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Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the USDA has authorized the temporary increase of the cash value benefit (CVB) used for the purchase of fruits and vegetables. The American Rescue Plan allows us to temporarily increase the dollar amount to $35 per child and adult, per month, for a four-month period. These extra dollars will increase the purchasing power of WIC participants so they can buy and consume more healthy fruits and vegetables. The Illinois WIC Program will offer the temporary increase for June, July, August, and September.
As a result of this temporary change, stores may see an increased demand in fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. Any fruits and vegetables cut and packaged in-store must be mapped to the appropriate PLU. Fresh produce changes frequently and produce not mapped properly will be denied at the register. We encourage stores to ensure that all fresh produce items are mapped correctly to prevent confusion, transaction issues and allow increased sales. You can review PLU mapping information on our webpage at IDHS: Mapping WIC Eligible Fresh Produce Items for eWIC (state.il.us). Please ensure that all store personnel know who to contact in your organization if an eligible fresh produce item is not scanning as WIC approved.
