What You Need To Know
Arizona has set up a nutrition program for women, infants, and children. It aims to safeguard their health by providing services. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program provides supplemental foods, nutrition education, and referrals to healthcare at no cost. This is especially for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women. Along with them, the program has also been set up for infants and children up to the age of 5. The WIC makes sure that these individuals do not have to face nutritional risk. There are two kinds of nutritional risks that can take place which are covered by this program. These risks are:
- Medical-based risk condition
- Diet-based risk condition
This benefit program can be described as short term. This is because there are certification periods which may range from 6 months to a year. Individuals receive the benefits of the WIC only during this period. If they wish to maintain these benefits, they need to renew them according to the ending date. The services provided by the Arizona WIC include:
- Nutrition education
- Breastfeeding support
- Nutrition experts for mothers and children
- Nutrition information for Pregnancies
- Tips for infants and children that lead to healthy habits
- Referrals to health care
- Healthy foods.
The foods that are approved by the WIC are available at their approved grocery store. A list of these stores can easily be found online. Therefore, qualified individuals can simply refer to this list and find their nearest authorized retailer. WIC has limited resources; therefore, it cannot serve everyone who applies for it. For this reason, a waiting list is kept. The most deserving families receive qualification first whilst the rest is dependent upon the resources of the program. WIC agencies use the priority system in order to determine which people should be served first. This allows them to cater to those participants first who may have serious health conditions such as anemia.
Are You Eligible?
The program requirements for this particular benefit program are listed below:
- The applicant must be a resident of the state of Arizona
- The applicant must be either
- A pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum women; or
- An infant or child below the age of 5
- The applicant must be labeled by a health profession as an individual at nutrition risk.
This program has been set up for those individuals who are unable to provide for their medical treatments. Therefore, the eligibility criteria take into account their annual household income. For qualification, the earnings of the interested individual must be in line with or below the mentioned amounts:
| Size of The Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
| 1 | 23,107 |
| 2 | 31,284 |
| 3 | 39,461 |
| 4 | 47,638 |
| 5 | 55,815 |
| 6 | 63,992 |
| 7 | 72,169 |
| 8 | 80,346 |
$8,177 is added in case there are more than eight members in the household. This amount is on a per-person basis. It is advised that interested individuals approach their managing agencies. These will prove helpful in providing them with the right assistance concerning the program and other queries.
Automatic eligibility is granted to certain people. These are the qualified members of other benefit programs such as:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP
- Medicaid
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – TANF
How to Apply
The application process can be initiated by approaching the WIC clinic closest to you. It can be found through online websites. Therefore, by calling or contacting them you can set up an appointment for assistance and guidance. A call line has been set up to cater to people with this assistance:
1-800-252-5942
Once an appointment has been set up, it is expected that the person brings the following documents. These help determine the eligibility of the person. All the people who wish to be enrolled in the WIC program must be present for the appointment. They must bring along with them:
- Proof of Identification. For adults, it can be a driver’s license whilst children can bring their birth certificates.
- Proof of Income. This can include the 30 days of recent paystubs, an AHCCCS letter or a SNAP Letter.
- Proof of Address such as the mail or bill.
For Further Information
Interested individuals can gain more in-depth information about the Arizona WIC through the Arizona Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Nutrition Services (OCDPNS). The online website for it is open for public access. You can also reach their office through the following number:
602-542-1886
WIC is a federally funded program, therefore information regarding it can also be found on the USDA’s Women, Infants, and Children program page. The same website has the relevant list of toll-free numbers which can easily be visited.