Annual Training for 2024
- The annual training, a crucial part of our WIC program, will be sent out in mid-March. This interactive session is designed to address your queries and ensure your understanding of the program's updates and changes.
- The training will be interactive, so it will have a format that allows you to ask questions during the training.
- Emails about the training will be sent to the store's and each location's owner's email addresses.
- If you are at the corporate level for a chain of stores and receive the email, it's imperative that at least one representative from each store completes the training. Failure to do so may result in non-compliance.
- If you get an email, check which store locations are listed and make sure those locations complete the training ASAP.
FFY2025 Reapplication Process
- We will send out information about the reapplication process at the beginning of March.
- Emails will be sent to the owner's email address on file with information about the reapplication.
- You must complete demographic information in DocuSign for each store location. You will need to provide Proof of FEIN, Proof of SNAP Eligibility (if you are a SNAP vendor), a copy of the most recent Food Establishment Inspection Report & all local business licenses required to operate in your city or town.
State WIC Vendor Code Updates
- Most changes will only affect new WIC Vendors.
- We will send an email in the next 7 - 10 days with a copy of the most current Vendor Code.
- This is the amended Appendix A of your current vendor contracts and will be fully enforceable at the time of notice.
Authorized Food List Changes
- Changes detailed in the communication sent at the beginning of February.
- A few new cereals have been added
- A new brand of Low-fat / Non-Fat Yogurt has been added
- For canned fruits, fruit in pouches are no longer WIC eligible.
- For juice, this is where the most changes have taken place. Note that single-flavor juices are only allowed; therefore, mixed flavors and single flavors with juice blends in the ingredients are no longer WIC eligible.
Reminders
- Please notify the Department of any scheduled closures or times when your stores will not be able to accept WIC.
- Also, notify us if there are any unexpected times more significant than 24 hours that you cannot accept WIC due to unforeseen circumstances.
- Reminder for all stores with integrated cash register systems: you must map all fresh produce items to a corresponding appropriate PLU for the item. Failure to do so can result in WIC participants not being able to redeem WIC items correctly.
- We can guide what should be mapped or what items can be mapped to.
- Contact your POS provider for information on how to do the mapping correctly in your system.
Communications
WIC Vendor Contacts:
- Jeff Peddycoart, Assistant Bureau Chief
- Lisa Cunningham, EBT Coordinator
- Harry Lobb, Compliance Coordinator
- Josh Grace, Compliance Staff
- Anna Sabin, Vendor Relations Coordinator
- Lisa Brockmeyer, Jessica Meredith, Chastity Durbin, Vendor Relations Staff
Q & A
Open for questions from vendors on call.
Will the annual training be available in Spanish?
At this time, vendor training is only available in English.
Is Pineapple juice allowed or not allowed?
Any brand of 100% pineapple juice was previously allowed; however, with the new food list, it is allowed in the store brands listed on the Authorized Food List.
Will more information be emailed about what has been shared during the call?
If you need to update the contact email for your store, please reach out to us at DHS.WICVendor@illinois.gov. This is important as most communications from the Department are now sent via email.
When you say that the annual training will be interactive, does this mean that it will be held at a physical location, or will it still be an e-training?
The training is not held in person. It will be done in an e-training format but will be scheduled for a specific day and time that you will need to join or participate in. We are still working on the details. All trainees must be able to access training through the Internet and will need sound.
We usually use the CVB button on our stand-beside device regarding the produce mapping. Will that no longer be allowed?
Produce mapping applies to stores with integrated cash registers only. Vendors with stand-beside devices should continue to process CVB purchases in the same way they have always done.
Problems with new WIC participants not picking up the right stuff and wondering if participants can receive additional training?
If multiple participants struggle to understand a specific type of food benefit, please let us know. We can help the agencies adjust their training approach or give more guidance. We acknowledge that the education of our participants is not perfect, and the education of our vendors is not ideal either, and we continually work to improve this. At this time, we recommend that if there is a participant in your store who is struggling to understand what their WIC Benefits are, you advise them to reach out to their local WIC office to request some additional education about their WIC benefits so they can be more successful at redeeming their benefits in the future.
How do taxes work with WIC products? Our items are not ringing up with the correct tax.
All WIC items are tax-exempt. No tax should be charged for any WIC purchases or WIC portions for mixed-bag transactions.
Do we recommend that customers use the WIC shopper app?
Illinois does not use the WIC Shopper app, but participants can access the BNFT App. We recommend that participants download the app and use it as a guide in addition to the Authorized Food List and Family Shopping List.
Where are the cashier training videos located?
They are located at https://wic.irma.org.
