MEF, as a subcontractor to Mathematica, will contribute to this study that estimates the rate of error in WIC income eligibility certifications. Income eligibility is the primary source of error in WIC certifications.
The estimates produced by the study will satisfy USDA’s reporting requirements under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA). To satisfy the PIIA requirement for future estimates annually, the study will develop a method to estimate certification error rates and improper payments in future years without additional data collection (known as “aging” the estimates). The study has 4 main objectives:
- Design and pilot test a new methodology to provide national estimates of improper payments due to income eligibility certification error.
- Develop nationally representative estimates of annual improper payments due to income eligibility certification error.
- Study the relationship of participant and WIC clinic site characteristics to error rates.
- Produce at least one new model to annually age the estimates of improper payments or an alternative approach to aging the estimates that can be used to fulfill annual reporting requirements.
The study seeks to address two important challenges:
- Gathering income documentation to reassess income eligibility in a manner that is as easy as possible for participants and WIC agencies.
- Including enough participants in the current data collection to develop a reliable model for aging the estimates in future years without requiring additional data collection.