WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program Connecticut provides special supplemental nutrition services to low income families living in Connecticut. Under the program, eligible families will receive food as well as nutrition related education and support. Eligible persons may be parents, stepparents, guardians as well as foster parents of infants or children under the age of five. The Program also provides nutritional food and services to pregnant and postpartum women. Breastfeeding mothers will continue to receive WIC benefits in Connecticut during the first year of breastfeeding.

Eligible applicants for WIC program will have to prove their income to be within income limits set by the program. Only residents of Connecticut can apply for Connecticut WIC and they will have to prove their identity at the time of interview. Applicants will also have to prove that they are a nutritional risk in order to become eligible for the program.

The WIC program provides number of benefits such as aid to buy nutritional food, nutritional education, breastfeeding education, and nutritional risk assessment. The program also provides support for eligible candidates.

Under the food support program of Connecticut WIC, eligible candidates will receive food and vouchers to get fresh fruits and vegetables. These vouchers are provided once in Summer through The Farmer's Nutrition Market Program. In addition to these coupons, enrollees can buy permitted food from any WIC approved store. The program wants participants to buy the cheapest brands. All WIC approved food brands offer the same quality. List of approved food items is available at this link: portal.ct.gov/dph.

In order to apply for the Connecticut WIC program, one has to contact local WIC office and schedule an appointment.

Eligibility Requirements

The Connecticut WIC program requires applicants to meet certain eligibility criteria before they can receive any benefits. The following persons residing in Connecticut are eligible for Connecticut WIC:

• Infants before their first birthday
• Children for up to age five
• Breastfeeding women up to one year after child's birth
• Non-breastfeeding postpartum women for up to six months after birth of a child, or at the time pregnancy ends
• Pregnant women during pregnancy period, and six months after their pregnancy ends

Applicants will have to meet the following eligibility requirements in order to receive WIC benefits in Connecticut:

• Must be a US citizen or a qualified alien
• Must be a resident of state of Connecticut
• Must meet income limits set for the program
• Must be at nutritional risk as determined by a qualified health professional

Income Eligibility

Income eligibility limits are set based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. Individuals looking to take WIC benefits will have to meet income eligibility. However, families or individuals receiving Food Stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Family Assistance won't have to proof their income. They are automatically income-eligible for Connecticut WIC program.

The income limits for Connecticut WIC program are set at 185% of the federal poverty income limit. Depending on the number of people in the households, the maximum gross and net income allowed for the program varies. An unborn is count as a member of the household for the purpose of the program. Here is complete chart listing number of people in the household against income limits for the program:

Family Size	Annual	Monthly	Twice-Monthly	Bi-Weekly	Weekly
1	$26,973	$2,248	$1,124	$1,038	$519
2	$36,482	$3,041	$1,521	$1,404	$702
3	$45,991	$3,833	$1,917	$1,769	$885
4	$55,550	$4,625	$2,313	$2,135	$1,068
5	$65,009	$5,418	$2,709	$2,501	$1,251
6	$74,518	$6,210	$3,105	$2,867	$1,434
7	$84,027	$7,003	$3,502	$3,232	$1,616
8	$93,536	$7,795	$3,898	$3,598	$1,799

WIC Application Instructions

To apply for Connecticut WIC, find a WIC office near you. Please use this link to locate an office in your area: http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/wic/carols_stuff/Local_Agency_list_9_12.pdf

When applying, you will have to make sure that you've checked the eligibility criteria. Ask the office for all the documents you need to bring in order to prove your eligibility at the interview. In case you fail to bring the documents, you may have to re-schedule an appointment with the WIC office.