by Amber Hulsberg

Created on: July 06, 2009   Last Updated: July 13, 2009

You find out that you may be eligible for the WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) program, what should you do? PARTICIPATE in the program! The main requirement for the program is that you have to meet a certain income criteria which is determined on amount of income in the household and the number of people living in that household. If you receive Medicaid insurance for yourself or your children you are automatically eligible. It is for low income families with children under 5 years of age and pregnant women. It is to ensure that you and your children can get the proper nutrition during these important stages in life.

WIC, however, is not set up anything like Food Stamps. You receive a certain number of checks with specific items printed on the check that you are able to purchase. If an item is not on the check, you can not use your WIC check for the item. If you do not want a specific item on the check, and do not purchase it, you forfeit that item. You do not get the check back to use at a later time. The items listed on check do have certain limitations. For instance, you can only buy certain brands and types of cereals and cheeses. All the eligible items and brands are listed on the back of the check for easy reference. Each person receiving WIC gets a set of checks with the items they are alloted on the check. The checks do have a time frame that you are allowed to use them. It is usually the length of one month. Typically, you are given two months worth for each WIC participant. You also get a WIC ID card to present to the cashier when purchasing using the checks. It tells them that you are a WIC participant, and who is able to sign for the checks. Only the people allocated to sign will be able to do so. This WIC card also includes the date and time of your next WIC appointment.

Your first WIC appointment you are required to bring yourself and each child you wish to receive benefits along with ID, birth certificate, Social Security Card, proof of income, and proof of residency. You may only receive WIC in the county in which you live. They take your weight and height to see if you are a nutritional risk, and you will fill out a form explaining what your daily meals are like. Do your kids drink a lot of juice? They do this to see what your family's normal diet is like. You will have to return about every other month to be re-evaluated and to pick up the next set of checks. For infants, a typical set of checks provides for 4 cans of formula, 3 cans of

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