Applying For New Jersey WIC

New Jersey WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is handled by the New Jersey Department of Health. They are responsible for determing the eligibility requirements, application process and are in charge of providing the benefits and services to WIC participants. The New Jersey WIC program aims to protect the health of low income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to the age of 5 who are at a nutritional risk. This is done through WIC approved nutritious foods you can purchase using paper vouchers/checks, or in some states your WIC EBT card.

Nutrition Risk Requirements

Anyone who applies for New Jersey WIC benefits must be seen by a health professional such as a physician, nurse, or nutritionist. They must determine whether the applicant is at a nutrition risk. In most cases, this can be done at a local WIC clinic at no cost to the applicant. However, if need be, this information can be obtained from another health professional such as the applicants doctor. Being a nutrition risk means that an individual has a medical-based or dietary-based condition.

For medical-based condition it could be anemia, underweight or a history of poor pregnacy outcome. For a dietary-based condition, this could include having a poor diet. At a minimum, the applicant's height and weight must be taken and bloodwork drawn up to check for anemia. An applicant must have at least one of the medical or dietary conditions listed on the state's list of WIC nutrition risk criteria.

WIC Prescreening

Before applying for the NJ WIC program, you can see if you are potentially eligible through the online Prescreening Tool. Please note, this tool is not considered an application. You still need to follow the application process for this state. It takes about 15 minutes to complete.

New Jersey Eligibility

The following people are eligible to apply for NJ WIC benefits:

• Pregnant women
• Women who have delivered a child within the last six months
• Breastfeeding women who have delivered a child within the last year
• Infants and children under five years old

To be eligible for New Jersey WIC, people in these categories must:

• Have a medical condition or limited access to nutrition that places their health at risk
• Live in New Jersey and provide proof of residency
• Meet New Jersey WIC Income Guidelines

New Jersey WIC Application

New Jersey WIC Services are available to low and no income families as well as families experiencing unemployment, military deployment and other interim family financial hardships. To start the application process for NJ WIC benefits you need to contact your local WIC clinic and schedule an appointment.

New Jersey WIC Appointment

You need to bring the following information with you to your appointment:

• Proof of identity
• Proof of pregnancy
• Proof of income
• Proof of residency
• Your health care referral form
• Your children's Universal Child Health Record (How to complete this form)
  Your children's vaccination records

New Jersey eWIC System

The state is planning to implement the eWIC system by the end of 2020. This replaces paper vouchers or checks with a New Jersey WIC EBT (Electronic benefit transfer) Card. When purchasing WIC approved foods at your local grocery store, you would hand the cashier your NJ WIC EBT Card and they will swipe it like a normal debit or credit card. From there the POS system will deduct the amount from your WIC balance. Also, each month, instead of having to go down to the WIC clinic to get new paper checks or vouchers, your New Jersey WIC EBT Card will automatically be refilled electronically. Again, this will not be fully implemented until the end of 2020.

WIC Breastfeeding

Research has shown that breast milk is the best food for the baby's first year of life. Breastfeeding provides many health, nutritional and economical benefits to mother and baby. Since a major goal of the New Jersey WIC program is to improve the nutritional status of infants, NJ WIC encourages participating mothers to choose breastfeeding in the following ways:

• Mothers are provided with breastfeeding information and support
• Breastfeeding mothers are eligible to participate in New Jersey WIC longer than non-breastfeeding mothers
• Mothers who exclusively breastfeed receive a larger amount and variety of foods
• Mothers can receive a pump and other breastfeeding items if needed to help support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding

Length of WIC Participation

New Jersey WIC is considered a short-term program. A participate "graduates" at the end of one or more of their certification periods. A certification period is the length of time a NJ WIC participate is eligible to receive benefits. Depending on the persons condition, either pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, an infant or child, an eligible person usually receives benefits from 6 months to a year, at which time they are required to re-apply.

The WIC Waiting List

In some situations, WIC agencies may not have enough financial backing to serve everyone who qualifies for the New Jersey WIC program or those who call to apply. At this point, the WIC agencies must keep a list that is referred to as the "waiting list". It contains all of the individuals who want to apply for the New Jersey WIC program and are likely to be served. From there, the WIC agencies use a special system called a "Priority System". Based on conditions like most serious health conditions (anemia, underweight, pregnancy problems), this system will determine who will be served next to receive NJ WIC benefits. There are 7 priorities used in this priority system, the details for each priority and how they are determined are listed below.

Priority 1
The following applicants with nutrition-related medical conditions such as anemia, underweight, overweight or pre-term birth:

• Pregnant Women
• Breastfeeding Women
• Infants

Priority 2
Infants up to 6 months of age whose mothers participated in WIC or could have participated and had nutrition-related medical conditions.

Priority 3
Children with nutrition-related medical conditions.

Priority 4
The following applicants with dietary problems, for example a poor diet:

• Infants
• Pregnant Women
• Breastfeeding Women

Priority 5
Children with dietary problems, for example a poor diet.

Priority 6
Postpartum (non-breastfeeding) women with nutrition related-medical conditions or dietary problems.

Priority 7
Current WIC participants who without providing the WIC supplemental foods could continue to have medical and/or dietary problems.

Please note, state agencies can decide to place homeless and migrant participants in Priorities 5 through 7. At the state agencies option, postpartum women may be placed in Priorities 3 through 5. Any priority can be subdivided into subcategories of risk, using factors such as income or age.

WIC Participants who are Moving

If you are receiving New Jersey WIC benefits and are moving from one area or state to another, then you will be placed at the top of a waiting list when you move and are also served first when the WIC agency can serve more individuals. While moving, you can still continue to receive your benefits until your certification period expires as long as there is proof that you are receiving WIC benefits in another area or state. Before you move, you need to contact your local WIC clinic and let them know.

In most cases the staff will give you a special card, Verification of Certification Card (VOC), which will prove that you are receiving WIC benefits. After you do move, you will then need to call the WIC clinic in your new area to schedule an appointment. When attending your appointment, make sure to take the VOC card that was given to you to show proof that you were participating in the NJ WIC program.

If you still have questions or issues about the program, then you can contact your local New Jersey WIC program that manages these benefits and services.