# WIC program software that stops certifications and nutrition contacts from lapsing

> The WIC program is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, a USDA funded public health program providing supplemental foods, nutrition education and health referrals to low income women, infants and children under 5. It served roughly 6,700,000 participants a month in fiscal year 2024, income eligibility runs to 185% of the federal poverty guidelines, and the rules sit in 7 CFR Part 246. Neurobird keeps certifications, contacts and referrals on one clock.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/wicprogram/
- Product: Neurobird WIC Program Client Portal
- Niche: WIC program
- Buyer: WIC local agencies and clinics
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird WIC Program does

- Track certification periods by category so nothing expires unnoticed
- Keep the required nutrition education contacts on a schedule per participant
- Work a no show and lapse list rather than waiting for people to return
- Close the referral loop with a sent date and a returned date

## How it works

1. **Track the participant, not the appointment** Category, certification end date, nutritional risk and next required contact stay on the participant, so nothing depends on who is at the front desk that day.
2. **Work the lapse list** Certifications expiring, benefits unissued and contacts overdue surface as a list somebody can call from, not a report somebody has to build first.
3. **Close the referral loop** Health, immunisation and social service referrals carry a sent date and a returned date, because an open referral is exactly what a management evaluation asks about.

## From the source material

> Federal program costs for WIC totaled $7.7 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, WIC program, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/wic-program

## Industry context

- **6,700,000** Average monthly WIC participation in fiscal year 2024. Participation peaked at about 9,200,000 in 2010, fell for over a decade, then rose again from fiscal year 2022 onward. (source: USDA Economic Research Service, WIC program, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/wic-program)
- **185%** Income eligibility ceiling as a share of the federal poverty guidelines, with adjunctive eligibility through Medicaid, SNAP or TANF, which is why a screen is several tests rather than one. (source: eCFR, 7 CFR 246.7, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-246.7)
- **246.12** The food delivery section governing vendor authorisation, price limits and benefit issuance, the machinery that turns a certification into food a family can actually buy. (source: eCFR, 7 CFR 246.12, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-246.12)
- **$1,600,000,000** Infant formula rebates in fiscal year 2025, enough to fund benefits for an average of 1,200,000 participants a month, about 17.4% of the monthly caseload. (source: USDA Economic Research Service, WIC program, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/wic-program)
- **5 years** Children stay categorically eligible until their fifth birthday, so a single household can carry several certification periods ending on different dates. (source: eCFR, 7 CFR Part 246, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-246)

## Pricing

- Single clinic: $90 per clinic, per month
- Local agency: $210 per clinic, per month
- Multi county agency: $380 per clinic, per month

## Questions

### What is the WIC program?

The WIC program is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children: a USDA funded public health program providing supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and health referrals to low income pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5. It served an average of about 6,700,000 participants a month in fiscal year 2024.

### Who is eligible for WIC?

Applicants must fall into a category, be within an income limit set at 185% of the federal poverty guidelines, and be found at nutritional risk by a health professional. Participation in Medicaid, SNAP or TANF can establish income eligibility adjunctively, which is why the screen is more than one calculation.

### How long is a WIC certification period?

It depends on category. Infants and children are typically certified for 6 or 12 month periods, pregnant participants through the pregnancy and a set period after, and each period ends on a date that has to be acted on before it passes rather than after.

### Does this replace the state WIC information system?

No. Certification of record, benefit issuance and EBT stay in the state system. This holds the operational layer around it: the lapse list, the contact schedule, outreach and referral follow up that most agencies run on paper.

### Is participant information safe here?

Participant data is confidential under program rules and state agreements, and any system holding it has to reflect that. We are building for least data held, clear access control and an exportable record, and we would rather agree the specifics with agencies than assume them.

## Sources

- [eCFR, 7 CFR Part 246](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-246)
- [eCFR, 7 CFR 246.7 certification of participants](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-246.7)
- [eCFR, 7 CFR 246.12 food delivery methods](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-246.12)
- [USDA Economic Research Service, WIC program](https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/wic-program)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/