EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Thousands of Texas families who rely on the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program are adjusting to new benefits designed to make accessing services more convenient.

Beginning July 1, Texas WIC officially transitioned to new electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards while expanding remote appointment options for many participants.

State officials say the changes are intended to give families more flexibility, reduce transportation barriers and make it easier to manage benefits through the myWIC app.

According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, participants now have the option to choose in-person or remote appointments when reloading benefits.

Nutrition education appointments and many food benefit changes can also be completed remotely.

However, initial applications and reapplications will still typically require an in-person visit for health history reviews, growth and iron checks, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding consultations.

For El Paso mother Ashley Moore, the option to complete appointments remotely is one of the biggest improvements.

“As a mom… I know how hard my job can be,” Moore said. “If you have more kids, if you have a job or you’re going to school… it’ll be so much easier because your kids can stay home while you’re just on the phone doing what you need to do.”

At Bryant’s Market, a WIC-approved grocery store in El Paso, cashier Evelyn Acosta says she’s been helping families navigate the transition every day. Acosta is also a WIC participant herself.

“I have three kids,” Acosta said. “You have to pack everybody up, wait for the appointment, then come back and get your benefits. It was a little frustrating. But now that we can do it online, it’s really convenient because we don’t have to make that whole trip.”

Acosta says many customers initially have questions about activating their new cards or setting a PIN, but those concerns usually ease once employees walk them through the process.

“It is all new to them, so they are getting a little frustrated,” Acosta said. “But we walk them through it, we help them activate their cards, answer their questions, and that kind of relieves them of that stress. The transition has actually been pretty good.”

The new WIC EBT cards include several new features that were not available with the previous cards.

Participants can now:

View purchases and remaining benefits in real time through the myWIC app.Receive benefit reloads remotely.Make many food benefit changes without visiting a clinic.Freeze or unfreeze a card if it is lost.Request a replacement card through the app or by phone.

Texas Health and Human Services says these updates are intended to simplify shopping by allowing participants to immediately see what benefits remain throughout the month.

Not everyone has embraced the changes right away.

Some participants told KFOX14 they are still getting used to the new swipe cards after years of using the previous system, although many believe the new technology will become easier over time.

Texas WIC serves more than 760,000 women, infants and children every month statewide, including about 26,000 participants in the El Paso area.

Officials remind participants that before using a new WIC card for the first time, they must create a PIN through the myWIC app or by calling 833-966-1382.

If a card is lost, stolen or damaged, participants can freeze it in the app and request a replacement online, by phone or through their local WIC office if an immediate replacement is needed.

Families looking for more information about the new cards, remote appointments or eligibility can visit TexasWIC.org or contact their local WIC office.

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