and cheese)
No overrides- client shouldn’t argue about something not scanning as WIC approved. They will be told hold to submit a UPC for consideration. They should also be referred to their local WIC agency if they have any questions.

23. Questions?

24. Contact Information
Valerie Merrow
Janna Gunckle
Jim Chilcoat