Barriers to Benefits: A Quantitative Examination of WIC Administrative Burdens across States

• In Event: Transforming WIC: Policy Shifts and Impacts

Abstract

Introduction: Nearly 47% of all infants, pregnant and postpartum women, and children ages 1-4 in the United States are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). However, numerous administrative burdens create barriers to participation. While qualitative data show that applicants struggle to navigate WIC program rules and requirements, we lack quantitative evidence characterizing the administrative burdens of state WIC policy environments. Addressing this gap is critical, as WIC state agency policies changed rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the administrative burdens of program certification. This study aimed to develop an index of state-level WIC administrative burden and to identify state characteristics correlated with these burdens among the 50 U.S. WIC state agencies and the District of Columbia.

Methods: To create an index of state-level WIC administrative burden, we used two sources of policy data. We examined WIC state agency certification policies (N=14) collected by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in partnership with the National WIC Association. Policy data collection occurred in 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023 to address the lack of publicly available data on WIC certification policies and practices. We also examined the United States Department of Agriculture Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Detail Status report, which shows when WIC state agencies transitioned from paper vouchers to EBT (spanning 2002-2022) for WIC benefit redemption and state adoption of an offline versus online EBT system. We characterized the administrative burdens of state WIC policies as the learning, compliance, and psychological costs experienced by participants. We also grouped policies based on the substantive area of the certification process (e.g., adjunctive eligibility checks, temporary certification policies, etc.). States received three administrative burden sub-scores in each year reflecting the number of policies adopted intended to reduce administrative burden. Higher scores indicated higher burden. To identify state characteristics correlated with administrative burden, we used data from The University of Kentucky Poverty Research Center National Welfare Database (e.g., percent unemployment, participation in Medicaid and SNAP), the American Community Survey (e.g., percent Non-Hispanic Black), and Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes (e.g., urban/rural state composition). We used a random effects model to examine the association between state characteristics and state WIC administrative burden sub-score.

Results: Preliminary results show WIC state agency certification policies were primarily compliance costs. The main psychological cost was state adoption of EBT. States varied in their administrative burdens each year (ranges: 0.08-0.69 in 2017, 0.00-0.46 in 2021, and 0.00-0.38 in 2022 and 2023) and by substantive category of policy. State characteristics related to changes in administrative burden sub-scores over time.  

Conclusions: WIC state agencies varied in policies intended to reduce administrative burden before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings provide novel quantitative evidence of how WIC state agency certification policies combine to shape the program’s administrative burdens, facilitate cross-state comparison of state WIC policy environments, and show state contextual characteristics that might influence program policy decisions.

Author

• Lenora P Goodman, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Presenting Author