Applying For New Hampshire WIC
New Hampshire WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is handled by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 NH 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 Hampshire WIC Eligibility
NH WIC services are for:
- Pregnant women
- Breastfeeding women up to 12 month after the infant's birth
- Non-breastfeeding women up to 6 months after the infants' birth
- Infants, and children up to their 5th birthday
To be eligible for New Hampshire WIC benefits, you must be income eligible, reside in the service area covered by the local agency, and be nutritionally at risk as determined by a staff nutritionist. Services are available by calling 800-WIC-4321, or by calling the local agency closest to where one lives. View the New Hampshire WIC Income Guidelines.
New Hampshire WIC Application
To start the application process for NH WIC benefits you need to call your local WIC clinic and schedule an appointment or call the State WIC Agency at 800-942-4321.
New Hampshire eWIC System
New Hampshire is planning to move to the eWIC system by the end of the fall in 2018. This will replace your WIC checks or vouchers with a NH WIC EBT (Electronic benefit transfer) Card. When purchasing WIC approved foods at your local grocery store, you would hand the cashier your New Hampshire WIC EBT Card and they will swipe it like a credit or debit card. Their POS system will then deduct the amount from your WIC balance. Also, instead of having to go to your local WIC clinic each month to get more paper checks or vouchers, your NH eWIC card will automatically be refilled electronically.
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 Hampshire WIC program is to improve the nutritional status of infants, NH 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 NH 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 NH 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 Hampshire 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 NH WIC program.
If you still have questions or issues about the program, then you can contact your local New Hampshire WIC program that manages these benefits and services.