Baton Rouge, La. (July 29, 2026) — The Louisiana Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program is upgrading the way families receive their benefits. Beginning August 1, 2026, participants will begin using a new WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card as part of a new online system designed to make WIC benefits easier to manage and more convenient to use. This upgrade allows WIC clinics to prescribe quarterly benefits remotely without requiring participants to visit clinics in-person for benefit re-loading.
“We are extremely excited about one of the most significant enhancements to the WIC participant experience in recent years,” said LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein. “We know that despite WIC being one of the nation’s most effective public health investments, too many eligible Louisiana families are not receiving its benefits. This long-awaited modernization makes the program more convenient, accessible, and responsive to the needs of today’s families.”
The updated system allows WIC benefits to be managed securely online, making it easier to update benefits when needed and improving the checkout experience for Louisiana’s families and WIC-approved grocery stores.
“Louisiana WIC is committed to ensuring that every eligible family can access the nutritious foods, nutrition education, and community resources they need as easily and conveniently as possible,” said Tonya Joiner, assistant secretary for the Office of Public Health. “This transition modernizes how benefits are delivered and managed, improves flexibility for participants, and helps us better serve families across Louisiana.”
Louisiana WIC clinics have already begun distributing the new WIC EBT cards during participant’s regularly scheduled appointments and will continue distributing them through the transition. WIC-approved grocery stores statewide will begin accepting the new cards on August 1, 2026.
If you receive your new WIC EBT card before August 1, continue using your current card through July 31, 2026. Keep your new card in a safe place and begin using it on August 1.
Before shopping with the new card for the first time, participants must choose a Personal Identification Number (PIN). Families can set their PIN by calling the phone number on the back of their new card or using the myWIC mobile app.
What WIC Participants Need to Know
- You’ll receive a new WIC EBT card during a regularly scheduled WIC appointments beginning in June 2026.
- Keep using your current card through July 31, 2026.
- Store your new card in a safe place until August 1, 2026.
- Choose a PIN before using your new card.
- Start using the new card at WIC-approved grocery stores on August 1, 2026.
Louisiana WIC will continue sharing reminders and updates through text messages, the myWIC app, and WIC clinics throughout the transition.
For more information or to apply for WIC, visit louisianawic.org.
