# Nebraska auditor finds high-income families in WIC program  
**Published:** 2026-06-09T18:15:03.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/09/nebraska-auditor-alleges-high-income-families-benefiting-from-federal-wic-program/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-auditor-finds-high-income-families-in-wic-program

LINCOLN, Neb. — State Auditor Mike Foley says Nebraska's Women, Infants and Children program is allowing some high-income families to collect food assistance intended for low-income residents, according to [an audit released Tuesday](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/09/nebraska-auditor-alleges-high-income-families-benefiting-from-federal-wic-program/). The findings raise questions about oversight of the federal nutrition program as it operates in the state.

Foley's audit identified at least a dozen public employees receiving WIC benefits despite appearing to earn too much to qualify, along with seven families living in homes valued at more than $500,000. In one case, a family's home was worth more than $700,000 and residents paid over $36,000 in annual property taxes, yet continued receiving benefits after losing Medicaid eligibility because the program was not notified of the change.

"Having a safety net to help the truly needy is one thing," Foley wrote in a press release, "but when Nebraskans who own half-million-dollar homes and boast annual incomes in excess of $100,000 are able to receive many thousands of dollars of free benefits intended for the poor, it's time to blow the whistle on this insult to our hard-working, over-taxed citizens."

[WIC is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture](https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/WIC.aspx) and provides food, nutrition education and breastfeeding support to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under 5. [Nebraska follows federal guidelines requiring income at or below 185% of federal poverty levels](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/higher-income-eligibility-thresholds-for-wic-program-mean-more-nebraskans-might-qualify/), which varies by family size. However, participants automatically qualify for WIC if they receive Medicaid, SNAP or other assistance programs, regardless of income.

This automatic eligibility pathway created the discrepancies Foley identified. The auditor found 11 state employees and one University of Nebraska employee earning more than $60,000 annually who received benefits through Medicaid qualification. In one example, an internal auditor and spouse who together earned more than $138,000 qualified because the employee was enrolled in Medicaid.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services disputed Foley's characterization, noting that 10 of the 12 public employees cited were technically eligible through Medicaid enrollment, making the situations legally compliant with federal regulations. DHHS officials said they would pursue a data-sharing agreement with Medicaid to improve notification when recipients lose eligibility.

Foley also criticized DHHS' fraud investigation procedures. The audit found that two of five fraud investigations in 2025 were not adequately completed, allowing nearly $3,000 in additional WIC purchases to proceed after concerns were raised. Both cases involved allegations of participants attempting to sell food benefits on Facebook, which violates program rules.

"Even with the legal pathways, this defies commonsense," Foley said. The auditor recommended DHHS strengthen income verification procedures and ensure benefits reach only those with "a true need for them."

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/09/nebraska-auditor-alleges-high-income-families-benefiting-from-federal-wic-program/)
- [Nebraska DHHS WIC Program information](https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/WIC.aspx)
- [Nebraska Examiner article on federal WIC income guidelines](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/higher-income-eligibility-thresholds-for-wic-program-mean-more-nebraskans-might-qualify/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/09/nebraska-auditor-alleges-high-income-families-benefiting-from-federal-wic-program/.