New guidelines have been set for families to receive help for putting food on the table. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) recently updated the guidelines in Michigan.
Participants can earn a slight bit more this year than last year’s guidelines allowed and still qualify. This federally-funded program by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) allows participants receive benefits through the Michigan WIC bridge card. Bridge cards can be used to buy specific supplemental foods such as milk, yogurt, eggs, bread, whole wheat pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, and infant formula at certain grocery stores and pharmacies.
“WIC is critical component for making sure parents are receiving good educational and nutritional support, and that young children are eating the right foods, to help them grow into healthy adults,” said Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer for the Kent County Health Department. “If someone applied for benefits before but was not eligible, now may be a good opportunity to take another look to see if these new guidelines are a better fit.”
Michigan WIC Program Guidelines – 2023 - 2024 (Replaces previous guidelines effective June 1, 2023) Gross income* (before taxes) cannot exceed the following amounts:
New Income Guidelines Set for WIC Program
Family Size | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annually |
1 | $12.96 | $519 | $2,248 | $26,973 |
2 | $17.53 | $702 | $3,041 | $36,482 |
3 | $22.11 | $885 | $3,833 | $45,991 |
4 | $26.68 | $1,068 | $4,625 | $55,500 |
Note: A pregnant woman is counted as one + the number of Infants expected when determining income eligibility for the Total Economic Unit.
The WIC program, through the Kent County Health Department, provides nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, education and support, referrals to other health care providers, high risk nutrition counseling, immunizations, and supplemental foods. The supplemental foods that participants receive while on the WIC program meet daily nutrient needs such as vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium and iron.
For more information on WIC, go to http://www.accesskent.com/Health/WIC/ or call (616) 632-7200.
