"Impacts of Electronic Benefit Transfer on WIC Program Participation and Food Costs: Evidence from the Oklahoma EBT Transition"(Job Market Paper)
Abstract: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has been changing its food issuance and redemption method from paper vouchers to electronic benefit transfer (EBT). This paper focuses on the changes in WIC program participation and program food costs after EBT transition. Both topics are of considerable importance because program participation has been in decline and, as a non-entitlement program, cost containment is essential for WIC to expand its service and serve more eligible participants. County level WIC enrollment data and WIC food issuance and redemption data in Oklahoma are used to perform the empirical analysis. I find no statistically significant increase in program participation after EBT transition. However, EBT reduces average participant food costs about $8.2 per month. Applying this number to WIC participants in all the states, generates about 56 million in cost savings annually.
"Partial Redemptions in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program" with Richard Sexton & Tina Saitone
"Cost Implications of Participant Product Selection in the Women, Infants and Children Program" with Richard Sexton & Tina Saitone
Graduate Student Researcher for Richard Sexton and Tina Saitone, UC Davis (since 2014)