The Hawaii WIC is an initiative by the state of Hawaii and the US federal government that provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education to low-income pregnant and postpartum women and also to infants and children below six years of age who are medically established to be at nutritional risk.

The Hawaii WIC program has helped promote nutrition and health among low-income mothers and infants in the state of Hawaii. Some of the benefits that members of the program receive include:

• Free screening for nutritional and health deficiencies
• Free checks and budgetary supplements to buy healthy food
• Beneficial referrals to doctors and other state sponsored programs like FoodShare and Medicaid.
• Free nutritional education
• Immunization services for infants and children

By providing these services, the Hawaii WIC program has been able to promote health care among women, infants and children by reducing the number of premature births, low-birth weight cases and cutting the long-term medical expenses of families with children and infants in the state of Hawaii.

In order to qualify for the Hawaii WIC program, you must either be a pregnant woman, a new mother, an infant below age 1 or a child up to five years of age. Additionally you must be a resident of the state of Hawaii, be medically proven to be nutritionally at risk and meet the income eligibility requirements for the program.

If you meet the specified eligibility requirements you should proceed and apply for the program. Application to the Hawaii WIC is a fairly easy process that can be conducted online or in person. Upon successful processing of your applications you will start receiving the benefits of the program.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for the Hawaii WIC program you must met a specified set of eligibility requirements. These requirements are mainly categorical and financial in nature. The eligibility requirements for the Hawaii WIC program is divided into residential, categorical and income eligibility requirements and include:

Hawaii WIC Categorical Eligibility Requirements

The Hawaii WIC program is aimed at certain categories of residents. These categories include women, Children and infants, who must meet the specific requirements for each category.

Hawaii WIC Eligibility Requirements for Women include:

• Those women who are pregnant or a new mother within six weeks of the birth of an infant
• Those women who are postpartum up to six months of the birth of an infant or,
• Breast feeding, until the infant is one year old

In order to be eligible for the Hawaii WIC program Infants and children, need to be below the age of six.

Hawaii WIC residential requirements include:

• All the applicants to the program must be residents of the state of Hawaii
• The applicants should live in a local service area and apply in the specific WIC clinic that serves that area

Hawaii WIC Nutritional Risk Requirement

In order o qualify for the Hawaii WIC program; the applicants must be examined by a health professional to establish whether he or she is at nutritional risk. This service is offered at you nearest Hawaii WIC clinic free of charge. Nutritional risks that are considered under this program include: anemia, underweight, a history of pregnancy complications, among others.

Hawaii WIC Nutritional Risk Requirement

In order to qualify for the Hawaii WIC program you must meet the income eligibility requirements available on this link: Hawaii WIC income eligibility requirements. It however should be noted that these income eligibility requirement is based on the income before tax.

An eligibility pre-screening tool for the program can be found in the following link: Hawaii WIC Eligibility Pre-screening tool.

WIC Application Instructions

You can apply for the Hawaii WIC program by calling the following toll free number: 586-8175 in order to book an appointment with your nearest Hawaii WIC clinic. Once you are given a date for the appointment you proceed to print a referral form from the following link www.health.hawaii.gov/wic/. Upon printing the form you should take it to your healthcare provider so that it can be filed, however in the case you do not have a health care provider you can fill the form on your own.

On the day of your appointment with a Hawaii WIC program representative, you should remember to carry the important verification documents available on the following link: www.hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/wic

After submitting your application and appearing for an interview, you should wait for official correspondence from the Hawaii WIC officials. If your application is successful you will start enjoying the benefits of the program.

Important Contact Information for Hawaii WIC program

WIC Program Contact: Linda Chock

Chief, WIC Services Branch State Department of Health WIC Office Location:
235 South Beretania Street, Suite 701
Honolulu, HI 96813

WIC Phone Numbers Voice: 1 (808) 586-8175