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In honor of Mother’s Day, we want to celebrate all mothers by highlighting benefits and resources specifically for women and moms. To all the moms, stepmoms, grandmothers, and mother figures, thank you for everything you do. In this article, we will highlight five programs that support women and mothers taking care of themselves and their families.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

The WIC program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women. Infants and children up to age five, who are found to be at nutritional risk can also receive services. WIC can be used with other programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. You can learn more about WIC and how to apply by visiting the WIC How to Apply page.

Child Care and Development Fund

For many women, being a mom is not their only job and childcare is needed. The Child Care and Development Fund helps low-income families who need childcare due to work, work-related training or for those attending school. Each state has different requirements for who qualifies for this program.

In general, you must be a parent or primary caregiver for children under the age of thirteen, or under nineteen if incapable of self-care or under court supervision. To learn more about programs near you, visit the Office of Child Care contact page.

Family Planning Services

The Family Planning Services has local clinics to help women and families with family planning and preventive health services. These services include educational resources, medical screenings, and social services to help you decide the number and spacing of your children. You can find your local clinic and learn how to apply though the Clinic Finder.

Women Health Care Benefits for Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers comprehensive medical services for women. These services include:

• Health promotion and disease prevention
• Primary care
• Women’s gender-specific health care, like hormone replacement therapy, breast and gynecological care, maternity, and limited infertility (excluding In-vitro fertilization)
• Acute medical/surgical, telephone, emergency, and substance abuse treatment
• Mental health services
• Domiciliary, rehabilitation, and long-term care

This program is available at all VA Medical Centers. You must be enrolled in the VA health care system or qualify based on one of the exceptions in the law. Check out the Basic Medical Benefits Package for Veterans to see other program requirements.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening

The first step in preventing cancer is getting regular screening. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) helps low-income, uninsured, and under-served women get access to screening programs for early detection of breast and cervical cancers. The NBCCEDP Program provides clinical breast examinations, mammograms, and Pap tests for eligible women who participate in the program and diagnostic testing for women whose screening outcome is abnormal.

To be eligible for testing, patients must be between the ages of 21-64 for cervical cancer screening and 40-64 for breast cancer screening. For more information about the program and to find your local clinic, visit Find a Screening Program Near You.

Learn More

For more information on other benefits and resources for women and to find out what you might be eligible for, check out the Benefit Finder. The Benefit Finder can take between 10-30 minutes to finish, and all answers are kept confidential. Once you have completed the questionnaire, you will receive a list of government benefits you may be eligible for and where you can apply. Check out this video to learn more about the Benefit Finder.