Though more than 116,000 families in Nevada qualify for a federal program offering food, nutrition support and education to pregnant and postpartum women, toddlers and infants from low-income households, only about half of those families receive those benefits, state health officials told lawmakers earlier this month.
The low participation rates in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program isn’t just happening in Nevada — nationwide, enrollment in the social safety net program is around 57 percent, with individual state enrollment numbers ranging from 34.6 to 71.6 percent. Research indicates that WIC enrollment has resulted in fewer infant deaths, fewer premature births and increased birth weights.
Julia Peek, the deputy administrator of the community health services section of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, told The Nevada Independent that a variety of factors contribute to lagging WIC enrollment — misinformation, lack of information about benefits, difficulty accessing services and restrictions when shopping with WIC benefits.
Similar to other states, WIC enrollment in Nevada actually jumped 5.4 percent between 2022 and 2023 — a trend seen nationwide and attributed to program changes implemented during the pandemic.
WIC has historically been supported across the aisle, with federal government funding bills passed in March ensured full funding for the program. In 2022, an analysis from the economic research service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that WIC served about 6.3 million participants each month, including about 39 percent of all infants in the United States.
Jamelle Nance is the early childhood policy director at the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves as an independent voice for Nevada's children. She said one of the largest barriers low-income families face when it comes to getting enrolled in programs such as WIC is the disjointedness among systems serving young children, lack of knowledge that these programs exist and the different application processes associated with them.
She added that families often don’t fill out applications for the various programs aimed at helping them because they have to navigate unique, unfamiliar processes for each one.
How it works
WIC is a federally funded program first established in 1972 that Peek and other experts say has been associated with a reduced risk of premature births and infant mortality.
To qualify for Nevada’s WIC program, families must have an income that falls within the qualifying limits, need help with health or nutrition and meet one of the following criteria: be pregnant, had a baby in the past 6 months, be breastfeeding a baby under the age of 1 or care for a baby or child younger than 5 years old. WIC can include caregivers, legal guardians, foster parents or anyone caring for a child under five years old who meets other criteria. WIC participants do not have to be U.S. citizens.
WIC recipients receive a WIC card that operates as a debit or credit card, allowing families to purchase food that falls under a specific set of guidelines and is considered rich in protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients. WIC food items often include milk, cheese, breakfast cereal, eggs, whole wheat bread, brown rice, peanut butter, and canned fish and legumes, while others are excluded, such as white bread, flour tortillas, most meats, certain package sizes of foods and baby food in pouches.
During an interim Health and Human Services Committee meeting in early April, officials with Nevada's Office of Food Security and Wellness said that even when people are enrolled in WIC, they redeem only about 57 percent of the benefits and leave the rest on the table — a rate officials said is lower than they’d like. The highest redemption rates for the 14 food categories available through WIC were infant formula (86.8 percent) and fresh fruits and vegetables (78.7 percent).
Households participating in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC benefits can use both simultaneously, though each has unique application processes. WIC has a higher qualifying income limit than SNAP.
To qualify for WIC, applicants must not only meet federal income guidelines but also show that they have a medical condition or diet that puts them at “nutritional risk” — a requirement that is usually easily met. The process of enrolling includes a nutritional assessment, screening for height, weight and body mass index, a blood test to assess iron deficiency, food package tailoring, nutrition education, referrals and breastfeeding education and support.
Officials said that all steps of the certification process are federally mandated and must be completed before enrollment, making auto-enrollment of eligible SNAP beneficiaries impossible. Many require in-person WIC clinic visits, which also create barriers for families. In contrast, SNAP, which has a less intensive application process, enrolls about 91 percent of eligible Nevadans.
Once a family is enrolled in WIC, the program requires quarterly follow-up appointments, though families are not penalized if they miss one. Families must recertify for the program once a year.
Federal regulations stipulate the amounts and types of food available to WIC participants, aligning with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Peek said those requirements could create a perceived barrier because participants can only shop for specific foods, unlike the broader SNAP, which provides eligible low-income families and individuals with a card, similar to a debit card, to purchase food. SNAP benefits cover a wide range of foods that can be prepared and eaten at home, but not items such as alcohol or hygiene products.