Washington Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

The Washington Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded program that is offered to low income pregnant and breastfeeding women, to infants and children up to the age of five. The program provides supplement foods, meals and education about nutrition to the residents of Washington who are at nutritional risk. It is a federally funded program that is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The WIC program in Washington is administered by Washington State Department of Health.

Program Benefits

The Washington WIC program is available to pregnant women, infants and kids up to five years of age and who are identified to be at nutritional risk. Mostly these are individuals belonging to low-income households who are unable to take care of their diet which results in health problems. The aim of the program is to assist such individuals in Washington by offering healthy food that provides nutrition benefits to them.

The benefits offered are:

• Personalized nutrition assessments and education
• Referrals to medical and social service agencies
• Breastfeeding support
• Supplemental nutritious food

Program Objectives

The main goal of the Washington WIC is to provide pregnant women, infants, and children up to five years of age and who are living on a fixed budget with an opportunity to improve their nutrition intake. The program helps the candidates by providing various foods and health services and teaches them a healthy lifestyle. This leads them to live a healthy and self- sustaining lifestyle subsequently increasing the quality of life of the people in the state.

The people who can receive the Washington WIC program’s benefits are,

• Pregnant women
• Families with infant or children from 1-5 years old

• Infants less than 1 year old
• Women who are breastfeeding

• Women in their postpartum period

The individuals who get selected for the WIC program are linked with government agencies, nutritionists, and local community-based organizations. These organizations make sure the families are fully educated about the program so that they can approach the application process in a well-informed manner. This helps families to make adequate decisions to take full benefit from the largest hunger and health preventive program in the country.

It is important to note that the amount of the benefit provided by the Washington Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) might vary depending on the need. Families with much lower income will receive a large amount to properly afford the food and healthcare necessities.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Washington WIC Program, applicants must meet categorical, residential, income, and nutrition risk requirements. The applicant needs to meet the following requirements to be able to apply for the WIC program in the state of Washington:

• The candidate has to be a permanent resident of the state of Washington to be eligible for the program
• Proof of residency includes:
  • Current Washington driver’s license
  • Current Medicaid card
  • Business mail with Washington address – such as a phone or utility bill
  • Rent of mortgage receipts, etc.

• Must fall below the Federal Poverty Level
• Enrollment in TANF, FAMIS, Medicaid, SNAP/Food Stamps, and Free/Reduced Prices Lunches automatically qualify with proof of enrollment.

Other factors that are taken into account while evaluating the eligibility of the candidate for the Washington Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) includes the number of members in the household and the total gross income of the household.

How to Apply

There are over 200 local clinics and make an appointment. You can apply for the Washington WIC program in multiple ways. It is important to check your eligibility for the program before applying. The different methods you can use to apply for the program are,

• Apply through the local office

To apply for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in the state of Washington, it is important to visit a WIC agency in your area. You can then schedule an appointment by going to WIC Clinic Search tool.

you live call 1-800-322-2588 or use the

The WIC representative in the office will ask you to bring the appointment letter and other important documentation at the time of visiting the office. This makes the application process easily and quick.

• Apply Via Phone and Email

You can also take information about WIC in Washington by calling at 1-800-841-1410

For Further Information

Information about the Washington Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is available on the Washington WIC page. The website provides information regarding the program policies and guidelines to applicants to help them get a better understating of the program. This makes the application process very flexible for the applicants who can use any of the above-mentioned methods to apply for the WIC program in the state of Washington.