Provider Alert! Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program Benefits

Date: August 3, 2021

Attention: Primary Care Providers

Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event.

Call to action: Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) would like to remind providers of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program made available from Health and Human Services (HHS) to members as resources to improve their health outcomes:

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program offers the following benefits:

• Healthy food
• One-on-one counseling with nutritionists
• Recipes & cooking demonstrations
• Nutrition classes
• Breastfeeding support

WIC clients include:

• Pregnant women
• Breastfeeding women
• Infants
• Families with children younger than 5 years old

Texas WIC Income Guidelines
WIC is open to many incomes and families. If you are on Medicaid, TANF, or SNAP you meet the income eligibility guidelines for WIC. If Members do not qualify for these programs, they may still qualify for WIC by meeting the income guidelines for their household. The Recovery Rebate Credit, also known as stimulus checks, and the Child Tax Credit direct payments are not included when calculating your income to determine eligibility.
View Guidelines based on Gross Yearly Income

*A pregnant woman’s household is increased by the number of infants she is expecting. For more than six household members, or if you have any income questions, call your local WIC clinic.

** Income can also be determined on a weekly or biweekly basis.

There are three different ways to apply for WIC:

• Call 800-942-3678. We will ask you a few questions and see if you qualify. If you are eligible, we will connect you with a WIC office to schedule an appointment.
• Find a WIC office near youand call to schedule an appointment.
• Start your application online. After you submit your application, someone from a WIC office will contact you to see if you qualify and schedule an appointment.

Next steps for providers: Providers should refer eligible Members and their families to this program as a resource to assist with improving their overall health outcomes.

If you have any questions, please email Provider Network Management at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.

For access to all provider alerts, log into:
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.