The most frequently cited strategies—used by every agency—are scheduling appointments instead of taking participants on a first-come, first-served basis and allowing a person other than the participant (an alternate) to pick up the food vouchers. Three-fourths of local WIC agencies had some provision for lunch hour appointments. Not having to spend time minding their children decreases the amount of time that women need for visits. About one-fifth of the local WIC agencies offer early morning hours—before 8 a.m.—at least once a week, and about one-tenth offer clinic hours on Saturdays at least once a month. At least one-fourth of the participants do not have access to any clinic hours outside the regular workday. The directors of local WIC agencies offered a variety of reasons for not offering extended hours of operation. Directors Generally Believe Their Clinics Are Easily Accessible

About 76 percent of the directors of local WIC agencies believed that accessibility to their clinics is at least moderately easy for working women, as measured by such factors as convenient hours of operation and reasonable waiting time at the clinics. However, about 9 percent of the directors believed that accessibility is still a problem for working women. Directors View Women’s Perceptions as a Major Factor Limiting Participation

Women’s perceptions about WIC—such as the value of the program’s benefits to them as their income rises or the perceived stigma attached to obtaining benefits—were the limitations to participation most frequently cited by the directors of local WIC agencies. Sixty-five percent of the directors considered the fact that working women lose interest in WIC benefits as their income rises as a significant factor limiting participation. Other Factors Limiting Participation

Other factors limiting WIC participation were difficulty in reaching the clinic, long waits at the clinic, or the lack of service during the lunch hour. Objectives, Scope and Methodology

We conducted our review to obtain information on the extent to which the benefits of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are accessible for eligible working women and their children. Specifically, we (1) identified actions taken by local WIC agencies to increase access to WIC benefits for working women; (2) obtained agency directors’ assessment of their clinics’ accessibility; and (3) identified factors limiting participation in the program. The survey asked the directors of the local agencies to provide information on (1) the strategies they have implemented to increase the accessibility of their clinics, (2) their views on the overall accessibility of their clinics for working women, and (3) factors that limit participation by working women.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the extent to which Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program benefits are accessible to eligible working women, focusing on: (1) the actions taken by local WIC agencies to increase access to WIC benefits for working women; (2) asking the local WIC agency directors' opinions on the accessibility of their clinics; and (3) factors that limit program participation.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) the directors of local WIC agencies have taken a variety of steps to improve access to WIC benefits for working women; (2) the two most frequently cited strategies are: (a) scheduling appointments instead of taking participants on a first-come, first-served basis; and (b) allowing a person other than the participant to pick up the food vouchers or checks, as well as nutrition information, and to pass these benefits on to the participant; (3) these strategies focus on reducing the amount of time at, or the number of visits to, the clinic; (4) although three-fourths of the local WIC agencies offer appointments during the lunch hour, only about one-tenth offer Saturday appointments, about one-fifth offer early morning appointments, and less than half offer evening appointments; (5) collectively, at least one-fourth of the participants do not have access to any clinic hours outside of the regular work day; (6) 76 percent of the directors of local WIC agencies believed that their clinics are reasonably accessible for working women; (7) in reaching this conclusion, the directors considered their hours of operation, the amount of time that participants wait for service, and the ease with which participants are able to get appointments at the desired time; (8) although most directors were generally satisfied with their clinics' accessibility and had made changes to improve access, 9 percent of the directors still rated accessibility as a problem; (9) 14 percent of the directors rated accessibility as neither easy nor difficult, and 1 percent responded that they are uncertain; (10) the directors of local WIC agencies identified several factors that limit WIC participation by working women; (11) the factors most frequently cited reflected the directors' perceptions of how women view the program; (12) specifically, the directors told GAO that women do not participate because they: (a) lose interest in the program as their income increases; (b) perceive a stigma attached to receiving WIC benefits; or (c) see the program as limited to those who do not work; and (13) directors less frequently identified other factors--such as the lack of adequate public transportation and long waits at clinics--as also limiting WIC participation by working women.