MIS & Data Unit Communications

2/20/25 - Windows 11

The state is currently planning the transition of state-owned computers to Windows 11 since Windows 10 will be unsupported beginning October 2025.

All agencies should plan to implement Windows 11 prior to October to avoid the security risks associated with continuing to use Windows 10 once no longer supported.

Complete Your Hardware Inventory
The first step in transitioning to Windows 11 is to complete your hardware inventory by February 28. This needs to be completed by all agencies, even those who have only locally owned machines, since it inventories all hardware (signature pads, scanners, etc.).

State and Locally Owned Computers
If your agency is still using both state and locally owned computers, you should return all state-owned computers at this time. Agencies should only be using locally owned computers in this instance, not a mix of state and local owned. Contact the Help Desk (1-800-488-8799, press 2, 2 or mnhelpdesk@gainwelltechnologies.com) to request return labels for all state-owned machines.

Locally Owned Computers
If your agency uses locally owned computers, you can transition to Windows 11 at any time. Contact your local IT to assist with your transition to Windows 11.

State Owned Computers
If your agency uses state owned computers, we will provide more information and instructions for installation of Windows 11 once we’ve confirmed our Windows 11 transition plan.

If you are planning to start using locally owned computers, the technical specifications and requirements for WINNIE can be found in the Using Locally Owned Computers for WIC (PDF) document found on the WIC Hardware page of the MDH WIC website.

2/20/25 - Minnesota WIC App Reminders

As of Tuesday, February 25, the My MN WIC App will no longer work, and all app users will need to update to the new Minnesota WIC App.

Beginning Tuesday, if app users open the old version, “The App must be updated before further use” message will no longer display since the old version will no longer connect to the WIC database. They’ll be able to open the app but will not be able to use any of its functions.

A couple of reminders:

• Users should delete the previous version before installing the new version. The icon for the new version is the same.
• Users will need to re-register for the new version of the app.
• Older phones that aren't able to update to iOS version 16.0 will not be able to use the new Minnesota WIC App.

More information is available on the MDH WIC website on the Minnesota WIC App page.

2/7/25 - IMPORTANT! An Error Received during Change Household ID Allows for an Over-Issuance of Benefits

If you receive the following ERROR Message during a Change Household ID:

Do not close the error message to reattempt the Change Household ID process. Call the MN Help Desk immediately (1-800-488-8799 - press 2, 1) for assistance.

When the above error is received, each attempt to finish the Change Household ID will result in an over-issuance of benefits.

Updated Information: This error is due to recovering benefits in Adjust Benefits prior to starting Change Household ID mode. All recovery or voiding of benefits should be completed in Step 4: Adjust Benefits while in Change Household ID mode and not prior to starting the household ID change. This issue has been added to the Transition Guide (PDF).

1/27/25 - WIC Local Agency Portal

Overview

The WIC Local Agency Portal (LAP) is a SharePoint site that will provide access to certain forms specific to Local Agency staff that are currently on the MDH WIC (public) website, as well as reports that include small numbers and private data. Many of the LAP data reports are similar to those currently found on the public website but include small numbers and identifiable data.

The LAP reports will provide data for smaller agencies that is suppressed on the public pages, while larger agencies will benefit from the ability to look at data monthly as well as yearly. In addition to reporting by county of CHB, like the public versions, many of the LAP reports can also report by agency or grantee.

Accessing the Local Agency Portal

The LAP will soon be available to agency coordinators and breastfeeding coordinators. You will be required to use your own individual login to access the LAP and you will receive an email with your access information within the next couple week if you haven’t already.

We will inform you once you can request additional users for the LAP. Please watch the Thursday emails from the MIS & Data Unit for more information.

Accessing Some Interactive Dashboards

In the Reports and Data library of the Local Agency Portal, some of the interactive data has an additional layer of security and will require you to sign in to the MDH Tableau server. Once signed in, all interactive content is available for the rest of the browser session.

Your Tableau User ID has already been created for you and is the same email address you used to access the LAP.

Logging into the Tableau Server for the First Time

When you see the Tableau login message, click the “Sign in to Tableau Server” button.

The first time you log into Tableau Server, enter your email address, and click the “Forgot your password?” link.

Type your email address into the Username field and click the “Send Password Reset Email” button.

You will receive an email within a minute or two with a link to change your password. Click the link in the email.

A new browser window will open. Enter your new password, enter the same password into the Confirm password field, and click the Reset Password link.

A Tableau Server browser window will open. Close it and return to the LAP browser window.

Log into the Tableau Server using your email address and your new password.

Once you’ve logged in for one dashboard, all the dashboards should display for the rest of your browser session.

1/23/25 - Important! New Release Date for Mobile App

While we initially announced a release date of February 1, the app will now be available starting February 8. This delay is to ensure that last minute fixes are available in the new version.

Due to this delay, all WINNIE environments (Production, Training and Infoview) will be unavailable Friday, January 31, beginning at 8 pm until Monday, February 3, at 7 am instead of January 24-27.

Please review the Important! New Release Date for Mobile App (PDF) document for key dates in the transition to the modernized Minnesota WIC App, as well as information about the communication plan and a link to the video with an overview of the modernized Minnesota WIC App.

1/16/25 - Revised Infoview Reports

We continue to learn of more changes to the WINNIE database, and some issues with those changes, as we revise Infoview reports. Revising for changes and correcting for issues adds more complexity to these reports. For most reports, we can create a version that can be used regardless of whether the contact was completed in HuBERT or WINNIE.

However, for a few already complex reports, or reports that provide only current/recent information, we will create a WINNIE-only version. If a HuBERT version is still required, as is the case with the complex CERTIFICATIONS COMPLETED BY ONE STAFF PERSON (SOD) report, we will also create a HuBERT version.

We will add “- WINNIE Only” or “- HuBERT Only” to the title of the report if it can only be run for contacts completed while in WINNIE or HuBERT.

Please refer to the Infoview Reports Revisions and Corrections page for up-to-date information about revised Infoview reports. (NOTE: Previously corrected reports that need further revision have been removed from this page.)

In Infoview, before running a report, remember to compare the date of the report template found in the INFOVIEW TEMPLATES topic folder to the version you have saved in your MY FAVORITES. If the report template has a more recent date than your version, please re-save or re-copy/re-paste the newer version to your MY FAVORITES before using.

The following reports have been revised:

• CERTIFICATIONS COMPLETED BY ONE STAFF PERSON (SOD) – HuBERT Only (1/7/2025)
• CERTIFICATIONS COMPLETED BY ONE STAFF PERSON (SOD) – WINNIE Only (1/13/2025)
• CERTS & MCAs COMPLETED BY THE SPECIFIED STAFF PERSON (1/6/25)
• CHILD RECERTIFICATIONS BY AGE & SPECIFIC REFERRAL PROVIDED AT LEAST ONCE – WINNIE Only (1/15/25)
• CULTURAL IDENTITY – NEW PARTICIPANTS (1/15/2025)
• HIGH RISK PARTICIPANTS DUE FOR ADDITIONAL EDUCATION CONTACT (12/18/2024)
• KEPT APPOINTMENT LIST (12/18/2024)

We apologize for having to revise some of these reports multiple times and appreciate your patience as we continue to correct numerous unexpected Infoview report changes and issues.

If you have a new report request, please submit the Local Agency Reports & Data Request.

If you have any questions about a report request you already submitted or need a report you already submitted to be completed as a priority, please contact Sarah Mallberg at sarah.mallberg@state.mn.us.

1/9/25 - Important Dates

• February 17, 2026 – Presidents’ Day – MN Help Desk AVAILABLE; State Office CLOSED.

1/9/25 - WIC App Updates

The Minnesota Department of Health WIC Program is modernizing the My MN WIC App to enhance functionality and user experience. The new “Minnesota WIC App” will introduce various features, including:

• An updated interface.
• The ability to switch between English and Spanish.
• Improved tools for participants to locate WIC-approved vendors by sorting through stores and pharmacies.
• A feature to view participant certifications.

The app will be available to Android and iOS users on February 1, 2025.

Important to Note: Users will need to delete the old app and download the new Minnesota WIC App from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS), as it will not update automatically. All users will also have to re-register.

A demonstration video walking through the new app, along with other training materials (brochure, sticky note, and QR codes), will be provided to local agencies and made available on the MDH WIC website ahead of the release. If you have any questions, please reach out to tobi.afolabi@state.mn.us.

12/12/24 - Infoview Report Requests

We continue to receive a large number of Infoview report requests for both Staff ID revisions and corrections to reports that use Local Use and State Use Questions. A few bugs have been identified that impact how WINNIE saves data, and some changes have been made in how this data is saved.

We continue to research options on how to accurately pull this information. More Infoview reports are impacted than was expected and as we work to make the corrections, we will provide information about our progress in the Weekly Update. However, due to the number of affected reports, it will not be within the timeframe specified if you’ve submitted a report request. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve all these report issues.

12/12/24 - WINNIE Training Refresh and Accounts

We will refresh the WINNIE Training environment quarterly to ensure the database has participants that can be used for training. When refreshed, all existing training accounts will be deleted as part of the refresh process. Any agencies wanting to use WINNIE Training after a scheduled Training refresh, will need to contact the MN Help Desk (1-800-488-8799, press 2, 2 or mnhelpdesk@gainwelltechnologies.com) to have their agency’s training account re-created.

11/21/24 - WINNIE Environments

No Reports Environment in WINNIE

WINNIE does not have a Reports Environment that can be accessed by users, but there is still a reports database that is used by Infoview. Local Agency reporting needs were assessed prior to WINNIE roll-out and all HuBERT reports agencies indicated they were using were recreated in Infoview.

Year-to-Date Participation
Agencies can use the Year-to-Date Participation report found in INFOVIEW TEMPLATES >> Counts >> Monthly Participation folder for an up-to-date count by grantee, agency, and clinic (reference: Year-to-Date Participation – Infoview Guidance Document (PDF)). Reminder: until End-of-Month is run, participants not issued benefits (fully breastfed infants < 6 months old and some-breastfeeding women > 6 months postpartum) will not be included in the count.

Closed-out participation counts are also available on the Monthly Participation page of the MDH WIC website, including the FFY Cumulative Monthly Summary by Grantee and the interactive Monthly Participation for FFY 2024.

Year-to-Date Outlays
An Outlays reports has been developed using Data Direct. For now, if you require this information, please submit a Local Agency Reports & Data Request.

WINNIE Training Environment

We will be turning on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) in the WINNIE Training environment on Friday, November 22. Agencies that have a general shared email account associated with the online application will be setup so that the MFA code is sent to that account. If your agency has a specific staff member receiving the online application emails, please provide a general county email account to Nicole Danberry (nicole.danberry@state.mn.us).

WINNIE Office Environment

In preparation for WINNIE, we asked Local Agency Coordinators to indicate who they thought would need access to the WINNIE Office environment. However, after assessing the need for this environment we have determined access to the State Office environment is not necessary since the older information is rarely needed.

The WINNIE Office environment is similar to the now retired Reports environment in that it shares the same database and includes all data that the Minnesota WIC program maintains.

The WINNIE Production environment has this same data with a few exceptions.

Only 3 years of the following information is available in the WINNIE Production environment:

• Scanned Documents
• Participant Signatures
• CPA Signatures
• Benefit History Details

Accessing Data Not Found in Production
If an instance arises where your agency requires information that is not found in the Production Environment, please contact the MN Help Desk for assistance (1-800-488-8799, press 2, 2 or mnhelpdesk@gainwelltechnologies.com).