Effective Friday, the Galveston County Health District’s Women, Infants and Children Program will no longer issue benefits using a paper voucher system.

Instead, benefits will be loaded onto a computer chip on the WIC Lone Star Smart Card, a process known as Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT, Tiffany Rice, WIC manager for the district, said.

The EBT system is designed to improve the delivery of benefits to WIC participants and improves the processing of WIC program information throughout the state.

Benefits will be “loaded” on the card for each client by a WIC staff member.

The electronic system works much like a debit card. WIC-approved food items are deducted as the card is used.

Store computers identify WIC-approved items based on scanned product codes. The system will provide participants greater convenience and makes it easier for cashiers to ensure only approved foods are purchased.

Currently, grocery stores have to wait as long as five weeks to receive their redemptions. But with the new system, it should take only a week or less.

“This is a great improvement to our program,” Rice said. “It’s a win for WIC participants, staff and local grocery stores — in that it makes using WIC benefits easier.”

The switch to the EBT system requires that the issuing of WIC benefits be suspended Aug. 4-8 at all Galveston County Health District WIC clinics.

However, WIC will continue to offer breast-feeding support services during that week at each clinic for clients.

All WIC clinics will resume normal operations Aug. 11 to serve participants with the new system.

Contact WIC offices for information.

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At A Glance

GALVESTON: Island Community Center, 4700 Broadway, 409-763-7207;

GALVESTON: University Hospital Clinics, Building Seventh floor, 409-747-5590;

TEXAS CITY: Community Family Center, 2000 Texas Ave., 409-949-3471; and

DICKINSON: 905 FM 517 E., 281-337-7606.

On the Web

dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/ebt/ebt1.shtm

www.galvnews.com

For More Information Contact:

Kurt Koopmann