FNS administers the WIC program at the federal level; state agencies, territories, and Tribal organizations are responsible for determining participant eligibility and providing benefits and services, and for authorizing vendors.
To be eligible for the WIC program, applicants must meet eligibility requirements.
Apply for WIC
To apply to be a WIC participant, you will need to contact your state, territory, Tribe, or local agency to set up an appointment. Contact the WIC agency serving your area to schedule an appointment.
You will be advised about what to bring to the WIC appointment to help determine eligibility. Many of the agencies listed provide a toll-free number for you to call and/or a website about the WIC program operating in that area.
Length of Participation
WIC is a short-term program. Therefore, a participant will "graduate" at the end of one or more certification periods. A certification period is the length of time a WIC participant is eligible to receive benefits. Depending on whether the individual is pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, an infant, or a child, an eligible individual usually receives WIC benefits from 6 months to a year, at which time they must reapply.
Waiting List/Priority System
Sometimes WIC agencies do not have enough money to serve everyone who needs WIC or calls to apply. When this happens, WIC agencies must keep a list, called a waiting list, of individuals who want to apply and are likely to be served.
WIC agencies then use a special system, called a Priority System, to determine who will get WIC benefits first when more people can be served. The purpose of the priority system is to make sure that WIC services and benefits are provided first to participants with the most serious health conditions such as anemia (low blood levels), underweight, history of problems during pregnancy.
Moving
WIC participants who move from one area or state to another are placed at the top of a waiting list when they move and are also served first when the WIC agency can serve more individuals. WIC participants who move can continue to receive WIC benefits until their certification period expires as long as there is proof that the individual received WIC benefits in another area or state.
Before a participant moves, they should tell the WIC office. In most cases, WIC staff will give the participant a special card which proves that the individual participated in the WIC program. When the individual moves, they can call the new WIC office for an appointment and take the special card to the WIC appointment in the new area or state.