Verification of Certification (VOC)
The Verification of Certification is a document a WIC clinic issues proving a participant's current certification. Federal rules require every state WIC agency to accept a valid VOC from another state, so the holder transfers into the new state's program without a new income screening until the certification period ends.
The VOC is the only true interstate transfer document among the major benefit programs. It exists because WIC serves pregnant women, infants, and young children whose nutrition should not lapse over paperwork when a family moves.
Ask your current clinic for the VOC before you move — that is the whole trick. Clinics can print it at any appointment, and several states also issue it by phone or fax after you have left, but getting it in hand first is faster.
Federal source: 7 CFR 246.7(j) — WIC certification regulations ↗
Related terms: Certification period · Federal poverty level (FPL)