Washington, D.C- Today, Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) reintroduced the bipartisan Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2023 to remove the basic allowance for housing (BAH) from the military’s calculation of income for eligibility in free and reduced-price school meal programs.
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 24% of active duty servicemembers experienced food insecurity over the course of the year. Even before the pandemic, research showed that 25.8% of active duty servicemembers experienced food insecurity in 2018.
Despite these staggering numbers, many military families who struggle with food insecurity still find themselves ineligible for federal food assistance because their BAH is counted as income. By removing BAH from the calculation of military income, more military families would have access to free- and reduced-price school meals.
The Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2023 would also require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide a report to Congress on the feasibility and cost of establishing a program to directly certify military dependents for free and reduced-price school meal programs.
“The men and women who risk their lives for our country should never struggle to feed their children,” said Rep. Levin. “Though there is much more we must do to improve the financial well-being of servicemembers, this is an important step towards ensuring military families based at Camp Pendleton and across the country can focus on fulfilling their mission rather than on where they will find their next meal.”
“We made a promise to our servicemembers that in return for their sacrifice, we would help take care of them and their families,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “The fact that any military family in the United States is struggling to put food on the table is proof that we must do better. While this bill won't fix everything, I’m confident it will be an important step towards providing critical food security for our nation’s heroes and their families.”
Many military families are denied federal food assistance because under current law, a servicemember’s housing allowance is counted as income. In high cost of living areas, such as San Diego County, families of junior officers and enlisted servicemembers often struggle with food insecurity. The San Diego Food Bank serves nearly 39,000 veterans and active-duty military personnel and their dependents every month.
“It’s important to note that, while the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing is adjusted regionally to account for different housing costs, base pay is not adjusted by region,” said San Diego Hunger Coalition’s President and CEO Anahid Brakke. “In an expensive area like San Diego County, the unintended consequence is that a bigger housing allowance makes military families ineligible for nutrition assistance programs like SNAP and free and reduced-price school meals, but their base pay isn’t high enough to cover their other basic expenses in such a high-cost area. I applaud Congressman Levin for responding to the nutritional needs of his district with legislative action that will support military families by allowing for military dependents to be directly certified for free and reduced-price meals at school.”
"Military service members face many challenges - ensuring their children get the nutrition they need shouldn't be one of them," said President of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). Luis Guardia. "FRAC supports the Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act, which would help military families stretch their budgets and ensure their children reap the numerous educational, health, and mental health benefits associated with free- and reduced-price school breakfast and lunch."
“It is long past time for our policymakers to enact real solutions to address the shameful reality that 24% of our military families are struggling with food insecurity,” said Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “We’ve been disappointed time and again by leaders who fail to address the devastating reality that military families around the country are quietly relying on free and reduced-price school meals, as well as seeking help from food pantries that operate on or near every military base in the U.S. We know that children from military households are more likely to enter military service than their counterparts in civilian households, and if they experience food insecurity at a young age, they are at greater risk of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related chronic health conditions that could make them unfit to serve. We are grateful to leaders like Rep. Mike Levin and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers for taking action to ensure the health and well-being of our servicemembers, which is clearly a matter of mission readiness, troop retention, and future recruitment.”
The Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act has been endorsed by MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, National Military Family Association, Blue Star Families, Alliance to End Hunger, AMVETS, California Association of Food Banks, Feeding America, Food Research Action Center, Military Family Advisory Network, National Education Association, San Diego Hunger Coalition, School Nutrition Association, Service Women's Action Network, and TREA: The Enlisted Association.