Iowa WIC - 1-800-532-1579 or (515) 281-6650

WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer (eWIC)

What is eWIC?

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Public Law 111-296, was signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2010. The act expanded several nutrition assistance programs, including WIC. It also mandates that State WIC food issuance migrate from a paper-based benefit delivery system to an electronic benefits transfer system by October 1, 2020. WIC EBT is commonly referred to as “eWIC”.

eWIC Improving the Delivery of Benefits

eWIC has been successfully implemented in several states, with many other states in the process of transitioning. States that have implemented eWIC noted several improvements to the WIC program, including:

Elimination of paper checks has improved the shopping experience for WIC participants
Electronic approval of WIC items has improved the check-out experience for cashiers
Electronic payment processing has improved the reconciliation process for retail vendors
eWIC issuance of benefits has streamlined the process in the WIC clinic

eWIC for Iowa

Selecting the right eWIC system for Iowa began with a close analysis of the current system and processes in use by IDPH, Iowa WIC clinics, Iowa retail vendors, and Iowa WIC participants. Currently there are two eWIC systems in use in other states: online eWIC using magnetic stripe cards, and offline eWIC using chip embedded “SmartCards”.

Planning for eWIC

The Iowa WIC program began the process of exploring eWIC implementation in early 2011. Analysis and planning activities continued through early 2012. The product of this analysis was documented in a feasibility study approved by the Food & Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (FNS) in May 2012. Findings from the feasibility study have provided insight and guidance in planning for eWIC.

The Iowa WIC program submitted a plan outlining the steps to be taken to pursue eWIC for the State of Iowa and received approval of the plan from FNS in October 2012. Based on the approved plan, the Iowa WIC program intends to select the eWIC solution that best meets the needs of the Iowa WIC program through a competitive bid process. Once a solution is chosen, implementation will begin with a “pilot” test, with state-wide expansion to follow.

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