Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Program Assistance

The Women, Infants and Children nutrition programs provides special supplemental foods, nutritional counseling, and breastfeeding support and education to low income women and children up to age 5. WIC is 100% federally funded. WIC gives pregnant women, new mothers and children vouchers for basic foods including milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, dried beans, peanut butter, fruit juices and infant formula. WIC staff encourage women to breastfeed and counsel them about nutrition. They encourage women to apply for Medicaid, food stamps, TANF, immunization and other services. 

WIC IN ALABAMA

  • Alabama has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. Good nutrition and regular pre-natal care during pregnancy, and good nutrition and preventative health care for infants are key to preventing babies from dying or becoming disabled.

  • Low income women in Alabama who receive both WIC and Medicaid health insurance have significantly lower mortality rate than do other low income women in the state.

  • Alabama WIC will spend over $47,000,000 in federal funds during FY00.

WHO GETS WIC?

  • To qualify for WIC benefits, a woman must have a total family income of no more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

  • She must be either pregnant or breastfeeding or have given birth within the past two months.

  • Children are eligible until their fifth birthday.

Women wishing to apply for WIC benefits for themselves or their children should contact their local health departments or call 1-800-654-1385.

WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines

On March 14, 2001, a Notice announcing revised WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines was published in the Federal Register. The adjusted income eligibility guidelines are used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the WIC Program. WIC State agencies must implement the new guidelines on July 1, 2001. However, WIC State agencies may implement the revised income guidelines at the same time States implement revised income eligibility guidelines for the Medicaid Program. On February 16, 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its annual update of the poverty guidelines. The HHS guidelines are used by a number of Federal programs, including WIC and the Medicaid Program, as the basis for determining and updating program income eligibility limits.

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.

WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines
(Effective from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005)
48 Contiguous States, D.C., Guam and Territories
Household Size
 Annually Monthly Weekly 
1
 17,224 1,436 332
2
 23,107 1,926 445
3
 28,990 2,416 558
4
 34,873 2,907 671
5
 40,756 3,397 784
6
 46,639 3,887 897
7
 52,522 4,377 1,011
8
 58,405 4,868 1,124

Each addtional   member add

+5,883 +491 +114

WIC website: http://www.alfoodbanks.org/www.fns.usda.gov/wic