Recently, the California Department of Public Health introduced the California Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to enhance its special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC). The WIC Card will replace the current paper food checks and provide for an easier way to issue food benefits, as well as improve the shopping experience for WIC families and grocers.
However, the new WIC Card is not the only improvement to impact California WIC.
The successful implementation of California’s WIC EBT required a new management information system, which will be procured, implemented, and integrated with California’s existing statewide EBT functionality. The project is being implemented in a two-phased approach, with phase 1 planned to meet the federal mandate for all WIC state agencies to implement EBT delivery by Oct. 1, 2020. Phase II will implement the remaining requirements and includes a data warehouse. The new eWIC management information system is now known as Women, Infants, and Children Web Information System Exchange (WIC-WISE). The project launch date is slated for Oct. 1, 2020.
The proposed solution will allow the WIC Program, local agencies and retailers to conduct business functions through one convenient web-based, integrated solution.