Hoosiers using the supplemental nutrition program WIC won’t be able to use their benefits this weekend. Photo provided by Getty Images.

By Whitney Downard
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers who use supplemental food benefits under the Women, Infants and Children program will be unable to go grocery shopping this weekend and lose any benefits due to expire during that time.

From 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, the entire process will shut down as the Indiana Department of Health’s updates its data warehousing system, with benefits expected to resume Monday, Aug. 29. During that time, vendors — such as grocery stores — will need to replace their outdated point-of-sale stand-beside devices with new ones, which will process the benefits under the new system.

“We know this is a major outage for our clients and vendors, so we are planning extensive communications leading up to the outage,” an Aug. 1 letter to vendors said.

The letter included signage for stores to print and hang near cash registers.

Additionally, the client portal, phone number on the back of the card and app will be unavailable.

“We are migrating to a new platform to expand capacity for WIC Electronic Benefit Transfer models in a new system called WIC Connect. The system uses a new portal that requires the vendor to switch out equipment; the timing is coordinated by the EBT provider, which is implementing the change in all its new WIC programs,” the Department of Health, which oversees the program, said in an email.

The department said it had notified clients via websites, social media posts and direct messages since the change was announced Aug. 1.

But clients using the service decried the change online, noting existing limitations on buying allergen-free foods and spotty store participation. For example, the state’s 582 WIC-approved stores do not include an Aldi’s, a discount grocery chain, and neither Walgreens nor CVS, large pharmacy chains, have an eligible Indianapolis location.

Requests for comment to beneficiaries weren’t returned before deadline.

“We understand that this is an inconvenience for clients and their ability to make purchases at the store, but doing this during the week would affect all of the clinics statewide and their ability to issue benefits and support clients,” the health department said.

For families using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, their benefits will not be impacted by the vendor change.

“If clients have urgent need for food resources over the weekend, they can visit Indiana 211 Connect to find resources online, or dial 2-1-1 (866-211-9966) to speak with a community navigator,” the health department said via email. “They also can connect with Community Compass, which can guide families to statewide resources that include free meals, groceries and SNAP retailers during the outage.”

As designed, WIC provides pregnant or breastfeeding parents with funding for nutritious food, covering newborns up until a year after birth and children up to their fifth birthday. Health providers at the state’s 150 clinics perform an assessment to determine whether an applicant is “at nutritional risk,” and income eligible.

Some families already using SNAP, Medicaid or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are eligible. Otherwise, families can refer to the state’s income guidelines to determine whether they should apply.

A family of four earning less than $51,338 annually, or $4,279 monthly, would qualify for the benefits.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections.

See the original story posted here.