The Use and Impact of Federal Waivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Summary Findings From Surveys of WIC State and Local Agencies

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed in March 2020, granted FNS the authority to grant certain programmatic waivers to WIC State agencies. These waivers provided flexibilities to requirements that could not be met because of the pandemic and supported continued access to WIC. This report summarizes the use and impact of all WIC waivers types, including the physical presence waivers, remote benefit issuance waivers, food package substitution waivers, administrative flexibilities waivers, and food delivery flexibilities waivers. Data were based on a census of WIC State and local agencies designed to understand the use and impact of these waivers. State and local agencies advocated for the continued use of telemedicine in WIC and the loosening of the physical presence requirement to improve WIC participant satisfaction and address barriers (e.g., transportation, childcare, scheduling).