|
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released SP 05, CACFP 04, SFSP 04-2021 – Questions and Answers to Allow Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations School Year 2021-2021 – Q&As #4.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
The Washington State legislature appropriated 7.2 million in funds to support Child Nutrition Programs in WA during 2020-21. These funds continue support breakfast assistance and the elimination of reduced-price co-pays for sponsors operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Districts operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and are not receiving these funds. To support meal access and distribution, OSPI CNS will distribute funds to these districts in January and May 2021.
January's payment is based on the number of SFSP/SSO lunches reported on the October 2020 claim for reimbursement. Payments will be approximately $0.55 per lunch meal served.
Reporting Codes
- Apportionment - revenue code 4198-05
- AFRS - State Summer Match Funds
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
Monthly claims are due by the 15th of each month following the claim period. All claims entered in WINS and in OK to Pay status will process for payment at the end of the month. Here are some important reminders about claiming in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS):
General Claiming Reminders
-
FSMC & Vended Sponsors – Correct your SFSP Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Before Claiming
- Meals claimed in excess of the CAP count for a site will result in a claim error. SFSP sponsors must make Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revisions prior to submitting monthly claims. Specialists must approve revisions before claims can process for payment.
- Revised ADA's will not be approved for claims that go into error status due to meals claimed over the approved CAP.
- Compare the Average Number of Meals to the approved CAP. If the Average exceeds the CAP, increase the ADA in your site calendar and email your Program Specialist.
- Here is a quick equation to determine whether the ADA should be revised: Total Meals Served / Number of Operating Days = Average Number of Meals per day.
-
Working with a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) or Vendor? FSMCs and Vended Sponsors cannot be reimbursed for any meals above the 120% of the ADA. Update the ADA prior to submitting the claim for the excess meals to be reimbursed.
- Monthly claim data must be in "OK to Pay" status by 5:00 pm PT on the 15th.
- WINS will automatically log all users out of the system on the 15th of each month at exactly 5pm PT.
- Give yourself enough time to input all claiming data, preview errors, correct errors. Completing these steps will help you ensure the claim is in “OK to Pay” status.
- At 5 pm, the claim function is closed. This means that the system does not allow access to claims for until after the monthly reconciliation process is complete. This can take up to two business days.
- Didn't submit your claim by the 15th? That's okay! Submit your monthly claim by the 60-day deadline.
- Example: The December 60-day claim deadline is March 1, 2021.
- Claim reimbursements that are not entered into WINS or not in OK to pay status will NOT process for payment by the end of the month.
- The 20-21 Claim Processing Dates Information Sheet takes weekends and holidays into consideration for the 60-day deadlines. You may want to print or bookmark this information.
- Refer to the Claims Reference Sheet for details on what to do if you don't submit your claims by the 60-day claim deadline.
- Errors must be resolved for claims to be paid. WINS has multiple edit checks to help resolve issues before your claim is submitted.
- WINS edit checks the number of approved operating days for each site to the number of operating days entered in the site claim. If these numbers don’t match, the claim will go into error status.
- Review the Claiming Error Messages in WINS Information Sheet for more details on possible errors.
- Pro-Tip: Always select “Preview Errors” at the bottom of each site claim once information is entered.
Please review last month's claims reminder for additional claiming resources.
Have Questions? Please contact Hydie Kidd, Fiscal Supervisor, or Pam Fravel, Fiscal Analyst.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) reimbursement rates for 2021.
Rates are effective for the time period of January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. Review the rates on the CNS Claims and Fiscal webpage, under the SFSP dropdown.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
The Washington Retail Food Code has been revised and there are a few key changes to keep an eye out for in the next two years. Some of these key changes are listed below. You can visit the Department of Health website for more details on the updated requirements.
Effective January 15, 2021
- “Potentially Hazardous Foods” changed to “Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food”
Effective March 1, 2022
- Date marking for 7-day shelf life of unpackaged refrigerated soft cheeses and deli meats
- Written procedures must be documented for vomit and diarrhea clean-up
- New language expanding the allowability of share tables state-wide when approved food safety plan is in place
- Cooking temperatures for poultry and ground meat
- At least one person overseeing food service sites must receive and maintain Food Protection Manager certification and train all other persons in charge on food safety requirements
Questions? Please email Bianca Smith.
Join Us For Our New Bi-Weekly Webinar Series!
During these webinars OSPI CNS will discuss hot topics, highlight important reminders, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions.
Register Here
Dates: Every other Wednesday from 1/13 - 6/30/2021
Time: 2 - 3pm PT
Program operators offering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)/ School Breakfast Program (SBP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during the 20-21 school year are encouraged to join us for these webinars.
Reminders
- Save us on Your Calendar! When you register, there is an option to add us to your calendar at the bottom of the confirmation email.
- A reminder email with your link to log into the webinar is sent 1 hour before the session starts.
- Follow up emails with a copy of the slides are sent to everyone registered for the session, even if they did not attend.
- We do not post recordings to the CNS webpages.
- Please keep an eye out in your inbox for these emails, if you do not see them in your inbox please check your SPAM box.
Miss our last webinar? You can review the recording from our 12/16 meeting here.
|
All sponsors must complete the Verification Summary Report (VSR) regardless of whether the verification process is required.
This includes residential childcare institutions, private schools, charter schools, as well as schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 for all schools in the district. The report is abbreviated for sponsors that are not required to conduct the verification process.
Reminders
- All LEAs that collected school meal applications during SY 20-21 are required to conduct verification based on the number of approved applications as of October 1, 2020.
- Paused carryover applications are not included in this count.
- Although schools may have transitioned to SFSP/SSO operations, verification is still necessary and required.
-
Sponsors operating SFSP/SSO in SY 20-21, the VSR must be completed and submitted in WINS by February 28.
-
Sponsors operating NSLP in SY 20-21
- Completion of the VSR is tied to submission of the January claim for reimbursement filed in February.
- To access the January claim, the Verification Summary Report must be completed and submitted in WINS prior to claim submission.
Tools and Resources
The report template from past years is available on the CNS Verification webpage. We recommend completing the template, this will help you collect the required information so you can enter the information in WINS.
Review the updated Submitting the VSR in WINS info sheet located in the info tab in WINS under Documentation and Job Aides.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
OSPI CNS has two grant opportunities!
Both grants are open in the iGrants system. Program operators may apply for these grants even though they are currently operating the Summer Meal Programs.
USDA Equipment Assistance Grant- $433,416.00 Form Package 472
If you are a public school district, private school, tribal school, charter school or residential childcare institution, you are eligible to apply. You are eligible even if you are operating the SFSP in the 20-21 school year.
Focus Areas for This Grant
Replacing aging equipment or updating equipment, adopting lunchroom changes that provide more convenience and appeal to students, and making meaningful impacts on student nutrition and quality of meals.
Note: Equipment must meet USDA definition of equipment with a per unit cost of $1,000 or more.
Interested in Applying?
Complete your application in iGrants (form package 472) before 4 pm PT on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Review the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant Interest Webinar for an overview of the application, important changes from previous year's applications, tips and tricks, and grant timelines.
|
Meal for Kids Meal Access Grant - $500,000 Form Package 383
This grant is available to public school districts, tribal compact schools and charter schools.
Focus Areas for This Grant
This grant focuses on starting a new meal program, increasing participation in an existing program, improving program meal quality, and improving the equipment and facilities used in an existing program.
Interested in Applying?
Complete your application in iGrants (form package 383) before 4 pm PT on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Review the Meal Access Grant Interest Webinar for an overview of the application, important changes from previous year's applications, tips and tricks, and grant timelines.
Questions? Please email Wendy Barkley, CNS Assistant Director.
|
Washington State University and University of Washington are collecting information about food access during the pandemic.
The data has the ability to influence resource allocation, so we strongly encourage you to share this survey with the families you serve.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and will ask questions about health, food access, and economic needs.
The goal is to learn more about how individuals, families, and communities are handling economic and food disruptions due to the pandemic. Washington State residents who are 18 years or older may participate.
Families can access the survey here.
Do you train staff? If so, then this training series is for you!
Child Nutrition Services (CNS) invited the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) to conduct several trainings over the coming year. The first training series is designed for trainers. Each session is a separate training, but work well if you take both.
These trainings will be offered again later this year if you cannot attend the January training dates.
-
Foundations for Training Excellence: Basics - This training focuses on how to design and deliver effective training.
Register Here*
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021
Time: 12 - 4pm PT
-
Training Culturally Diverse Groups - This training is designed to help you develop your skills to effectively deliver trainings to culturally diverse groups.
Register Here*
Date: Friday, January 29, 2021
Time: 12 - 4pm PT
IMPORTANT: Each participant must have a separate email to register and must sign in using their personal Zoom access link.
After you register, OSPI will approve your request to join the training. Please expect a follow up email with the Zoom registration link at least 1 week before training begins.
There is a limit of 25 participants for the session. If we have reached the maximum number of participants, you will automatically be added to the waitlist.
*Note: You may have to register for an EDS account if you do not have one currently.
Have Questions? Please email Samantha Brueske, Training and Communications Specialist.
Help us determine which items to add to our Washington state product list for the 2021-22 school year!
The SY2021-22 USDA Foods Interest Survey is now open. Submit your response by 4pm PT on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
Important Details
- This survey does not include all USDA available items.
- Items with the highest interest shown will be included on the 2021-22 Pre Order Survey.
Responses received after 4:00pm PT on January 14, 2021, may not be considered.
Questions? Please email the FDP team.
|
Are you in need of additional entitlement for the remainder of the School Year? If so, now is your chance!
Complete the SY20-21 Additional Entitlement Request form starting Wednesday!
The request form closes at 4pm PT on Friday, January 15, 2021.
Important Information Regarding Additional Entitlement
- Requests are awarded on a first come, first serve basis.
- Allotted amounts could range from zero (0) to the total amount requested.
- Must be used during the February, March, & April order periods.
- May be used with DOD.
Requests received after 4:00pm on January 15, 2021, may not be considered for additional entitlement funds.
Questions? Please email the FDP Team.
|
New eAuthentication Login for FFAVORS
Please use the new login to place DoD orders and receipt deliveries.
FFAVORS Login
Questions? Please email Sarah Davis.
|
|
 |
|
