SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 9, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is now offering smartcards rather than paper checks in order to speed up help to struggling families impacted by COVID-19.
“2021 ushers in a whole new chapter for Utah WIC participants as the age-old practice of using paper checks to redeem WIC benefits is replaced by an EBT smart card,” says a statement issued by the Utah Department of Health.
“Effective Feb. 1, all food packages will be redeemed with an EBT smart card at nearly 300 authorized grocery stores across the state.”
WIC is a public health nutrition program “providing wholesome food, nutrition education, and community support for income-eligible women who are pregnant or post-partum and for infants and children up to 5 years of age,” the UDoH statement says.
“Until now, WIC participants redeemed food benefits using time consuming paper checks. Each qualifying family member received a set of checks to use as needed throughout the month. Each check had to be used for specific, nutritious foods. If the participant didn’t purchase every item allocated on the checks, the benefits would go unredeemed. Time spent in the checkout line was often tedious and embarrassing for participants.”
To help with the transition, Utah WIC has also launched a WICShopper app.
“The end of cumbersome paper checks streamlines the entire WIC process and helps families get back to the activities they love quicker and with less stress,” the statement says.
“WIC hopes to give participants the resources, knowledge, and tools they need to be successful.”
To find out if you qualify visit https://wic.utah.gov/ or call 1-877-WIC KIDS.
