Estimating Eligibility and Participation for the WIC Program

This report reviews the methods used to estimate the national number of people eligible to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under full funding of the program. It reviews alternative data sets and methods for estimating income eligibility, adjunctive eligibility (which occurs when people are eligible for WIC because they are enrolled in other federal public assistance programs) and nutritional risk, as well as for estimating participation if the program is fully funded. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2. Overview of WIC and the Current Estimation Methodology 3. Accuracy and Sources of Errors 4. Categorical Eligibility of Infants and Children 5. Income and Adjunctive Eligibility of Infants and Children 6. Estimation of the Number of Income-Eligible Pregnant and Postpartum Women 7. Estimating Eligibility Based on Meeting Nutritional Risk Criteria 8. Estimating WIC Participation Among Eligible People 9. Options for Estimating Eligibility and Participation 10. Summary References Appendix A: Data Sources and Coverage Issues Appendix B: Nutritional Screening and Budget Estimates Appendix C: Reconciling Different Estimates of Income and Adjunctive Eligibility Appendix D: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff