The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is designed to provide nutritional support to low-income family to reduce potential health problems. This federally funded program provides food vouchers, breastfeeding support, health care referrals and nutrition education for eligible participants. In Michigan, WIC is administered through local health departments. If you need nutritional assistance and you are a Michigan resident, apply for WIC assistance to make sure your children have the best nutritional foundation possible.

Determine if you meet the qualifications for WIC assistance in Michigan. If you are close to the cutoff and have nutritional deficiencies, consult you local WIC office to check on alternative qualification methods. For pregnant women, the family size is one plus the number of babies expected.

Income Qualifications:

1. Income must be less than:
   1. Family Size of 1: $20,036 annually, $1,670 monthly and $386 weekly, $9.63 hourly
   2. Family Size of 2: $26,955 annually, $2,247 monthly and $519 weekly, $12.95 hourly
   3. Family Size of 3: $33,874 annually, $2,823 monthly and $652 weekly, $16.28 hourly
   4. Family Size of 4: $40,793 annually, $3,400 monthly and $785 weekly, $19.61 hourly http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2942_4910_6329-12671--,00.html
2. Income eligibility waiver through participation in:
   1. SNAP benefits
   2. Medicaid
   3. Temporary Assistance for Needy Familieshttp://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/howtoapply/eligibilityrequirements.htm

Situational Requirements:

1. Pregnant
2. Nursing a baby under 1
3. Gave birth in the last 6 months
4. Resident of Michigan
5. Documented nutrition risk such as:
   1. Low Blood Iron
   2. Too much weight gain
   3. Too little weight gain
   4. Poor Diet
   5. Developmental disability
   6. Chronic Diseaseshttp://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/howtoapply/eligibilityrequirements.htm

WIC applications must be done in person at your local Michigan health department. A listing of all health departments in Michigan is available at http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2942_4910_4920---,00.html.

Take the following with you to when you apply for WIC:

1. Medicaid card or proof of income
2. Proof of identification like your driver’s license or birth certificate
3. Proof of your Michigan address
4. Proof you’re your pregnancy if available
5. Your children and their immunization records

The Application Process (prepare for 1-2 hours):

1. Income, identity and residency review
2. Health and medical history
3. Eating patterns review
4. Immunization review
5. Measurements for height and weight
6. Blood test
7. Review of nutritional eligibility
8. Benefit discussion and training
9. Review of available resources
10. Get WIC coupons and education
11. Nutritional education
12. Set next appointmenthttp://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2942_4910_4922-13973--,00.html

The benefits of WIC can include:

1. Nutrition Education
2. Supplemental Foods. May include:
   1. Milk
   2. Cheese
   3. 100% Juice
   4. Eggs
   5. Whole
3. Breastfeeding support
4. Referrals for health care
5. Project FRESH coupons (foods from the Farmer’s Market)
6. Screening for other health problems
7. Referrals for other social serviceshttp://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2942_4910_4922-13973--,00.html