WIC field compliance activities return to pre-COVID levels

The OIG’s Women Infant and Children (WIC) Vendor Monitoring Unit (VMU) developed and initiated a restart of field operations during the third quarter. The team conducted compliance buys, on-site store reviews and inventory reviews, resulting in activities mirroring pre-COVID-19 field activity. The team had temporarily modified daily operations during COVID to focus on performing remote inventory audits to ensure vendor compliance.

During a series of covert compliance buy activities in Schertz, WIC VMU identified a vendor who violated WIC policy. In this case, the vendor used WIC-allowable food scan codes from WIC food items to provide an unauthorized food item with a different product code. The WIC vendor was cited and charged back for the infraction.

A series of covert compliance buy activities at five WIC vendor locations in North Texas focused on ineligible purchases. WIC VMU attempted to purchase alcoholic beverages to test vendor compliance. The vendor correctly refused the transactions in all instances.

While conducting an inventory review, the WIC VMU identified a major statewide WIC vendor that was not providing accurate information during an initial request for inventory data. To facilitate the inventory reviews of this vendor, the WIC VMU took the proactive step of conducting a video meeting with the vendor’s compliance officers to outline exact details needed, allowing for expedited results. This approach created a more effective working relationship with the vendor.