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WIC Benefits: Which states are adjusting their payments?

In response to the baby formula shortage

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits

The United States is currently suffering from a baby formula shortage and has been for a few weeks now. This is a problem, since not all alternatives are fully safe. As such, there have been calls for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to be expanded.

This program safeguards the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to the age five who are at nutritional risk, providing benefits to purchase items such as baby formula.

However, there are only certain types of baby formula that can be purchased with WIC benefits, so there have been calls at the state level to expand the program to include other types.

"Applicable WIC state agencies individually requested waivers of the federal requirement that prohibits WIC authorized vendors from providing exchanges of products purchased with WIC benefits," a Food and Nutrition statement explained.

"This waiver helps allow WIC participants to be treated like all other customers during the 2022 Abbott recall of certain powder infant formula and exempt infant formula."

Which states are changing their WIC Benefits rules on baby formula?

In total, there are 89 local WIC Agencies across seven regions and all 50 states. The following are the local WIC branches that have requested and been granted permission to expand the scope of WIC benefits to deal with the baby formula shortage:

  • Santee Sioux Nation WIC
  • Muscogee Creek Nation WIC
  • Northern Arapaho WIC
  • Alabama WIC
  • North Carolina WIC
  • Arkansas WIC
  • Citizen Potawatomi Nation WIC
  • Colorado WIC
  • Inter-Tribal Council of Oklahoma WIC
  • New York WIC
  • Wichita, Caddo, and Delaware Tribes WIC
  • Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council WIC
  • Florida WIC
  • Georgia WIC
  • Mississippi WIC
  • South Carolina WIC
  • Chickasaw Nation WIC
  • Ohio WIC
  • Otoe Missouria WIC
  • Three Affiliated Tribes WIC
  • Ute Mountain Ute Tribe WIC
  • Winnebago Tribe WIC
  • Arizona WIC
  • California WIC
  • Indiana WIC
  • New Jersey WIC
  • New Mexico WIC
  • Oklahoma WIC
  • Omaha Nation WIC
  • Puerto Rico WIC
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe WIC
  • Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma WIC
  • Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma WIC
  • Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc. WIC
  • Louisiana WIC
  • Maine WIC
  • Navajo Nation WIC
  • Osage Nation WIC
  • Pueblo of Isleta WIC
  • Texas WIC
  • Utah WIC
  • Washington WIC
  • Pueblo of Zuni WIC
  • Alaska WIC
  • American Samoa WIC
  • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands WIC
  • Connecticut WIC
  • Delaware WIC
  • District of Columbia WIC
  • Guam WIC
  • Hawaii WIC
  • Idaho WIC
  • Iowa WIC
  • Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona WIC
  • Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada WIC
  • Kansas WIC
  • Kentucky WIC
  • Maryland WIC
  • Massachusetts WIC
  • Michigan WIC
  • Minnesota WIC
  • Missouri WIC
  • Montana WIC
  • Nebraska WIC
  • Nevada WIC
  • New Hampshire WIC
  • North Dakota WIC
  • Oregon WIC
  • Pennsylvania WIC
  • Rhode Island WIC
  • South Dakota WIC
  • Standing Rock Sioux Tribe WIC
  • Tennessee WIC
  • U.S. Virgin Islands WIC
  • Vermont WIC
  • Virginia WIC
  • West Virginia WIC
  • Wisconsin WIC
  • Wyoming WIC
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