What Are the Benefits of the WIC Program?

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) has helped millions of families meet the daily nutritional needs of infants and toddlers. WIC benefits include breastfeeding promotion and education, immunization services and referrals and a disaster response program. In order to be eligible for the WIC program, an applicant must be pregnant or post-partum and have an income of $40,793 or less per year; children enrolled in the WIC program must be five years old and younger. Applicants and their children who are considered to be at nutritional risk receive top priority during the decision process.

  1. Nutritional Benefits

    • The WIC program provides breastfeeding education services to women who are pregnant or nursing. These services include breastfeeding counseling and education, follow-up support, breast pumps and aids to encourage breastfeeding. Mothers who breastfeed are also eligible to receive WIC for a longer period of time and receive more food voucher benefits than mothers who do not breastfeed. Mothers who do not breastfeed are eligible for infant formula vouchers through the WIC program and food vouchers that encourage optimal nutrition, including infant cereal, milk, cheese, bread, fruits and vegetables. The Farmers' Market Nutritional Program provides WIC recipients with additional food vouchers to purchase fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets.

    Immunization Services

    • The WIC program encourages all parents to immunize their children against illness and disease. The immunization referral and screening program offered through WIC teaches parents the importance of having their children immunized Parents who participate in the WIC program attend two certification meetings where their children are screened for missing or upcoming immunizations and referred to medical facilities where they can be immunized.

    Disaster Assistance

    • WIC recipients who have been evacuated from their home because of a disaster are considered to be at risk nutritionally and are given special considerations when using their food vouchers. While recipients may only use their WIC vouchers in the state that they are enrolled in the program, the WIC Disaster Response program allows WIC recipients to use their food vouchers out of state if they have been evacuated from the state that provides their WIC benefits. WIC will also relax identification rules if people who are enrolled in the WIC program are considered to be evacuees because of a disaster. Evacuees who do not have proper identification and who have been evacuated do not have to show identification in the state where they have been evacuated. Mississippi and Vermont do not participate in the WIC program.

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