WIC Eligibility and Participation

Abstract

This study examines WIC eligibility and participation using the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Comparisons of these sources to administrative totals suggest that participation is significantly undercounted in the CPS and in SIPP. However, the characteristics of families reported to receive WIC in the CPS and SIPP are similar to the administratively reported characteristics of WIC recipients nationally, which suggests that the undercount may be mostly random. An examination of WIC takeup by eligible households using SIPP shows that takeup is lower for pregnant women than for infants, and that it is lower still for children 1 to 4. Our estimates suggest that there is substantial scope for expanding participation by eligibles, which would have significant budgetary implications for the program. A more detailed analysis of WIC participation using state-level administrative data, SIPP, and the CPS suggests that WIC participation is not strongly correlated with state-level economic indicators such as poverty and unemployment rates. Participation is correlated with program rules. States with stricter rules have lower participation, but a striking degree of state-to-state variation in participation rates remains unexplained. Demographic characteristics are predictive of participation. For example, conditional on income and eligibility, it is the less well educated who are most likely to participate. Finally, we present preliminary information showing positive correlations between WIC receipt and children's anthropometric outcomes. These estimates are of interest given the paucity of information about the effects of WIC on children, and the fact that children have the lowest participation rates of any categorically eligible WIC group. 1 See Currie (forthcoming) or Besharov and Germanis (2001) for a summary of this literature and further background about WIC. Three recent studies that deal with selection using instrumental variables and/or fixed effects are Brien and Swann (2001), Kowaleski-Jones and Duncan (2000), and Chatterji et al. (2002). 2 WIC-eligibles must fall into specific categories (pregnant, postpartum with a child 6 months or less, breastfeeding with an infant between 6 and 12 months, infants (age 0 to 1), or children 1-4; have income below 185 percent of poverty, or receive Medicaid, AFDC/TANF or food stamps; and be nutritionally at risk. Virtually all households are thought to be nutritionally at risk.

Food Stamps and the Elderly: Why Is Participation so Low?

“…For example, Bitler, Currie, and Scholz (2002) Cody and Castner (1999). The average calculated FSP benefit for households with an elderly person from the HRS is $81, which is similar to the average benefit of $63 reported in the QC data for the same population.…”

Federal Food Policy And Childhood Obesity: A Solution Or Part Of The Problem?

“…Among very young children, Marianne Bitler and colleagues found that, accounting for characteristics associated with enrolling in the program, infants and toddlers who participated in WIC had healthier weight for age. 28 Federally subsidized school meals have the potential to improve children's nutrition, because the meals served must adhere to nutritional requirements. For example, one study that estimated effects of both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the National School Lunch Program found that for girls living in "food-insecure" households (households without access to adequate food), participation in the programs reduced weight gain.…”

Job-Search Periods for Welfare Applicants: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

“…Bhargava and Manoli (2015), Currie and Grogger (2001), Krueger (1990), Bitler et al (2003) and Brien and Swann (1999)). These increased application costs include requiring more frequent visits to the welfare office, reduced re-certification intervals or requiring extensive income documentation.…”