Welcome! This is the procedures manual for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program called "The Emergency Food Assistance Program" (TEFAP). This manual is written to assist Lead Agencies and their Sub Agencies in successfully administering TEFAP. It is written in accordance with the most recent revision of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR) - Agriculture Parts 250 and 251, regulations necessary to carry out certain provisions of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 612c note), applicable federal federal policies and instructions from USDA.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) administers Food Assistance programs pursuant to Chapter 68, Laws of 2010. The applicable Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is Title 43.23.290. If any procedure or policy is found to be in conflict with the RCW, the RCW will prevail.
WSDA Food Assistance (FA) is responsible for the distribution of USDA Foods and administrative funds for TEFAP, including TEFAP related programming such as TEFAP Commodity Credit Corporation (TEFAP CCC) and TEFAP Gap (state-funded). These procedures are specific to TEFAP and TEFAP CCC (as applicable).
Food Assistance will update information within this manual, including sections and subsections, as needed. Each section page will have a revision date and a link to a list of recent revisions, as applicable. It is the Lead Agency's responsibility to stay current on all relevant policies and procedures that apply to them and their Sub Agencies. Please take the time to thoroughly review this manual with your staff and Sub Agencies.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) administers Food Assistance programs pursuant to Chapter 68, Laws of 2010. The applicable Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is Title 43.23.290. If any procedure or policy is found to be in conflict with the RCW, the RCW will prevail.
WSDA Food Assistance (FA) is responsible for the distribution of USDA Foods and administrative funds for TEFAP, including TEFAP related programming such as TEFAP Commodity Credit Corporation (TEFAP CCC) and TEFAP Gap (state-funded). These procedures are specific to TEFAP and TEFAP CCC (as applicable).
Food Assistance will update information within this manual, including sections and subsections, as needed. Each section page will have a revision date and a link to a list of recent revisions, as applicable. It is the Lead Agency's responsibility to stay current on all relevant policies and procedures that apply to them and their Sub Agencies. Please take the time to thoroughly review this manual with your staff and Sub Agencies.
| 1.1 | About Food Assistance: Overview |
| 1.2 | Food Assistance Contact Information |
| 1.3 | Lead Agency Contact Information |
| 2.1 | Definitions |
| 2.2 | Program History |
| 2.3 | TEFAP Process and Allocations |
| 2.4 | Interested Parties |
| 3.1 | Agreement Structure |
| 4.1 | Eligibility Criteria for Lead Agencies |
| 4.2 | Lead Agency Program Responsibilities |
| 4.3 | Eligibility Criteria for Sub Agencies |
| 4.4 | Sub Agency Responsibilities |
| 5.1 | Written Client Privacy Standards Requirements |
| 5.2 | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nondiscrimination Statement |
| 5.3 | Written Beneficiary Notice and Referral Requirements for Participating Agencies |
| 5.4 | Civil Rights Policy |
| 5.5 | Civil Rights Training |
| 5.6 | Civil Rights Complaint Process |
| 5.7 | Client Eligibility and Data Collection |
| 5.8 | Unallowable Activities |
| 6.1 | Allowable Activities and Expenses |
| 6.2 | Allowable Capital Asset Purchases and Repairs |
| 6.3 | Required Expenditure Reports |
| 7.1 | Procurement Requirements |
| 7.2 | Property Management and Inventory |
| 8.1 | Food Acquisition Process |
| 8.2 | Redistribution Centers |
| 8.3 | Shipping and Receiving of TEFAP USDA Foods |
| 8.4 | Inventory Control System |
| 8.5 | Inventory Report |
| 8.6 | USDA Foods Loss/Adjustment Procedures |
| 8.7 | Holds and Recalls |
| 8.8 | USDA Foods Complaint Process |
| 8.9 | Storage Requirements |
| 8.10 | Food Safety and Sanitation Requirements |
| 8.11 | Additional Guidelines and Practices |
| 9.1 | Administrative Due Dates |
| 9.2 | TEFAP Compliance Reviews |
| 9.3 | Compliance Management |
| 9.4 | Dispute Policy |