The Department will use the following selection criteria to
identify stores that meet the operational criteria to serve as a WIC authorized
store:
(1) The store shall be located
within this Commonwealth.
(2) A
store seeking reauthorization shall serve at least 25 participants per month.
The Department will deny reauthorization if the store is not serving 25
participants per month in the most recent month for which the Department has
participant data at the time the onsite review for reauthorization is
conducted.
(3) The store shall have
allowable foods properly stored and refrigerated.
(4) The store may not have stale-dated
allowable foods on its sales floor.
(5) The store shall at all times have
available on the premises the minimum inventory of allowable foods as
established by the Department under §
1103.5 (relating to minimum
inventory) at shelf prices that are equal to or less than the competitive
prices applicable to the store's peer group for those foods. On a quarterly
basis, the Department will publish in the
Pennsylvania
Bulletin and mail to all WIC authorized stores, the competitive prices
and maximum allowable prices applicable to all peer groups for allowable foods
for the next quarter.
(6) The store
shall be open for business and able to serve participants at least 8 hours per
day, 6 days per week.
(7) The store
shall be sanitary. There may not be unremoved rubbish, vermin, or general lack
of cleanliness.
(8) The store shall
operate as a full line grocery store in a permanent fixed location where
participants may purchase allowable foods with their WIC checks.
(9) If the store has been denied
authorization or reauthorization within the past 12 months, the store must be
eligible to apply for authorization under §
1103.1(b) or (c)
or §
1103.3(b)(2)
(relating to authorization and reauthorization process and requirements; and
temporary authorization).
(10) The
store may not be currently disqualified from participation in the Food Stamp
Program or have been assessed a civil money penalty in lieu of a
disqualification from the Food Stamp Program that, had it been imposed, would
not yet have expired.
(11) The
store may not be currently disqualified from the WIC Program.
(12) The store shall have implemented all
required corrective actions resulting from monitoring by the Department,
including reimbursement of any overcharges or overpayments, and shall be in
compliance with the applicable Federal and State regulations.
(13) None of the store's current owners,
officers, or managers shall have been convicted of or had a civil judgment
entered against them for conduct demonstrating a lack of business
integrity.
(14) The store will not
qualify or will not be expected to qualify as an above-50-percent-store. This
paragraph does not apply to stores solely owned or operated by nonprofit
entities.
(15) The store shall meet
the minimum information technology requirements set by the Department. The
Department will publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and mail
to all WIC authorized stores, by September 15 of each year, the minimum
technology requirements applicable for the following calendar year. This
paragraph does not apply to stores authorized prior to September 12, 2009, and
maintaining an uninterrupted authorized status.
