Illinois WIC EBT food assistance program outage affecting thousands of families statewide

The Illinois WIC EBT system, which provides food assistance for women, infants, and children, was experiencing a statewide outage on Tuesday, according to multiple county health departments. 

The outage was impacting a program that provides healthy foods, breastfeeding support, and other services.

Multiple Illinois county officials said the outage is affecting EBT card services, and online files may not be accessible. Officials said phone verification systems may also be unavailable

WIC appointments are continuing as scheduled, the McHenry Health Department confirmed, but there may be delays due to technical issues. 

"The issue is being actively investigated, and service will be restored as soon as possible," McHenry County officials said.