WIC Glossary — Terms and Definitions

Adjunct Eligibility

If your household already receives SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF, you automatically satisfy WIC's income requirement — no separate income documentation needed, since your income was already verified by another program. This is sometimes called "income adjunctive eligibility."

Cash Value Benefit (CVB)

The produce portion of your WIC benefit, loaded as a dollar amount. Unlike the other WIC benefits, which are quantity-based, the CVB is flexible — spend it on any WIC-approved fruits and vegetables up to the dollar amount. The amount varies by participant category and has increased significantly since WIC added the CVB as part of the 2009 food package revision.

Categorical Eligibility

The "who you are" part of WIC eligibility. To qualify, you must belong to one of five categories: pregnant women, postpartum women (up to 6 months after delivery), breastfeeding women (up to 12 months after delivery), infants (birth through 12 months), or children (ages 1 through the day before their fifth birthday).

Certification Period

The period of time during which a WIC participant is determined eligible and receives benefits. Certification periods vary by participant category and typically range from 6 months to one year.

Contract Brand (Contract Formula)

The infant formula brand covered by WIC in a given state. Each state runs a competitive bidding process in which one formula manufacturer wins a sole-source contract in exchange for rebates paid back to the state. The contract brand changes from state to state, and can change within a state when a new contract is awarded.

EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer)

The technology platform used to deliver WIC food benefits. WIC EBT cards work like debit cards at WIC-authorized stores, and only allow the purchase of WIC-approved items in approved quantities. It is separate from SNAP EBT.

Exempt Formula

A medically necessary formula for infants with specific dietary or medical conditions that cannot be addressed by the state's standard contract formula. Requires medical justification from the infant's physician and approval from the WIC agency.

FNA (Food and Nutrition Administration)

The agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that administers WIC and other federal nutrition assistance programs at the federal level, formerly known as the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) before a 2026 reorganization. State WIC agencies operate under FNA oversight and federal regulations.

Food Package

The specific set of WIC-authorized food items allocated to a participant each month. Food packages are defined by USDA and vary by participant category.

FPL (Federal Poverty Level)

The federal poverty guidelines published annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. WIC uses 185% of FPL as its income eligibility threshold.

Hemoglobin / Hematocrit

Blood tests used to screen for anemia, a common nutritional risk condition in WIC-eligible populations, typically conducted at WIC certification appointments using a fingerstick blood sample.

Local Agency

The clinic, health department, or organization that actually runs WIC appointments in your community. WIC is administered at the state level, but day-to-day operations happen through local agencies operating under contract with the state WIC agency.

NSA (Nutrition Services and Administration)

The component of WIC funding that covers program operations, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and agency staffing, as distinct from food benefit costs.

Nutritional Risk

One of WIC's eligibility requirements. A WIC health professional determines whether you have at least one qualifying nutrition-related condition — anemia, being underweight or overweight, an inadequate diet, or simply being pregnant. In practice this is a broad standard that almost everyone from an eligible household meets.

Recertification

The process by which a WIC participant's eligibility is re-evaluated at the end of each certification period, requiring a new appointment, re-assessment of nutritional risk, and income verification.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP is a separate federal nutrition assistance program. SNAP provides a monthly dollar benefit for general food purchases. Receiving SNAP automatically satisfies WIC's income requirement.

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — a federal program funded by USDA and administered by state agencies. It provides food benefits, nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, and referrals to eligible low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children under age 5.

WPA (WIC Participant Agreement)

The form you sign when you certify for WIC. It acknowledges that you understand the program rules — that benefits can only be used for approved foods at authorized stores, and that you're responsible for reporting changes in your eligibility status.

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