National School Lunch Program Compliance

Programs > National School Lunch Program > National School Lunch Program Compliance

Boost Meal Appeal Home Chefs in Texas Schools Evaluate Food Preparation Marketing & Promotion Meal Presentation Menu Planning Staff Development Equipment Grant Food Service Management Companies Getting Started with NSLP Local Wellness Policy Requirements Meal Pattern Requirements for SY 2020-2021 MENU Module Home MENU Module Access Success Stories Training NSLP Administration & Forms NSLP CFDA and FAIN Numbers National School Lunch Program Compliance NSLP Income Eligibility Guidelines NSLP Policy & ARM NSLP Reimbursement Rates NSLP Statistics NSLP Training National School Lunch Week Options to Minimize Waste Resources School Lunch Hero Day School Meal Applications and Verification School Nutrition Eligibility Smart Snacks SNP Waivers Special Provisions Texas ELMS	Updated NSLP/SBP Infant and Preschool Meal Pattern EXPIRATION of Transition Period Notification Transition Expiration Notification About the Administrative Review The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as amended by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, requires the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to conduct an Administrative Review (AR) of School Nutrition Programs (SNP) at least once every three years. As a new federal requirement, the AR is designed to conduct specified parts of the review off-site and others on-site. TDA will evaluate compliance with the following program requirements in the Critical and General Areas of Review which include: Meal Access and Reimbursement, Meal Pattern & Nutritional Quality, Resource Management, General Program Compliance and the operation of any other applicable SNP federal programs. CE Staff involved in the operation of SNP will be heavily involved the review process (off-site and on-site) to respond to questions and provide documentation regarding the operation of SNP. The AR begins approximately 12 weeks prior to TDA doing an on-site review of program operations with the off-site portion of the review. The review is risk based, gathering information and documentation samples during the off-site review and then conducting a more targeted review on-site. CE Staff will be asked to utilize the Texas Unified Nutrition Programs System (TX-UNPS) when providing written responses to questions and uploading requested documentation. 2020-2021 School Operations Plans Administrative Review (AR) Plan TDA will conduct Administrative Reviews (ARs) on a four-year cycle. The contracting entities (CEs) that will be receiving an AR in the 2020-2021 school year are posted on this page under When is My Review? below. Procurement Review (PR) Plan TDA will conduct procurement reviews (PRs) from years 1 (SY 19-20) and 2 (SY 20-21) in the current review cycle. All CE’s with Food Service Management Contracts (FSMC) should expect a procurement review in the 20-21 or 21-22 school year. Compliance Plan TDA has been approved for a Four-Year Administrative Review Cycle. The first year of the new four-year cycle was School Year 2019-2020. A list of CEs and the year of their new regularly scheduled AR and PR is currently under review. Please note that some CEs may a more frequent review than four years or additional reviews that are not reflected in this list. Coming soon: TDA will be conducting and posting a webinar for each school year so the CEs understand the direction at the state level. When Is My Review? The AR and PR Announcement Letter is addressed to the CEs Superintendent and sent via postal mail and/or email. The Superintendent, in addition to the Business Manager or Chief Financial Officer, Claim Preparer, Child Nutrition Director and respective Education Service Center Specialist will receive the Announcement Letter. Please note: If a CE contracts with a FSMC, TDA must communicate with the CE employee overseeing the FSMC contract. TDA strongly suggests all CE contact information is kept up-to-date in your School Year 2020-2021 Application Packet within TXUNPS. If you are scheduled for an AR you will also be required to complete a PR in the same school year. 2020-2021 Administrative Review List 2020-2021 Procurement Review List Important Note: Administrative, Procurement and Financial Reviews schedules are subject to change. Procurement Review Procurement Review TX-UNPS Training - This training can be utilized to explain the process of how to fill out the procurement table in TX-UNPS. PR Process Flowchart for CE - This workflow details how the CE can expect their procurement review process to flow. Procurement Review Documents – This is a list of required documents that will be requested for the PR. Additional documents may be requested as needed. The Procurement Review (PR) will determine how a CE complies with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services program procurement standards as outlined in 2 CFR 200.319(a) (OMB Uniform Guidance) as well as state and local procurement regulations. The PR will be conducted in TX-UNPS. Overview of the Procurement Review (PR): The CE will upload required documents and complete the procurement table by specified due date. The Administrative Review Specialist (ARS) or Administrative Financial Review Specialist (AFRS) will review the completed documents and the procurement table and select a sample of procurement contracts for review. The ARS or AFRS will send notification on selected sample with due date. The ARS or AFRS will conduct the PR and assess compliance with procurement regulations. The ARS or AFRS will communicate any findings, technical assistance and require the CE to complete any corrective action, as applicable. Once the corrective action has been approved, the ARS or AFRS will close the review and will send notification to the CE. TDA and USDA Guidance TDA provides additional information on the AR process in the Administrator's Reference Manual, Section 31, Administrative and Other Compliance Reviews, which is available at SquareMeals.org/FandNResources/Handbooks. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes its AR Guidance Manual, AR categories and questions, and fiscal action worksheets which are available on the USDA website. Administrative Review Reports TDA makes three types of Administrative Review reports available to the public -- *Summary Results for Reviews,* *Detailed Results for Reviews with Findings* and *Seamless Summer Option Summary Results for Reviews with Findings. The following reports are for Administrative Reviews in School Year 2020-2021. Summary Results for SY 2019-2020 Administrative Reviews: A list of CEs that have received their Administrative Review reports from TDA. The summary also provides the following information about the Contracting Entity: Types of school nutrition programs operated Special provision programs utilized Whether or not there were findings Summary Results for SY 2020-2021 Administrative Reviews: Coming Soon* A list of CEs that have received their Administrative Review reports from TDA. The summary also provides the following information about the Contracting Entity: Types of school nutrition programs operated Special provision programs utilized Whether or not there were findings Detailed Results for SY 2020-2021 Administrative Reviews with Findings: Coming Soon A list of CEs that had findings as a result of their Administrative Review from TDA along with the following additional information: List of findings Type of findings Corresponding administrative review question Seamless Summer Option Summary Results for Review with Findings: A list of CEs that had findings as a result of their Administrative Review from TDA along with the following additional information: List of findings Type of findings Corresponding administrative review question Forms and Information Administrative Review Areas: An outline of the different areas of the School Nutrition Programs reviewed during an Administrative Review. Contracting Entity Checklists: Coming Soon. CEs can download these templates to determine which documents will need to be provided during the off-site review. Specific due dates have not been included in the templates. At the beginning of the off-site review, the AR Specialist will provide each CE with the checklist that includes specific due dates for the documents the CE should upload into TX-UNPS. Resource Management Summary: Coming Soon. CEs will complete the Resource Management Summary during the Off-site review. AR Specialists will evaluate responses to determine risk factor levels. Risk factors include the size of the CE, previous audit and review results, the Non-Profit School Food Service Account, Paid Lunch Equity, Non-program Foods, and Indirect Costs. If this information is not provided at least four (4) weeks prior to the On-site review or if the information provided indicates high risk, a Resource Management Comprehensive Review will be required. TX-UNPS Administrative Review User Guide: A detailed step-by-step user guide to help CEs navigate the Compliance Module in TX-UNPS while completing the Off-site portion of the Administrative Review. Compliance Considerations for Meal Models for SY 20-21: Provides information and considerations for compliance for the four meal service models during the Coronavirus public health emergency. Please see SquareMeals.org/Coronavirus for additional tools and resources. The Administrative Review - Webinar The Reinvented Administrative Review Process This webinar provides an overview of the new administrative review process. Information provided includes how the review has changed, what the review covers, general timelines, required documentation and specific processes for before, during and after the on-site review. (Revised June 18, 2015) The Reinvented Administrative Review Process PDF Attachment B Contracting entities (CEs) must update their Attachment B, Policy Statement for Free and Reduced-Price Meals to reflect the CE’s COVID-19 operational practices for School Year (SY) 2020-2021 if the CE will change practices from what is indicated in the CE’s current Attachment B. Information on grab and go, home delivery, meals in the classroom, multiple meals served to students, and non-traditional meal service methods must be reported in Question 10. The Attachment B, Policy Statement for Free and Reduced-Price Meals is located in TX-UNPS \| Application Screen \| Attachment B. Attachment B Uploads Starting School Year (SY) 2020-2021 and each SY forward, each CE must provide its certification and benefit issuance templates to TDA. To streamline the submission, TDA has developed a tool for collecting these documents that is located in TX-UNPS \| Application Screen \| Attachment B: Upload Attachments. Directions for document submission are located in TX-UNPS \| Application Screen \| Download Forms \| SNP Form 134, Directions for Uploading Certification and Benefit Issuance Documentation in TX-UNPS. CEs may also contact their ESC for technical assistance on this process. This tool will open on August 1, 2020, and will close on October 31, 2020.

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Texas Department of Agriculture

Commissioner Sid Miller