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WIC - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - Overview

Logo of the WIC program, with text 'Women, Infants, and Children' superimposed over pictures of baby and mother and child.

Food, nutrition counseling, and access to health services are provided to low-income women, infants, and children under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, popularly known as WIC.

WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children who are found to be at nutritional risk.

The WIC program is designed to supplement Food Stamps, and as a result, participation in the Food Stamp Program does not preclude a person from participating in WIC.

Established as a pilot program in 1972 and made permanent in 1974, WIC is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Formerly known as the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, WIC's name was changed under the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, in order to emphasize its role as a nutrition program.

Most State WIC programs provide vouchers that participants use at authorized food stores. A wide variety of State and local organizations cooperate in providing the food and health care benefits, and 46,000 merchants nationwide accept WIC vouchers.

Program Participation

WIC applicants must meet four types (Income, Categorical, Residential, and Nutrition Risk) of eligibility requirements. These requirements are discussed in general in the WIC - Eligibility Requirements topic. Each specific type of eligibility is also discussed in detail in an individual topic.

NOTE: A person or certain family members who participate in other benefits programs such as the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) automatically meet the WIC income eligibility requirement.

WIC Participants receive three types of benefits. These include a supplemental nutritious food package tailored to family composition (or vouchers redeemable for its purchase), nutrition education and counseling at WIC clinics, and screening and referrals to other health, welfare and social services. The WIC - Participant Benefits topic has complete information.

Applying for WIC

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.

The WIC - Contact Information topic has a listing of the toll-free numbers of WIC State agencies, as well as a more complete contact listing of the 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 your area.

How WIC Helps

WIC saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children. The results of studies conducted by FNS and other non-government entities prove that WIC is one of the nation’s most successful and cost-effective nutrition intervention programs. Since its beginning in 1974, the WIC Program has earned the reputation of being one of the most successful Federally-funded nutrition programs in the United States. Collective findings of studies, reviews and reports demonstrate that the WIC Program is cost effective in protecting or improving the health/nutritional status of low-income women, infants and children. Some of these findings include:

· Improved Birth Outcomes and Savings in Health Care Costs

· Improved Diet and Diet-Related Outcomes

· Improved Infant Feeding Practices

· Immunization Rates and Regular Source of Medical Care

· Improved Cognitive Development

· Improved Preconception Nutritional Status

· Other Improved Outcomes

Program Delivery

WIC is not an entitlement program, as Congress does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate in the program. WIC is a Federal grant program for which Congress authorizes a specific amount of funds each year for the program. In times of high demand, there may be a waiting list to receive services through the program. The WIC - Eligibility Priority System topic discusses the order in which people on the waiting list receive benefits.

WIC is:

· administered at the Federal level by FNS

· administered by 87 WIC state agencies, through approximately 46,000 authorized retailers

· operated through 2,000 local agencies in 10,000 clinic sites, in 50 State health departments, 32 Indian Tribal Organizations, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Additional Information

Further information about WIC outcome studies, including summaries and references, is available on the FNS website at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/aboutwic/howwichelps.htm

The USDA operates a WIC website at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/

WIC laws and regulations may be found at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/lawsandregulations/default.htm

The Economic Research Service (ERS) of the USDA has a September 2002 publication titled "The WIC Program: Background, Trends, and Issues" available (requires Adobe Acrobat) at:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr27/

The ERS Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program conducts studies and evaluations on the WIC program, including research on program outcomes, program operations and integrity, vulnerable populations, and the relationship between food assistance programs and the general economy. Information from these activities is available at:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/WIC/

Source

Information for this topic was drawn from:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/aboutwic/default.htm
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr27/
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/aboutwic/howwichelps.htm
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/aboutwic/wicataglance.htm

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