WIC

The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, & Children

The Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) is offered through your local health department and is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.).  The program provides supplemental foods and nutrition education to eligible persons.  Nutrition education is accomplished through individual and group counseling sessions.

The WIC program provides nutritious foods such as cheese, eggs, peanut butter, beans, milk, juice, cereal, fruits and vegetables, canned fish, and infant formula. It also provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to other health care systems such as immunizations and dental care.  WIC focuses on the overall good health of women, infants, and children, encourages healthy pregnancy outcomes, and promotes healthy eating habits that follow current U.S.D.A. recommendations. The new Approved Food List (2012) for the Virginia WIC Program became effective April 1, 2012. Select these links to download a copy of the English or Spanish version of these publications.

To get an appointment, call the WIC Clinic location nearest to you:

What to bring to your appointment

• Your child must come with you if the appointment is for him or her.
• Proof of INCOME for entire family
• Proof of identification for the individual to be enrolled, such as a picture ID, Medicaid card, Social Security card or Birth Certificate.
• Proof of residency, such as a utility bill, driver’s license or other item with your name and current street address.
• If you are pregnant, a proof of pregnancy letter from a doctor, if available.
• Shot Record listing all shots given to child by doctor, clinic or medical facility.
• WIC ID folder for those individuals who have been on WIC before or currently have someone enrolled in the WIC Program.

Proof of Income can be any of the following:

• Pay Stubs - provide the most recent with "Year to date" income listed
• W-2 form or income tax return for most current calendar year
• Unemployment notice from VEC (Virginia Employment Commission)
• Statement of Social Security benefits or other benefits
• Military LES (Leave and Earning Statement)
• Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), Split Pay Option, Advance Pay, and Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA) are NOT included at part of the family’s month gross income.
• Foster care statement from Social Services
• Food stamps - letter of eligibility
• AFDC check stub
• Medicaid card for current month
• Free or reduced school lunch - letter of eligibility

Recertification

Once you or your child is in the WIC Program, you will be recertified every six months using the same criteria as listed above.  You or your child can be terminated from the WIC program if:

• You do not pick up your WIC vouchers.
• You no longer meet the financial or nutritional risk eligibility criteria during a subsequent appointment.

HealthBites

HealthBites is online nutrition education that offers healthy eating tips and recipes for families with young children.  
You can receive nutrition education credits for completing the lessons in this website.  Be sure to fill out the evaluation at the end of each lesson that you do. Then print off the “Certificate of Completion” at the end of the lesson.  Bring the certificate to your next nutrition education appointment to receive credit.