| Participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will be using debit cards instead of paper vouchers at grocery stores within the next two years.
West Virginia has awarded a contract to develop the system for the electronic delivery of WIC benefits.
Department of Health and Human Resources officials say the debit card will greatly reduce the time spent in checkout lines.
About 50,000 West Virginians receive WIC benefits each month and more than 450 grocery stores participate in the program.
The WIC program is among the many safety-net government programs that is under consideration for cutting.
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