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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.
WINS will be available to input claims until 5:00 pm PT, Saturday, April 15. At 5 pm, WINS will log sponsors out of the system in order to run the monthly payment process and will not be available until after noon on April 17.
Best Practice for Submitting Claims
- Submit claims early, by the 10th of the month in case an error comes up and you need assistance. This will ensure your claim is in "OK to Pay" status prior to 5:00 pm PT on the 15th.
- Always select "Preview Errors" at the bottom of each site claim once information is entered.
- When revising claim errors, use the Recalculate all Claims feature after claim revisions have been submitted. If errors persist, use the Preview Errors feature.
- When you are experiencing issues with submitting your claim or when your claim is in error status, please contact your CACFP Specialist to assist you. Your Specialist will help to troubleshoot what the issue(s) may be. Do not reach out to CNS's Fiscal Department or the WINS team directly.
General Claim Reminders
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Monthly Food Operating Costs must be entered in WINS first to avoid WINS errors.
- If "Yes" has been selected in your Budget to use CACFP reimbursement for Administrative Expenses, you must enter CACFP Administrative Costs with monthly claims.
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Errors must be resolved for claims to be paid. WINS has multiple edit checks to help resolve issues before your claim is submitted.
Common Errors
- Total Attendance is entered with the claim and is the sum of children in attendance each day during the month. Meals claimed in excess of Total Attendance will result in a claim error.
- 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.
- Pro-Tip: Always select “Preview Errors” at the bottom of each site claim once information is entered.
- 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.
- Once WINS closes down the claiming option users are not allowed to input claim data until after the monthly claim 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 February 60-day claim deadline is May 1, 2023.
- 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 22–23 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.
Claiming Resources
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS CACFP Specialist.
USDA requires State Agencies to monitor program performance of CACFP Operators and Sponsoring Organizations. [7 CFR 226.6 (a)] One of the ways that OSPI meets this requirement is with unannounced and announced Administrative Reviews (AR). The AR includes both programmatic and administrative/financial components. Institutions and Sponsoring Organizations should implement systems to support effective and compliant CACFP operations ensuring review readiness at all times.
I just received my notice of administrative review, now what?
- Schedule time to carefully review the notification and list of requested records. Verify that all records requested are available. CACFP Record-keeping Requirements
- Determine who will support the AR and who within your organization should be informed that a review is taking place. This may include work units that may not work with CACFP on a daily basis or individuals who are ultimately responsible for the performance of the Program (ex. fiscal team, CEO, responsible principal).
- Review your management plan and collect written procedures. You will be asked to provide your organizations policies and procedures during your review.
- To expedite the review process, schedule time for you and your staff to be available to answer questions your specialist may have.
- If the proposed date for review does not work, contact your specialist immediately to reschedule.
Reminder: OSPI may conduct unannounced monitoring visits prior to receiving notice of your administrative review. State and Federal officials may make announced or unannounced visits during the center's normal hours of operation 7 CFR 226.16(d)(4)(vi).
Steps to stay ready on an annual basis:
- Document and review your written CACFP policies and procedures. Verify that updates/changes are shared with all applicable staff.
- Document required training for all employees with CACFP work duties. Requirements for Training Your Staff
- Organize your CACFP Records each month, by month. Organizing CACFP Records
- Conduct periodic self assessments:
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Sponsors with one site can periodically conduct a self-assessment CACFP operations including meal observations.
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Sponsors of multiple sites are required to monitor each site 3 times per year. Completed monitoring reports must be reviewed to understand common findings and review corrective action to ensure that changes are implemented. Site Monitoring
- Review OSPI Child Nutrition Services Updates for important reminders and tips.
- Review financial management records (budget use, expenses, and revenue) to understand and address any trends as applicable. Compare current spending with your WINS approved budget to determine if adjustments should be made. Operating Expense Tracking Worksheet | Administrative Expense Tracking Worksheet
Contact your Program Specialist if any questions arise or if clarification of documentation requested is needed. Specialists are happy to answer questions and provide technical assistance during your review to ensure Program compliance and set your organization up for success.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is conducting a congressionally mandated study called the Erroneous Payments in Child Care Centers Study (EPICCS). The goal of the study is to estimate erroneous payments in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which will help maximize the efficiency of meal tracking and reporting.
Your center (or one or more of your sponsored centers) may be contacted in the next few months to be part of the 450 CACFP centers across the country randomly selected for participation in this study. Study data will be collected on behalf of the USDA by a research organization named Westat. This information is necessary to produce accurate estimates of erroneous payments.
Organizations may be asked to provide information about the methods used for calculating reimbursements, such as meals claimed on a per-child basis or using a percentage.
If selected, this survey takes less than 20 minutes and can be accessed using a unique link provided to you in the survey notification letter and email.
Your voluntary participation is important for USDA to ensure accurate results in EPICCS and comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Results from this study will help inform future legislation and regulations for the child care center component of the CACFP.
If selected, all your information will be used for research purposes only and kept confidential to the full extent of the law. Your participation will not affect meal reimbursements or meal program benefits for Washington Department of Education, your organization and child care centers, or any households participating at your centers.
If you have any questions, please contact KaTysha Sirleaf at 1-855-391-3379 or EPICCS@westat.com. You may also refer to this website for more information: www.epiccs.org
Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.
Team Nutrition released the RFA for the FY2023 Team Nutrition Grant. The goal of the FY 2023 Team Nutrition Grant is to facilitate the adoption of healthy eating patterns by school-aged children (grades Pre-K through 12) and their families through the coordination and implementation of MyPlate nutrition education connected to the nutritious meals and snacks offered through USDA Child Nutrition Programs.
School Food Authorities (SFA) are eligible to apply for up to $1 million each in grant funds. Applications are due on Monday, May 22, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET. SFAs can view the RFA and apply online at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=347044. FNS expects to announce the grant awards in August 2023.
An informational webinar on this RFA was held on Wednesday, April 5. This webinar was recorded and will be posted on Team Nutrition’s website.
The FY 2023 Team Nutrition Grant funds will support grant activities that focus on four objectives:
- Increasing the consumption of nutritious foods and beverages offered through the NSLP and CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals and OSHCC via high-quality MyPlate nutrition education.
- Increasing awareness of the MyPlate symbol and accompanying MyPlate nutrition education tools, resources, and messages. Increase awareness of the nutritional contributions of meals and snacks offered to students from parents/caregivers, school coaches and athletic trainers, school nurses, afterschool program operators, and Pre-K through12 teachers.
- Improving equity by increasing the number of students from historically underserved and marginalized populations who are reached by nutrition education resources, including resources and recipes that are culturally appropriate and/or in the preferred language of the students and their families.
- Increasing school community engagement in the development, implementation, and assessment of Local School Wellness Policies.
Additional information about the Team Nutrition Training Grant Program is available on the Team Nutrition Training Grants webpage.
SFAs that have specific questions about the RFA should contact the Grant Officer, Anna Arrowsmith, at Anna.Arrowsmith@usda.gov.
Based on the latest nutrition science and feedback from Child Nutrition Stakeholders across the nation, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is proposing updates to the child nutrition standards. The proposed updates reflect the goals of the most recent Dietary Guidelines, as required by law, and build in time for planning and implementation to ensure Sponsors and the children they serve are set up for success.
USDA Wants Your Feedback
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has extended the deadline to submit comments on the “Child Nutrition Programs: Revision to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guideline for Americans” proposed rule to May 10, 2023. Comments on the Proposed Rule can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal . Section 16 of the proposed rule provides a summary of the rule and a list of specific questions for which USDA is seeking public comments. For more information on submitting comments, please see Tips for Submitting Effective Comments.
Want to learn more?
Federal Register
View the Proposed Rule Child Nutrition Programs: Revision to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the Federal Register.
Available Webinars
Proposed CACFP/SFSP Meal Pattern Revisions Webinar
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) presented a webinar on March 1st tailored specifically for CACFP and SFSP sponsors. You can access the Child Nutrition Programs Proposed Rule: Revisions to the CACFP & SFSP Meal Patterns presentation by registering for the on-demand recording.
Proposed Child Nutrition Program Meal Pattern Revisions Webinar
If you would like to know about proposed revisions across all Child Nutrition Programs, you can access the recorded webinar, Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Proposed Rule on FNS’s Website.
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health was a great success due to valuable input provided by conference participants across the country. For more information about the conference, action steps and goals moving forward, please review the following:
Post-Conference Updates
To keep momentum of the Conference, please join the Biden-Harris administration for their first post-Conference monthly update.
Register for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Monthly Update session Date: Wednesday, April 26 Time: 12:30 - 1:00 pm PT
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Each month your regional staff will be holding office hours. Specialists will start office hours by providing important CACFP updates and reminders. During the remainder of the session, specialists will provide technical assistance and training around specific CACFP topics. If a specialist outside of your region is hosting office hours with a topic of interest to you, please feel free to join! |
Office Hours Schedule
Specialist: Tina Bischoff, Region 8
Topic: Recordkeeping
Date: 4/10/2023 Time: 11:00 AM Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Arianne McConchie, Region 5 & 9
Topic: USDA Proposed Rule - Meal Pattern Revisions
Date: 4/13/2023 Time:10:00 AM Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Teresa Diaz, Region 1
Topic: Recordkeeping
Date: 4/17/2023 Time: 2:00 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Samantha Evans, Region 2
Topic: Menu
Date: 4/21/2023 Time: 9:00 AM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Eddie Griffin, Region 7
Topic: Recipes & Menus
Date: 4/24/2023 Time: 11:00 AM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Andy Weaver, Region 6
Topic: Menu Documentation
Date: 4/24/2023 Time: 1:00 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Molly Gleason, Region 4
Topic: USDA Crediting Handbook
Date: 4/24/2023 Time: 4:00 PM Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Jeannette Green, Region3
Topic: CACFP Resources
Date: 4/28/2023 Time: 12:30 PM Click here to join the meeting
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Do you believe in the power of good nutrition? Are you interested in assisting school districts and other institutions in providing children with healthy and nutritious meals? CNS is seeking skilled candidates for several positions. Does this sound like you? Apply to join the CNS team today!
Current Recruitment
Administrative Program Specialist (In Training) Candidate Pool- Recruitment is ongoing. Looking to fill a position in Eastern Washington.
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Operation of the Child and Adult Care Program (CACFP) is not transferable between businesses when ownership changes occur. Reimbursement to the previous owner will not be granted after the date of the ownership change.
The new owners must start the CACFP application process to become a CACFP Sponsor with the new:
- Business name
- Tax ID number
- Statewide Payee Number
The application process may take up to three months and in some cases longer. During this time claims may not be submitted for reimbursement by the new or previous program sponsor. New CACFP sponsors may begin claiming meals for reimbursement once the Child Nutrition Programs Unified Permanent Agreement has been signed by both OSPI and the CACFP Sponsor.
Funds Must be Returned to OSPI CNS if:
- Claims are submitted for reimbursement by the previous owner after an ownership transition occurs
- Emergency Operating Cost (EOC) funds were granted but not spent prior to the business transfer must be returned.
If your business is anticipating an ownership change please notify your specialist as soon as possible. Your CACFP specialist will assist you and the new business owner through this transition.
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April 15
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March Claims Due in WINS
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