Eric: There’s one other kind of WIC identification you should know about. It’s called ‘the proxy certification form.’

Vanessa: Hmmm. Not familiar with that one.

Eric: Not a problem, I can teach you all about them right now. In this case, a proxy is someone who acts on the behalf of the WIC participant. So if the WIC participant needs a proxy, they can ask a friend or relative to pick up their food instruments at the clinic. The proxy can do the WIC shopping for the WIC customer or give the food instruments to them to use. Let me show you….you’ll understand better.

The Proxy certification form is only valid for the dates that are printed on the form. Both the dates it’s valid and the proxy signature are located on the form. If the WIC customer does not have an ID folder then the proxy form MUST be presented at check out, you need to make sure the signature on the form matches the signature on the food instrument.

The ID folder or proxy form is all we need to cash a WIC food instrument, so we should never ask for any other identification, like a driver’s license, passport or telephone number. We also do not have to verify the participant identification number or name on the inside of the folder.