Tennessee program
Food and formula for a young child (WIC)
WIC provides food and nutrition support during pregnancy, after pregnancy and for children under five.
What it is
WIC provides food and nutrition support during pregnancy, after pregnancy and for children under five.
WIC can help a younger child at home even when the child receiving cancer treatment is older. Medicaid, SNAP or TANF participation establishes the income requirement. The WIC clinic checks the remaining program requirements.
Eligibility rules
- Federal WIC categories include pregnancy, postpartum participation through six months after pregnancy ends, breastfeeding through the baby’s first birthday, infants and children under five. Your clinic confirms the certification period.
- From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the monthly guideline is $4,212 for three people or $5,088 for four.
- The clinic checks nutrition risk, identity, Tennessee residence and income or qualifying benefits. It can explain missing-document alternatives and Tennessee’s current citizenship or immigration requirements. Another benefit program’s paperwork rules do not decide WIC requirements.
What you get
- Food packages, formula and nutrition support.
What the help covers
- The clinic matches the food package and nutrition support to the eligible participant.
If you decide to apply
- If you want a WIC visit, your county health department or the state WIC line can help find a clinic.
- The clinic can explain which income or benefit records and other documents to bring.
Tennessee WIC: 1-800-342-5942 or your county health department. · Official page ↗
After you ask
- The local clinic reviews eligibility and explains how to use the food benefits.
Good to know
The clinic checks pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding or child-age eligibility. An older child’s cancer treatment alone does not establish a WIC category.
Other details
- Participation in Medicaid, SNAP or TANF satisfies the income requirement; other WIC conditions still apply.
“Could WIC help a young child or an eligible pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding person in our family? What would the visit involve, and could you help us find the right clinic?”
Why I’m asking: I want to know whether food and nutrition support could ease our household costs.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Call the state line or the county health department and bring proof of income.
Your social worker
The social worker can point you to the nearest clinic.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- Tennessee Department of Health.
- Ask the agency
- “I have a child under five at home. Can we start a WIC application?”
How to apply
First step: Call 1-800-342-5942 or ask the county health department for an appointment.
- Call 1-800-342-5942 if there is a pregnancy or a child under five at home.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call the state WIC line on 1-800-342-5942 or go through the county health department.
What to gather
- Proof of income
- The young child’s ID
- Proof of a Tennessee address
How long: An appointment at a clinic decides it. No published wait was found.
What a yes looks like
A card loaded each month for the listed foods and formula.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask whether it was income, and try again if a wage drops.
Watch out
- It is for the pregnancy or the under-five, not for the child in treatment, unless that child is under five too.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Food and formula each month for a pregnancy or a child under five, up to $5,088 a month for four people.
- $4,212/month — Income line, household of 3 (185 percent of poverty)
- $5,088/month — Income line, household of 4 (185 percent)
Covers: Food packages and formula · Nutrition support and breastfeeding help
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Who
- a pregnant woman, or a child under five
- Income
- gross household income at or below 185 percent of the poverty line
The trap: It is about the pregnancy or the under-five, not the child with leukemia. If your child in treatment is six, this is for a younger brother or sister, if there is one.
Where I read this
- Tennessee WIC — Tennessee Department of Health, read September 10, 2026