South Carolina working to overcome barriers keeping some from WIC benefits

During her recent pregnancy, Kaitlyn Hair struggled financially just to provide the proper nourishment for herself and her unborn baby.

A former Apple customer service technician, Hair said her income wasn’t much, and even that was being heavily depleted “with all the inflation that was happening.”

“It was hard to take on the responsibility of having groceries, having enough to eat, having the right nutrition,” Hair said. “So, I looked up WIC.”

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, is a federally-funded program that provides food, nutrition education and support to pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to 5 years old found to be at nutritional risk.

The program came to Hair's aid when she was pregnant and is helping her provide for her son, now eight months old.

”They’ve taken pretty much of the financial burden off, especially with the baby food, the fruits and vegetables,” Hair said.

Analysis:Baby formula shortage hits low-income women, moms of color hardest

From USA TODAY:Inflation and COVID, a baby formula shortage and food insecurity: Why aren’t more eligible Americans using WIC?

But it’s not just the food she appreciates. It’s the advice and support she’s received as a first-time mother who breastfeeds.

“There’s always somebody there to help you,” said Hair, who is now a stay-at-home mom.

SCDHEC looks to expand WIC's reach

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which administers WIC locally, is aiming to be a source of help to more people like Hair who can benefit from the program.

To do so, the agency is working to overcome barriers making it difficult to provide the service to those who need it, said Kandi Fredere, DHEC’s Upstate Region Public Health Director.

Fredere said her agency faces staffing challenges. Ideally, she said, there would be at least 35 nutritionists covering this 11-county region. Eleven of those positions are vacant.

“You just don’t have the people to do the work,” Fredere said. “That makes it hard for us to provide the service in a timely manner.”

Administrative staffers work one-on-one with the family to assure they qualify for WIC services, set appointments with the nutritionists, and explain how the program works, Fredere said.

Nutritionists conduct a nutritional assessment with the family and, based on the assessment, will then provide individualized education to improve nutritional outcomes, she said. The nutritionist then “builds” the food package which is based off the needs identified in the assessment.

DHEC's registered dietitians work more closely with high-risk clients and provide more detailed education and assessments. Breastfeeding staff work with breastfeeding moms to educate and coach them through the breastfeeding process, Fredere said.

Many people think they earn too much money to qualify for WIC.

“I think it’s important just from an education standpoint with the general public to understand that even if you’re a full-time working parent, you could meet the criteria if you meet the income guidelines,” Fredere said.

The income eligibility guidelines posted on DHEC’s website range from annual income of $25,142 for a family of one to $86,266 for a family of eight.

The program primarily assists women who are pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding or have a newborn, infants newborn to age 1, and children ages one to five.

But grandparents and single fathers may also qualify.

“Just because it’s women, infant and children doesn’t mean that those single dads can’t qualify,” Fredere said. “I think sometimes people think it’s just for the unemployed or the very low income, but there’s actually a number of people who qualify. They just don't know it."

Individuals who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid, may also qualify for WIC.

Fredere said foster children are also eligible for WIC. She shared that her own foster children were on WIC before she adopted them.

“They’re considered an income of zero because they’re on their own," she said.

WIC participants grew during pandemic in SC

In June 2022, WIC had nearly 21,000 participants in the Upstate region, which includes the counties of Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union.

South Carolina was among the few states that experienced a more than 15 percent increase in WIC participants, from February 2020 to February 2021, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan research and policy institute.

According to the Oct. 21 study, nationally, individuals enrolled in WIC and receiving benefits grew only 2 percent between February 2020 and February 2021, a year into the pandemic. The study also states "since the start of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, the number of individuals eligible for WIC has likely grown substantially."

The national total of WIC participants was 6.3 million in 2019, but dropped to 6.2 million in 2021. In South Carolina, participation was a total of 84,596 in 2019. The total grew to 86,859 in 2021.

The Upstate region has seen year-over-year WIC participation increases from June 2020 (20,369) to June 2021 (20,566). The June 2022 total represents an increase of 205 participants from June 2021.

National initiative launched to boost WIC participation, awareness

Kim Betton, public affairs director for the Southeast Region of USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), said WIC "saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children."

“We make it a priority to inform mothers and communities across the Southeast and our nation about the benefits of WIC,” said Betton, whose office is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

FNS has launched initiatives aimed at improving program participation, awareness and access through increased outreach. It is also looking to evolve and bring more innovation to the program, Betton said.

Locally, DHEC promotes the program at community events, sometimes using its “Service On Wheels” mobile unit to help expand WIC’s reach geographically.

DHEC is also increasing access by providing the WIC service remotely, which was essential during the height of the pandemic. There is a federal waiver for remote service effective now through mid-January 2023.

“We can load your card for you over the phone and then send that card to you,” Fredere said. “You don’t have to actually come into the health department.”

Fredere said remote service appointments fill up quickly, however.

Some WIC benefits now on eWIC cards

Becoming certified as a WIC participant enables access to one-on-one, nutrition-related counseling. Following that process, participants get an eWIC card that resembles and works like a credit or debit card.

It is loaded with funds for participants to buy food designed to meet the needs of their family. Approved items typically include baby formula, dairy products, whole grain wheats, breads, fruits and vegetables.

Previously, those funds were released via paper vouchers.

With the new eWIC card, “you don’t even have to tell the cashier you have WIC or anything,” Hair said. “You just swipe it.”

The monetary value on the cards vary. Fredere said the average value is about $300 a month. Those funds can be used at WIC approved stores and farmers markets .

The WIC vendors include Food Lion, Walmart Supercenter, Harris Teeter, Ingles, and Publix. The farmers/roadside markets that accept WIC payment include TD Saturday Farmers Market, Travelers Rest Farmers Market, and Greer Farmers Market in Greenville County; Ragan Orchards Roadside Market, Hub City Farmers Market, and Poteat Produce Roadside Market in Spartanburg County; and Palmetto Farmers Market and Carolina Fresh Market & More in Anderson County.

“Everybody’s a little bit different in the sense that if you have particular risks, your package may be built a little different,” she said. “But it is a much more nutrition, healthy focus. You’re not going to get potato chips or Oreos on WIC.”

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina works to overcome barriers keeping some from WIC benefits