Certification & Validation Reviews School Year 2012 2013
Acknowledgement Statement You understand and acknowledge that the training you are about to receive does not cover the entire scope of the program; and that you are responsible for knowing and understanding all handbooks, manuals, alerts, notices and guidance, as well as, any other forms of communication that provide further guidance, clarification or instruction on operating the program.
Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 What it entailed: ed: New Meal Patterns for both Lunch (2012) & Breakfast (2013) Required districts to submit 1 week of menus for each of their age grade groups to obtain certification, THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL Schools that do not submit this year will automatically ti be reviewed next school year as an Administrative Review(AR) replacing the Coordinated Review Effort (CRE)
Certification of Menus 31 districts have obtained certification status $.06 per lunch have been approved and turned on as of 10 1 20121 11 other districts have submitted Some are working to fix menu worksheets Others are still awaiting a response No Submission Deadline for Certification AUTOMATIC Administrative Review SY 12 13
Let s look at the MONEY!!! District Lunches / day: 12,000 12,000 lunches x 20 Operating Days = 240,000 240,000 lunches x $.06 = $14,400.00 / month $14,400.00 x ~9 claims = $129,600 / year Financial impact is significant!!! (handout)
After Certification is Validation Once cea district dst ctobtains Certification a district dst has a 1 in 4 chance of being selected for Validation All 40,000+ enrollment districts must be validated Brownsville & United ISD have been validated Validation districts will receive a phone call the week (usually Friday) before TDA will arrive Minimal notice is required and districts will not be told which campuses until the day they are on site Any campus may beselected
Certification vs Validation Certification Validation Menus submitted on TX UNPS for each age grade Check week of review menu for all age grade grade groups & group Certified week submitted No supporting documents Ensure reimbursable meals reviewed served, counted & claimed Approved & Certified correctly $.06turned on Check food production records for both Cert & Week of Review TDA may turn off $06if $.06 non compliant
Purpose of Validation Reviews(VR) To affirm that a certified CE has been and continues to meet the updated meal patterns Process that determines if the CE is meeting requirements from beginning i of certification i and ensures that meal service during VR is consistent with ihthe submitted certification i menu worksheets
State Agency Requirements Must conduct onsite validation reviews of 25% certified CE (Contracting Entity) Validation reviews will not go beyond SY 2012 2013 The new 3 year administrative cycle will begin July 1, 2013
State Agency Requirements During a validation review: Must observe a meal service for each type of certified menu, that t will include breakfast, counting and claiming process to ensure reimbursable meals are being claimed correctly Review food production records for observed meals Review documentation submitted for certification * SA (state agency) is not required to conduct a nutrient analysis
Validation Breakfast SA must observe a meal service for each breakfast menu submitted BIC counting and claiming, TPSNP violations SA must review food production records for the observed meals Accurately filled out all required 21 points SA will review documentation ti submitted dfor certification Food Based Menu, USDA Worksheet, Nutrient Assessment Nutrient Standard Menu and Nutrient Analysis
FINDINGS During Validation of Breakfast SA must observe a meal service for each breakfast menu submitted BIC counting and claiming No POS for counting and claiming Incomplete breakfasts being served & counted Counting AFTER meal service TPSNP violations (possible with sharing of outside food) Remember w/ BIC this extends the dinning room.
Validation Lunch SA must observe a meal service for each lunch menu submitted Counting and claiming, TPSNP violations SA must review food production records for the observed meals Accurately filled out all required 21 points SA will review documentation ti submitted dfor certification Food Based Menu, USDA Worksheet, Nutrient Assessment Nutrient Standard Menu and Nutrient Analysis
FINDINGS During Validation of Lunch SA must observe a meal service for each lunch menu submitted Counting and claiming No fruit or vegetable on the tray Sending students back for morecomponents when not necessary Incomplete trays due to Offer vs Serve Meal Pattern poster showing what is allowed on tray TPSNP violations Sharing of outside food, Hot Cheetos or students selling
What Happens if SA is unable to Validate? ld TheSA will need to determine thefollowing: Whether a corrective action can occur immediately Longevity and severity of the problems If corrective action occurs immediately, CE can continue to earn 6 cents However, the SA may recover any improperly However, the SA may recover any improperly paid 6 cent funds
What Happens if SA is unable to Validate? ld Problem is determined to be systemic, 6 cents can be turned off as a result of the observations made during a validation review CE must re apply for certification i and if the CE is not re certified, CE will be subject to AR in SY 2013 20142014 review cycle
What Happens if SA identifies a TPSNP during a VR? TDA has identified TPSNP violations during VR TDA can and has disallowed meals found to be non compliant with TPSNP The amount of time of fiscal penalty depends if violation i is determined dto be systemic (4 weeks) TPSNP violations may hinder the VR process and may result in increased length of VR visit
When will SA conduct Validation At the SA discretion Review? SA strongly encouraged to conduct validation i prior to CE first claim for reimbursement including the 6 cents Can conduct validation prior to notifying the SFA of certification
Certification Requests in April or May 2013 Validations reviews are a one year requirement Must be completed by June 30, 2013 Validation review must occur while school is in session If CE does not submit the request for certification with enough time for potential validation, the CE will be included on the AR schedule for SY 2013 2014
How many CEs will be Validated? Random selection of 25% of all certified CE in SY 2012 2013 All large CE must be included in the random sample CE that receives an AR is not subject to a validation review and will not be included in the sample
What is considered a large CE? A large CE is defined as: All CE with 40,000000 or more children If there are less than two CEs with 40,000 or more children, the two largest CE with at least 2,000 children
Validation Review Periods Certification is a rolling process which makes validation a rolling process to be conducted throughout the year Validation i Periods Include: October December January March April June
Validation Review Periods Be aware that a CE not selected for validation review during one period is automatically in the pool for possible selection during the next time period
How many schools will be visited during a VR? One school representing each type of certified menu submitted (for each meal i.e., breakfast & lunch) will be randomly selected for a validation review Example: If a CE submitted three lunch menus, one for each age/grade group and one breakfast menu, the SA will randomly select four schools to visit meal service
How many schools will be visited during a VR? (Cont d) The SA may show up to a breakfast without having an entrance conference with the CE They may stop at the closest campus in route to the CNP department They will observe breakfast prep and service and stay to observe some lunch preparation if it has already begun PRIOR to entrance conference with the CE
Will VR be announced? SA is not required to announce when they plan to conduct validation reviews A courtesy phone call is being conducted just to ensure district i is working Benchmarking or alternate bell schedule is not a reason to request alternate date
How long will the SA be onsite during VR? There is no requirement for how long the SA must stay at a school for a VR Must observe a meal service for each menu type and there is no requirement for the SA to be onsite from the beginning until the end of all meal periods
Validation Review Checklists There are prototype checklists for validation review Breakfast Checklist http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/policy Memos/2012/SP40 2012aB.pdf2012aB Lunch Checklist http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/policy / / / Memos/2012/SP40 2012aA.pdf
Preparing for Validation Reviews 1) Maintain documentation in a folder, binder, or another record tracking method 2) Update records as menus change and substitutions are made For example, organize the documentation by menu, day, menu item, or component
Validation Review Documents Menu plan Production records (including portion sizes) Standardized recipes Whole grain statements/labels* *As applicable USDA Foods Fact Sheets* Nutrition Facts labels and ingredients* Child Nutrition labels* Product Analysis sheet/manufacturer s s statements*
Acknowledgement Statement You understand and acknowledge that the training you are about to receive does not cover the entire scope of the program; and that you are responsible for knowing and understanding all handbooks, manuals, alerts, notices and guidance, as well as, any other forms of communication that provide further guidance, clarification or instruction on operating the program.
Kimberly L. Keller, MS, RD, LD 956 984 6121 klkeller@esc1.net Laura Zelda S. Villarreal, MBA, RD, LD, SNS 956 984 6124 lvillarreal@esc1.net QUESTIONS?
Questions This service (or product) is provided d through h the Texas Department of Agriculture's school nutrition education, and outreach program funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity yprovider and employer (USDA, 2011).