More Families May Be Eligible For WIC/Maximum Income Levels Announced

Effective July 1, more families may be eligible for WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, according to Ella Boyd, VMD, Ocean County Health Department public health coordinator. In a news release, Freeholder Gerry P. Little, liaison to the Ocean County Health Department, said family size and income determine WIC eligibility. The federal government annually reviews WIC income eligibility and establishes maximum income levels for participation at 185 percent above the poverty income line, Little said. As of May 2009, the most recent figures available show the Ocean County Health Department with 14,411 enrolled WIC clients. Aid figures for the federal government for fiscal year 2008, which ended in October 2008, show the Ocean County Health Department distributed $7,603,671 to its WIC clients in food and checks, according to spokeswoman Leslie Terjesen, compared with $6,873,179 for the fiscal year ending October 2007. (Click here for the rest of the article).