How to apply for West Virginia WIC

View the steps to apply for the West Virginia WIC program. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources administrates WIC in the state including the application process. View the steps below to see if you qualify, and if so, what you need to do to apply. If you still have questions or issues about the application process, you can contact the West Virginia WIC office for assistance.

WIC Prescreening

Before you start the West Virginia WIC application process, you can use the online prescreening tool to see if you qualify. Please note, this tool is not considered an application. You will still need to follow the application process for this state. It takes about 15 minutes to complete the prescreening tool.

What does the WIC program offer

The West Virginia WIC program makes sure that your family has what they need to live a healthy life. Providing you with basic, healthy foods assures that your family is getting the nutrition they need. Foods such as milk, cheese, eggs, juice, peanut butter, cereal and infant formula are made available for your family.

The WV WIC program also provides many other services free of charge to pregnant women, postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five. Services include:

Nutrition Education
The WIC staff will show you how to create healthy, affordable meals for your family through nutrition tips and recipes.

Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the best way to feed your newborn. They offer breastfeeding support, education and counseling.

Prenatal Nutrition
They help in giving your baby a healthy start. Through our prenatal education and food vouchers they can help you feed your baby long before delivery.

Medical Referrals
The WIC staff want you to have the medical help you need. Get referrals for immunizations, health care and other programs like Medicaid and CHIP.

Counseling
Parents often worry about their child's eating habits. Their qualified nutritionist can give you professional advice for all your nutritional concerns.

Health Screening
Tracking your child's growth will help you understand their health and development.

The West Virginia WIC program is available for all types of families to apply:

Married
Single parents
Working or not working
If you are a father, mother, grandparent, foster parent, or other legal guardian of a child under five

West Virginia Eligibility

To be eligible for the the West Virginia WIC program, a person must meet three criteria. The criteria are:

Category Requirement
An applicant must be in one of this categories:

Pregnant women
Women who are breastfeeding an infant (under one year of age)
Postpartum women to the sixth month after delivery
Children from birth to five years of age

Income Requirement
Income eligibility requires that a household have gross income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. View the West Virginia WIC Income Guidelines to see if you meet the income requirements.

Nutrition Risk Requirement
Nutrition risk is any medical or health problem which can be corrected or lessened by proper amounts and types of food intake. Examples of nutrition risk are:

Low iron levels
Insufficient growth, i.e. low weight for age, low weight for height
Premature delivery
Inadequate dietary intake (types or amounts of food)

Applying for WIC in West Virginia

To get started with the application process for WV WIC benefits fill out the online form. You can also contact your local WIC clinic to schedule an appointment. The WIC staff at your appointment will determine if you are eligible to receive West Virginia WIC benefits.

West Virginia eWIC System

WV uses the eWIC system. This replaces the paper checks and vouchers with a West Virginia WIC EBT (Electronic benefit transfer) Card. When purchasing WIC approved foods at your local grocery store, you would hand the cashier your eWIC card at checkout. They will then swipe your WV WIC EBT Card like a normal debit or credit card and their POS system will deduct the amount from your current WIC balance.

Also, instead of visiting your local WIC clinic each month to get more paper checks or vouchers, your West Virginia WIC EBT Card will automatically be refilled electronically.

How to check your West Virginia WIC EBT Card
You can do the following to check your current WIC EBT Card balance:

Call 888-220-9555
Check your last grocery store receipt
Visit the WIC participant portal at WVWICHousehold.wv.gov
Register your card with the WICShopper mobile phone app

Report lost or stolen card
Call the WIC customer service number at 888-220-9555, or your local WIC clinic immediately to deactivate the card. To receive a new card, you'll need to visit a WIC clinic.

How long can I be on WIC?

West Virginia WIC is considered to be a short-term program. A person receiving benefits "graduates" once their certification period ends. The certification period is the length of time a person is eligible to receive WV WIC benefits. Depending on the applicant's condition, either pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, or an infant/child, an eligible person will usually receive these benefits for up to 6 months to a year. Once they have reached the end of that time, they must apply for West Virginia WIC again if they want to continue using it.

WIC waiting list

In some cases, if the state agency does not have enough money to serve everyone who needs WIC, they must keep a list called a waiting list. This contains a list of individuals who want to apply for the West Virginia WIC program and are likely to be served. The state agency will then use a special system, called a Priority System, that will allow them to determine who is eligible to receive WV WIC benefits next once more people can be served.

The reason for this priority system is to make sure that services and benefits are available right away to participants who need it most, which are people with serious health conditions such as anemia (low blood levels), history of pregnancy problems or being underweight.

Planning to move

Anyone currently on West Virginia WIC that is planning to move, including out of state, can continue receiving WIC benefits until their certification period expires. In order to do that, they must provide proof that they are receiving benefits when they move to their new location. In most cases the staff will provide you with a special card called the Verification of Certification Card (VOC).

To obtain proof, contact your current WV WIC clinic to let them know your plans. When you move, you will need to call your local WIC clinic near your new location and schedule an appointment so you can show them the proof. Make sure to take the special card with you to the appointment to show proof.