Tennessee WIC Program

Tennessee WIC is administered by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) but delivered locally through 126 service sites — county health departments, stand-alone clinics, and hospital-based locations — organized across 14 regional zones statewide. The program serves tens of thousands of Tennessee families every month.

Who WIC Serves in Tennessee

WIC is open to pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to their 5th birthday. Fathers, foster parents, grandparents, and other guardians can apply on behalf of an eligible child. To qualify, a household needs to meet income guidelines and show a nutrition-related risk — like being underweight, anemic, or newly pregnant — which a WIC staff member or your doctor can help confirm at your appointment.

What Your Benefits Include

Once approved, benefits are loaded monthly onto the TNWIC card, Tennessee's eWIC card, which works like a debit card at authorized grocery stores and supermarkets statewide. Covered items include milk, eggs, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and infant formula. WIC-authorized pharmacies in Tennessee only accept the TNWIC card for specialized infant formulas and WIC-eligible nutritionals, not for regular food items, so plan on a grocery store for your standard monthly package. Many participants use the free WICShopper app to scan barcodes in the aisle, check their benefit balance, find authorized stores, and browse recipes.

How WIC Works in Tennessee

Because Tennessee WIC is delivered through local clinics rather than a single statewide office, the fastest way to get started is to find and call the WIC site nearest you. A staff member will schedule a certification appointment and let you know what to bring — proof of identity, proof of Tennessee residency, and proof of income or participation in a program like TennCare or SNAP. Shelby County (Memphis area) uses its own scheduling line — the Shelby County Health Department Call Center — instead of the statewide number, so residents there should confirm they're calling the right office.

Staying Enrolled

Recertification timing depends on your category: pregnant participants are certified through pregnancy and six months postpartum (twelve months if breastfeeding), infants are recertified around six months and again near their first birthday, and children are certified every six to twelve months until age five. Your local clinic will notify you before your certification period ends — don't wait until the last week to schedule, since TNWIC benefits for each monthly period expire and do not roll over.