Black Health
WIC · Georgia

Georgia WIC

Run by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health Section.

The number

Georgia WIC: Cash-Value Benefit (fruits + vegetables) per breastfeeding mom / month is $52, on top of the standard food package — milk, eggs, cereal, and infant formula or breastfeeding support.

Primary source: https://dph.georgia.gov/wic
Apply for Georgia WIC 1-800-228-9173 Georgia Department of Public Health, Maternal and…

Quick facts

Application channel
Multiple channels
Average processing time
1 day
Cash-Value Benefit (fruits + vegetables) per breastfeeding mom / month
$52

Georgia WIC in Georgia

Georgia WIC is run by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health Section. WIC covers pregnant women, postpartum women up to six months, breastfeeding women up to one year, infants, and children under age five if your household income is at or below 185% of the federal poverty guideline — about $59,478 a year for a household of three in FY 2025 — or if anyone in the household is on Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF (adjunctive eligibility). You also need a single nutritional risk finding from a clinician, which the Georgia WIC certification visit provides for free.

The Georgia food package loads onto an eWIC card monthly. Beyond the standard milk, eggs, cereal, peanut butter, and whole-grain bread, every WIC participant in Georgia gets a Cash-Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables: $26 / month per child, $47 / month per pregnant or postpartum woman, and $52 / month per fully-breastfeeding woman. The Continuing Appropriations Act of 2025 made these levels permanent, replacing the lower pre-pandemic rates. WIC also funds breastfeeding peer counseling, lactation consultations, and nutrition counseling at every certification visit.

Apply online, by phone, or in person at https://dph.georgia.gov/wic-apply or by calling 1-800-228-9173. The certification visit (measurements, hemoglobin draw, nutrition counseling) takes 30 to 45 minutes and happens at a local clinic. Bring photo ID, proof of address, proof of household income for the last 30 days, and ID for everyone applying. Federal regulations specifically prohibit the Georgia Department of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health Section from sharing applicant data with immigration enforcement; WIC has no citizenship test under PRWORA §402.

Georgia WIC serves roughly 130,000 women and children monthly. The Georgia Coalition for Maternal Health pushed the state in 2023 to expand WIC peer-counselor positions in 12 majority-Black counties — Bibb, Chatham, DeKalb, Dougherty, Fulton, Hancock, Macon, Muscogee, Richmond, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot. Georgia Equity also cross-references WIC referrals from Grady's Centering Pregnancy program.

For Black families in Georgia

Roughly 58% of WIC-eligible Black women and children in Georgia are enrolled, per the USDA WIC Eligibility and Coverage Rates 2021 release (October 2024) cross-tabulated against state-level Black-population denominators. Nationally, WIC reaches about 51% of all eligible postpartum women — meaning every state has eligible mothers leaving benefits on the table.

The biggest barriers in Georgia, in order: WIC clinic hours that conflict with shift work, a single-clinic requirement that forces a full day off for the certification visit, and stigma about means-tested benefits left over from the food-stamps era. Federally Qualified Health Centers in the state cross-enroll WIC + Medicaid + presumptive Medicaid in a single appointment; most have certified application counselors on staff. The National WIC Association at nwica.org lists Black-led community partners in every state.

Georgia WIC serves roughly 130,000 women and children monthly. The Georgia Coalition for Maternal Health pushed the state in 2023 to expand WIC peer-counselor positions in 12 majority-Black counties — Bibb, Chatham, DeKalb, Dougherty, Fulton, Hancock, Macon, Muscogee, Richmond, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot. Georgia Equity also cross-references WIC referrals from Grady's Centering Pregnancy program.

Where to get help

If you want help with the application or want to walk in and have someone sit with you through the forms, three places in Georgia can do that for free:

  • Federally Qualified Health Centers in Georgia — every FQHC has certified application counselors on staff and cannot turn you away for inability to pay. They cross-enroll Medicaid + WIC + SNAP at the same visit.
  • Georgia Medicaid — if you qualify for Medicaid you are automatically income-eligible for WIC under federal adjunctive eligibility rules (7 CFR 246.7).
  • Medicaid for pregnant women in Georgia — start here if you're newly pregnant and want WIC + prenatal Medicaid in a single appointment.

Other safety-net programs in Georgia

SNAP in Georgia TANF in Georgia

References & primary sources

Data refreshed: