Policy Change is Needed to Ensure Food Security for Active Duty Military

by Eric Barr, Hunger Outreach Program Specialist

Service members and their families are already asked to make sacrifices no other American is asked to make, and yet, one in four active-duty service members is food insecure.[1] Oklahoma has over twenty thousand active-duty service members stationed in the state, which means there are likely over five thousand service members in Oklahoma that suffer from food insecurity. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program that helps low-income families. Service members that receive the Basic Housing Allowance (BAH) especially struggle to qualify for SNAP, as BAH counts as income when determining SNAP eligibility. Currently, active-duty military access to SNAP is insufficient, and it is imperative that Congress works towards excluding BAH as income for SNAP eligibility.

The Issue

The Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, is an untaxed allowance paid to military members who live off base or in privatized military housing on base. Service members receive BAH to cover the cost of housing, but it rarely covers the entire cost associated with renting or owning. As a result, service members often pick up the difference, which can eat into families’ already strained budgets for food and other basic necessities.

Programs like BAH are supposed to work and support struggling military members, not the other way around. The way BAH is counted as income for SNAP purposes needs to change so that low-income service members and their families aren’t penalized for their unique situations. Other federal nutrition programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), do not count BAH as income for eligibility purposes. Additionally, the way BAH is counted as income for SNAP qualification does not align with the way other allowances are treated in relation to SNAP eligibility. Examples include civilian housing assistance such as HUD Vouchers,[2] combat pay and hazardous duty pay, neither of which count as income for SNAP eligibility purposes.[3]

The fact that nearly 1 in 3 households on BAH are associated with higher rates of food insecurity demonstrates that there is a need for SNAP and BAH to work more seamlessly to better address hunger among military members.[4]

The high rate of hunger among active-duty troops is a national security threat. Food insecurity makes it more difficult to recruit and retain service members,[5] increases stress on military families leading to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation,[6] and leads to increased rates of illness such as diabetes and hypertension, and physical injuries.[7] These consequences of food insecurity harm readiness and make the United States ill-equipped to fight in future conflicts.

The Solution

The fact that food insecurity rates remain high among service members indicates that significant change is needed to expand SNAP access to military members and ensure the BAH is not a barrier to accessing the program. If struggling service members were civilians, they would qualify for SNAP.

In February of 2023, Senator Tammy Duckworth introduced S.497, the Military Family Nutrition Access Act of 2023. S.497 excludes BAH from income when determining SNAP eligibility allowing these heroes to have access to healthy and nutritious foods. Access to these foods will not only increase the quality of life for the service members and their families, but it will also improve the overall quality of the Armed Forces, allowing them to be ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. If military food insecurity and military readiness are a concern of yours, then we ask that you call your Congressperson and tell them to support S.497.

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by Eric Barr, Hunger Outreach Program Specialist

Working together for a hunger free Oklahoma.