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Remember to Select Correct WIC Category when Completing Initial Contact for Women
Please remember to select the appropriate WIC Category when creating a new Initial Contact record. Otherwise, the Processing Standards cannot be adequately assessed.
While researching some records in the Initial Contact table, we identified a number of initial contact records for women that were linked to a certification with a different WIC Category. The WIC Category in the initial contact record should always match the WIC Category in the certification record it is linked to.
The Initial Contact record is how we ascertain whether the Processing Standards are being met and the standards are based on the category the participant will be once certified. For instance, a woman being certified as pregnant has different standards that need to be met than a postpartum woman.
When a new Initial Contact record is created (outside of Prescreen), the WIC Category in the drop-down automatically defaults to the participant’s current category (the category that displays in their Demographics tab). For women, this may not accurately reflect her WIC Category once she has been certified.
Please note that not selecting the correct WIC Category for women being certified as pregnant will affect the output in Tab 1 – Pregnant – No Initial Contact in the INITIAL CONTACTS REQUIREMENTS NOT MET (found in the INFOVIEW TEMPLATES >> Initial Contact folder) report since there won’t be an Initial Contact record with the WIC Category = "P" necessary to meet the requirements.
May 2020 HuBERT Hints #1
Initial Contact Records Created AFTER a Cert is Completed Cannot Be Linked to the Cert
Once the Certification Guided Script (CGS) has been completed it is too late to create an Initial Contact if one is required.
At the end of the CGS the system generates a unique ID, the Certification ID, which is used to link the certification to the information collected during the cert. This Cert ID is immediately inserted into the most recent existing Initial Contact record when the CGS is completed, linking the Initial Contact record to the certification record.
If you create an Initial Contact record after the CGS has been completed, the system cannot link it to the correct certification because the process of inserting the Cert ID only occurs at the end of the CGS.
Participants who require an Initial Contact, whose Initial Contact was created after the CGS was completed, will still display on the INITIAL CONTACT REQUIREMENTS NOT MET report since an Initial Contact record was not created prior to completion of the CGS and there isn’t a current Initial Contact record associated with the just completed certification.
August 2017 HuBERT Hints #2
First Appointment Offered Date (Initial Contact)
The First Appointment Offered Date is NOT required and may or may not be the same as a participant's initial contact date and/or certification date. This is the earliest date offered, which may not have been accepted by the participant due to scheduling conflicts.
Once an initial contact record has been created and saved, the previously selected Date, Type and First Appointment Offered Date will default. Each of these fields can only be modified on the date the Initial Contact was originally saved and will be disabled after that date.
The Date and Type are required to save an Initial Contact; the First Appointment Offered Date is not required by the system to save the Initial Contact. However, the First Appointment Offered Date is essential to be able to assess whether the Processing Standards have been met. Although it does not have to be saved at the same time the Initial Contact is created/saved it must be entered and saved that same day. This field was designed with this flexibility in order to allow the user to complete the Applicant Prescreen or VOC Certification without having to know off-hand when the earliest appointment is available.
From the 2.17.07 Release Document
Initial Contact and Pregnant Women on WIC Before
An Initial Contact record is required for all pregnant women. If a women has been on WIC before, the Initial Contact button is available in the Demographics screen of the Participant Folder or Certification Guided Script.
When you click the button, the screen displays the initial contact information associated with the participant’s previous certification and the fields are disabled. However, the New Contact button is enabled.
When you click the New Contact button, the Date will default to the current date and the fields will be enabled so that you can complete the new initial contact record. 
November 2015 HuBERT Hints #1
Reminder about Requirements for Initial Contact Dialog
The Initial Contact dialog is required to complete Prescreen. However, you only have to open it and click the OK button so that the system saves the date that defaults into the Date field and the Type, which defaults to Phone. The system never requires you to complete the First Appointment Offered Date.
However, this field must be completed in order to assess whether the processing standards are being met and once the Initial Contact record has been saved, the First Appointment Offered date must be completed on that same date.
In order to make it easy for you to complete this information, the Initial Contact dialog was added to multiple screens (Prescreen; VOC; Participant Search/List; Demographics – Participant Folder and Cert Guided Script; and Scheduled Appointment for Household).
February 2013 HuBERT Hints #3
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Of the Following Scenarios, Which Ones Requires the Use of the Initial Contact Screen?
- Brand new applicant - YES
- A former WIC participant whose certification has lapsed – YES, if the date you are scheduling the participant's appointment is after the Cert End Date.
- Pregnant woman, currently on WIC, who delivers and requests certification for herself (postpartum) and her new baby – YES for the baby, NO for the woman
- Postpartum woman, currently certified for WIC, who now applies as a pregnant woman – YES
- Postpartum woman, not certified for WIC during her pregnancy, who applies for WIC for herself and her new baby – YES for both applicants
- Current participant, whose certification is ending, and who needs to be scheduled for a recertification – NO, as long as the date you are scheduling the appointment is before the Cert End Date.
- Participant in a current certification period who transfers to Minnesota from out-of-state – NO, but schedule the transfer as soon as possible
- Participant who misses a scheduled appointment and contacts the WIC office to reschedule – YES, if the date you are scheduling the appointment is after the participant's Cert End Date.
Updated 3/19/17
Our agency uses Same Day/Next Day scheduling. If an applicant calls today, but all the appointments for today are full, the applicant is told to call tomorrow. How should this be documented?
The date of application is the date the applicant first calls. Leave the First Appointment Offered Date blank; write a comment documenting the information given to the applicant, such as "Today appts are full; call tomorrow" or "Schedule is full; call tomorrow". When the participant calls back, enter the First Appt Offered Date into the Comments field (the First Appointment Offered Date will be disabled).
Updated 3/19/17
Best Practice for Scheduling Appointments
Best practice for scheduling appointments is to see high risk applicants within 10 calendar days of their date of application and all others within 20 calendar days of date of application. We realize there are special circumstances (e.g., small WIC agencies that have limited number of WIC clinic days per month). In situations where your agency is routinely unable to meet the Processing Standards, we recommend consulting with your state WIC Regional Consultant to determine the best options for WIC applicants.
2/20/2013 Memo - Processing Standards: Guidance for HuBERT Release 2.17.07