(1) The federal special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) provides supplemental foods and nutrition education to pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and young children from families with inadequate income through payment of cash grants to states that operate WIC food delivery systems. The department operates a WIC retail food delivery system in which WIC participants obtain authorized supplemental foods by submitting a food instrument to a retail business that has entered into a contract with the department to provide such service. The department's WIC operations comply with the most current version of 7 C.F.R. Sec. 246. Copies are available from the Department of Health, P.O. Box 47886, Olympia, WA 98504-7886, or by calling the WIC nutrition program at 800-841-1410.

(2) The purpose of this chapter is to establish:

(a) Requirements an applicant must meet to be certified as a WIC participant;

(b) Circumstances and process for verifying and sharing WIC applicant information;

(c) Participant violations and the sanctions that will be applied when violations occur;

(d) The circumstances in which a monetary claim will be imposed, the process for establishing a claim, and the consequences for failing to pay, or make arrangements to pay, a claim;

(e) The circumstances in which participants are disqualified; and

(f) The participant appeal process.