COLUMBIA, S.C. — Grocery shopping for South Carolina families with WIC benefits will soon become easier.
The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control announced that it will be phasing in new debit-like cards that will replace paper vouchers by the end of the year. The eWIC transition is a part of a federal mandate from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) directing all WIC state agencies to implement electronic systems by 2020.
WIC families in Kershaw County will be the first to use the new tool, starting May 6.
Participants will save time at checkout and can buy WIC foods in as many shopping trips as they need throughout the month. Benefits will be loaded onto cards similar to a debit or credit card with a secret four-digit PIN.
After the Kershaw County transition, SC WIC will phase in eWIC cards throughout the state, beginning in May and ending in November 2019.
In the Midlands, WIC families in Lexington and Newberry counties will be rolled out on Sept. 3, and Richland County WIC families will roll out on Sept. 6.
