Do You Qualify for WIC? What You Need to Know If You're Receiving SNAP Benefits in 2024
Olive Thomas
Published Nov 18, 2024
If you're getting SNAP benefits in 2024, you might be wondering if you can also get WIC, which stands for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Both programs are designed to help people with food costs, but they have different qualifications.
WIC is a special program that gives extra nutritional support to women, babies, and young kids. Pregnant women, new moms, and children until their 5th birthday may qualify.
To apply for WIC, you have to meet a few rules set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), just like you did for your SNAP benefits.
One good thing is that there's an easy online tool that can help you find out if you might be eligible for WIC. This way, you can quickly get more information about the program without leaving your house.
Now, if you already get SNAP benefits, applying for WIC could be simpler for you. The government website for the Food and Nutrition Service says that to get WIC, your income should fall within a certain limit.
This limit is set between 100% and not more than 185% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, which are updated annually. Since your income was already checked when you applied for SNAP, you might not have to prove it again for WIC.
Besides SNAP, there are other benefits like TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and Medicaid that can also make it easier for you to prove that your income qualifies you for WIC.
So, what else do you need to get WIC besides meeting the income rules? There are four main criteria:
- Nutritional Risk: You need to have some sort of health or nutritional need, which a professional will assess.
- Income: You already know about this one—your earnings must fall below a specific level.
- Residential: You need to live in the state where you're applying for WIC. This is just like SNAP.
- Categorical: WIC is specifically for certain groups—pregnant women, women who have recently had a baby, are breastfeeding, infants up to their first birthday, and children up to age five.
Remember, for WIC, you don't need to have lived in the state for a particular amount of time to apply. The most important thing is that you live there now.
And don't forget about the nutritional risk condition—it's essential for qualifying for WIC.
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