The New York WIC program is an initiative by the US federal government, through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that seeks to promote the health of women, infants and children through the provision of nutritious foods, nutrition education, healthcare referrals and other important services. At the state level, the program is administered by the New York Department of Health and has had a positive effect on the health of women, infants and children in the state of New York.

The New York WIC program targets the following categories of low-income individuals:

• Women undergoing pregnancy or within 6 weeks after delivery
• Breastfeeding women up to the infants first birthday
• Postpartum women
• Infants
• Children up to 5 years of age

It has been established that participants of the WIC program have longer, healthier pregnancies with a significantly lower number of premature births. This is attributed to the fact that, the New York WIC program provides food with nutrients that are often missing in the diets of low-income women and children.

In order to qualify for the program, you need to meet a specified set of eligibility requirements. These requirements are mainly categorical, income, residential and medical in nature. If you meet the basic eligibility requirements, you should go ahead and apply for the program.

Applying for the New York WIC program is a fairly easy and convenient process. All you need to do is to contact you nearest New York WIC clinic and book an appointment for an interview. Upon successful completion of the interview you will start enjoying the benefits of the program.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for the New York WIC program, you need to meet a specified set of eligibility requirements. These requirements are broadly divided into:

• Categorical eligibility requirements
• Residential eligibility requirements
• Income eligibility requirements ,and
• Proof of nutritional risk

NY WIC Categorical Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for the New York WIC program you must fall into one of these categories: women, Infants and children. Additionally you must meet the individual categorical eligibility requirements highlighted below:

Women

Women applying for the New York need to be:

• Undergoing pregnancy or within 6 weeks after delivery
• Postpartum
• Breastfeeding up to the infants first birthday

Infants

• Up to the first birthday

Children

• Up to the fifth birthday

Residential Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for the New York WIC program, applicants need to be residents of the state of New York. Additionally they should be US citizens or legal aliens who have resided in the state for more than 5 years.

Income Eligibility Requirements

In order to become a participant of the New York WIC program, you must meet a set of income eligibility requirements. These eligibility requirements are based on the gross household income and household size and can be viewed by clicking here.

Proof of Nutritional Risk

Applicants to the New York WIC program need to be medically examined by a healthcare professional and proven to be nutritionally at risk. This medical examination is provided free of charge at a local New York WIC clinic.

WIC Application Instructions

Applying for the New York WIC program is a fairly easy process. All you need to do is to locate and call your nearest local office available by clicking here. You can also call the "Growing Healthy Hotline" through the following number: 1-800-522-5006 to locate your nearest New York WIC local office. By doing this you will able to schedule an appointment for an interview with a New York WIC program representative.

Before going for the interview you must remember to carry the important documents, which can be found by clicking here.

You also need to download and fill out the relevant forms available by clicking here.

During the interview New York WIC staff will carry out a medical examination, verify your documents and ask you questions directed at establishing your eligibility to the program. Upon successful completion of the process you will start receiving the benefits of the New York WIC program.