Who Gets WIC and How to Apply
In general, WIC is administered in
each State or territory by State Health Departments or Indian Tribal Organizations
(ITOs).
Who
Gets WIC? To be eligible for the WIC Program, applicants must meet all
of the following eligibility requirements:
Contact the WIC
State or local agency serving your area, to schedule an appointment.
Applicants will be advised about what to bring to the WIC appointment to help determine
eligibility.
Click here for a listing of the
toll-free numbers of WIC State agencies
or click here for a listing of State
agencies in alphabetical order .
Many of the State agencies listed provide a toll-free number for you to call and/or a
website about the WIC Program operating in that area.
Length
of Participation: WIC is a short-term program. Therefore, a participant
will "graduate" at the end of one or more certification periods. A
certification period is the length of time a WIC participant is eligible to receive
benefits. Depending on whether the individual is pregnant, postpartum,
breastfeeding, an infant, or a child, an eligible individual usually receives WIC benefits
from 6 months to a year, at which time she/he must reapply.
Waiting List/Priority System:
Sometimes WIC agencies do not have enough money to serve everyone who needs WIC or calls
to apply. When this happens, WIC agencies must keep a list, called a waiting list,
of individuals who want to apply and are likely to be served. WIC agencies then use
a special system, called a Priority System, to determine who will get WIC benefits first
when more people can be served. The purpose of the priority system is to make sure
that WIC services and benefits are provided first to participants with the most serious
health conditions such as anemia (low blood levels), underweight, history of problems
during pregnancy.
Click here for more info about the Waiting
List/Priority System.
Moving: WIC participants who move from one area or State to
another are placed at the top of a waiting list when they move and are also served first
when the WIC agency can serve more individuals. WIC participants who move can
continue to receive WIC benefits until their certification period expires as long as there
is proof that the individual received WIC benefits in another area or State. Before
a participant moves, they should tell the WIC office. In most cases, WIC staff will
give the participant a special card which proves that the individual participated in the
WIC Program. When the individual moves, they can call the new WIC office for an
appointment and take the special card to the WIC appointment in the new area or State.
Click here to
find out if you might be eligible for WIC benefits.
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Last modified 11/20/12
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