WIC Program

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children

To improve the health of women and children by providing nutritious foods and nutrition education to pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women to improve their diets and the diets of infants and children under age 5 who have a financial need.

Hot Topics

New Resource! - www.extension.org/parenting: provides access to parenting e-newsletters beginning with pregnancy and going to age 5; as well as a link to ask university human development experts questions covering a variety of topics including: parenting, nutrition, behavioral issues, growth and development and mental health.

Preventing Listeriosis during Pregnancy - A 3-minute podcast for pregnant women or those who may become pregnant. For additional information on pregnancy and food borne illness, please visit the Colorado State University Extension.

WIC program expands food benefits to include additional healthful foods.

Program Information

Services Provided

• Checks for milk, cereal, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, beans, juices, and infant formula. Tuna and carrots available for certain breastfeeding mothers
• Individualized nutrition education.
• Growth and anemia screening
• Referrals to health, food and other community resources.
• Breastfeeding support and breast pump loan program

Eligibility Guidelines

In order to be a participant in the Colorado WIC Program a person must meet the following four criteria:

1. Categorical - a person must be one of the following:
   • Pregnant woman
   • Breastfeeding woman (up to one year after the delivery of a baby)
   • Postpartum woman who is not breastfeeding (up to 6 months after the delivery of a baby)
   • Infant
   • Child up to 5 years of age

   Not all categories are served in all Colorado counties.  In Weld, Rio Grande, Conejos, and Costilla counties the categories served by WIC are limited because of the availability of the Commodity Supplemental Foods Program.  In other counties categories may be limited by caseload.

2. In order to financially qualify for the WIC Program, a participant's combined household gross income cannot exceed the WIC Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEG). The WIC IEGs are 185% of the Poverty Guidelines published in the Federal Register on 03/23/2012 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The WIC IEGs listed below are in effect for Colorado beginning July 1, 2012.

   WIC INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

   	185% of Poverty Standard Deduction Gross Yearly
   Household Size	ANNUAL	MONTHLY	WEEKLY
   1	20,665	1,723	398
   2	27,991	2,333	539
   3	35,317	2,944	680
   4	42,643	3,554	821
   5	49,969	4,165	961
   6	57,295	4,775	1,102
   7	64,621	5,386	1,243
   8	71,947	5,996	1,384
   For each additional family member add	+7,326	+611	+141

   NOTE: Add one to household size for a pregnant women

   Use the following steps to manually calculate gross income.

   1. If a household has only one income source or if all income sources have the same frequency, compare the income, or the sum of the separate incomes, to the published IEGs for the appropriate frequency and household size.
   2. If a household reports income sources at more than one frequency, perform the following calculations:
      • Annualize all income by multiplying weekly income by 52, income received every two weeks by 26, income received twice a month by 24, and income received monthly by 12.
      • Do not round the values resulting from each conversion.
      • Add together all the unrounded, converted values.
      • Compare the total to the annual income for the appropriate household size to determine income eligibility.
3. Address - Participants in the Colorado WIC program must live in Colorado. Generally, they are also required to be served in the county where they live. In some cases a local WIC agency may serve several counties.  In that case, a person must be served by the local agency that provides services for their county.
4. Nutritional Need - Nutritional need is determined during a WIC visit and must meet certain criteria established for the WIC Program. Potential participants provide information on the appropriate Health Questionnaire below. Nutritional need is determined from that information along with growth measurements and blood iron values.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens if I miss my appointment?
   If you are already enrolled on WIC, you should call and make another appointment. Please call the main number of the clinic nearest you for more information. For new clients that have missed an appointment, please call the nearest clinic to reschedule
2. Will I get money back if I don't buy all the foods on my WIC check?
   No. If you can not use all the foods on your checks, please talk to a WIC educator about tailoring a food package that meets your needs.
3. What's in a WIC food package?
   The Northeast County Health Department has a nice website with these details.

Related Internet Sites

• CSU Extension
• State Of Colorado WIC Program
• National WIC Program
• Food Stamps
• American Dietetic Association - For Nutritional Information

Contact Information

Larimer County updates from: Email • RSS • Twitter • Facebook • YouTube
Home • Mobile Site • Contact Us • Legal Disclaimers   ||   Plain Text • Convierta al Español
200 W. Oak Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521 • 970-498-7000   ||   © 1995-2013, Larimer County