How does WIC work

If an individual is found to be eligible for WIC following the certification process, food instruments will be issued by the WIC nutritionist. Printed on these food instruments are the foods which the participant may receive at no cost. They are redeemable at local vendors, a list of which is provided at certification.

Pregnant women and teens are certified for 6 weeks past the birth of their infant. During this time they will be asked to return for group or individual nutrition education and re-issuance of food instruments every two months.

Infants are certified until their first birthday. They will be asked to return at 2, 4 and 9 months for group education and re-issuance of food instruments. At 6 months infants are scheduled for a follow-up visit with the nurse and nutritionist.

After their first birthday, children are certified for 6 month periods. They will be asked to return every 3 months for individual or group education and re-issuance of food instruments. Children can participate in WIC until their fifth birthday.

Breast feeding women can participate in WIC for one year after the birth of their infant as long as they continue to breast feed. They will be scheduled to attend group or nutrition education when their infants are scheduled for nutrition education. Six months after the birth of their infants, breast feeding mothers are scheduled to see the nurse and the nutritionist to be recertified for the remainder of the year.

Women who choose to give their infants artificial baby milk will be able to participate themselves on WIC for 6 months following the birth of their infants. They will be asked to return for individual or group education 3 months after the birth of their infants.

ELIGIBILITY FOR WIC

(W)omen, (I)infants and (C)children can be eligible for WIC based on several factors. Eligible persons must live in Clay County and meet Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. These income guidelines are adjusted each July.

To be eligible on the basis of income, applicants' gross income (i.e. before taxes are withheld) must fall at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines.  The guidelines for WIC are shown below.

Guidelines for FCS Special Nutrition Programs
WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines
(Effective from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012)

Persons in Family or Household Size	Annual	Monthly	Twice-Monthly	Bi-Weekly	Weekly
1	$20,147	$1,679	$840	$775	$388
2	27,214	2,268	1,134	1,047	524
3	34,281	2,857	1,429	1,319	660
4	41,348	3.446	1,723	1,591	796
5	48,415	4,035	2,018	1,863	932
6	55,482	4,624	2.312	2,134	1,067
7	62,549	5,213	2,607	2,406	1,203
8	69,616	5,802	2,901	2,678	1,339
Each Add'l Member Add	+$7,067	+589	+295	+272	+136

* One pregnant woman counts as a household of two

A person or certain family members who participate in other benefits programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families automatically meet the income eligibility requirement.

If a woman, infant or child meets the income guidelines and is a resident of Clay County, they should contact the local WIC office. A certification appointment will then be given. At this initial certification, the WIC staff will assess eligibility by asking to see items such as medical cards or last two pay stubs, a piece of mail with current name and address, birth certificate (for infants), and proof of pregnancy (for women and teens).

The individual will then be further assessed to determine a nutritional or medical eligibility. The nurse will assess health history, weigh and measure the individual and perform a hemoglobin test. The nutritionist will then assess nutritional status by asking the individual to complete a 24 hour diet recall and a food frequency list. Individual nutrition counseling will then be performed by the nutritionist.