(1) The purpose of the rules in subchapters 1 and 2 is to provide a clear procedural framework under which the department administers the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program), which is sponsored by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and which has been administered in Montana by the department since approximately 1974.