Active-Duty Servicemembers Have Access to Various Government and Charitable Food Assistance Programs, but Their Eligibility for Some Government Programs Can Vary

Active-duty servicemembers and their families have access to food  assistance through various government and charitable programs, but their  eligibility for some government food assistance programs can vary based  on the programs’ income criteria and servicemembers’ location. Specifically, we found that it might be  easier for servicemembers to qualify for WIC than SNAP or FSSA  because WIC allows state agencies to choose to exclude BAH from  income. DOD Does Not Know the Extent to Which Servicemembers Use Food Assistance Programs

DOD has some data on servicemembers’ use of food assistance  programs that it administers, but DOD does not know the extent to which  servicemembers use food assistance programs because (1) its officials  are not fully collecting or analyzing such information within the  department, and (2) DOD officials we spoke with were not aware of  efforts to coordinate with USDA to access data on servicemembers’ use  of the respective programs. In addition, DODEA officials provided data for  September 2015—the start of the 2015-2016 school year—that showed  that 24 percent of the 18,228 (4,427) children enrolled in DODEA schools  in the continental United States were eligible for free meals and 21  percent (3,909) were eligible for reduced-price meals. Standards for  Internal Control in the Federal Government state that management  should communicate with external parties regarding quality information  needed to achieve objectives. While DOD could benefit from more complete information on  servicemembers’ use of food assistance, none of the DOD officials we  met were aware of any efforts by the department to coordinate with  agencies, such as the USDA, to collect and share relevant data on food  assistance. A provision in the  NDAA for fiscal year 2016 addressed DOD’s access to information on  SNAP usage by servicemembers. According to results from  the 2013 U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey  (ACS), about 23,000 active-duty servicemembers received SNAP  benefits in the previous 12 months. Without coordination with USDA, and considering outreach to other  organizations that have data on servicemembers’ use of food assistance,  DOD will miss the opportunity to collect more complete data and  information on the needs of its servicemembers. Without collecting more data and determining whether DOD should  assign department-level responsibility for monitoring servicemembers’  use of food assistance programs, DOD will not have a good  understanding of the prevalence of need among servicemembers. For example, a  program such as SNAP counts the amount a servicemember receives in  BAH as part of one’s income when determining eligibility for benefits,  while other programs, such as WIC, do not count BAH as income. However, the survey is of limited  usefulness because it does not address all the food assistance programs  that servicemembers use. Recommendations for Executive Action

To more fully understand the food assistance needs that exist for active- duty servicemembers and their families, and to help ensure that DOD  effectively targets its support to those in need of assistance, we  recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the Office of the Under  Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to take the following  two actions:
Revise, as appropriate, any existing data-collection mechanisms,  such as periodic surveys, to collect and analyze more complete  data on the use of food assistance programs by servicemembers  and their families and use the data to determine if any further  actions are needed, such as assigning responsibilities at the  department-level for monitoring the use of food assistance  programs by active-duty servicemembers; and,
Coordinate with USDA to leverage its access to data on active- duty servicemembers and their families who use its programs and  services and consider outreaching to other organizations that  have data on servicemembers’ use of food assistance. In its  written comments, reproduced in appendix IV, DOD concurred with our  first recommendation and partially concurred with our second  recommendation. We interviewed officials from United  States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Defense  (DOD) to identify food assistance programs available to active-duty  servicemembers and their families. Specifically, we  conducted an analysis to show what a servicemember in the paygrade of  E-4 needs to meet the income eligibility requirements for Family  Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA), Supplemental Nutrition  Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for  Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), National School Lunch Program  (NSLP), and School Breakfast Program (SBP) at the four military  installations we visited. Also,  we compared the data collection and communications processes for DOD  with Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, which  state that management should obtain quality information to achieve its  objectives and that it should communicate with external parties regarding  the information that is needed to achieve its objectives. a.
Why GAO Did This Study

According to the Defense Commissary Agency, servicemembers on active duty spent over $21 million in SNAP benefits at commissaries from September 2014 through August 2015. This suggests that people serving our country may be having difficulty making ends meet. House Report 114-102 includes a provision that GAO review food assistance programs available to servicemembers. This report assesses, among other things, the extent to which (1) active-duty servicemembers and their families have access to food assistance programs and any variations in eligibility for these programs, and (2) DOD has identified the servicemembers' use of these programs. GAO reviewed information on government and charitable food assistance programs and policies. GAO also interviewed DOD and service officials at four installations that were selected based on size, cost of living, and presence of food assistance programs.

What GAO Found

Active-duty servicemembers and their families have access to food assistance through various government and charitable programs, but use of these programs varies, in part, on their ability to meet specific eligibility criteria. In an April 2010 report, GAO identified 18 government programs that provide food assistance to low-income households. Servicemembers may apply for and, if they qualify, receive benefits from any of these programs. However, servicemembers' eligibility for these programs can vary by program and location. For example, GAO found that it might be easier for servicemembers to qualify for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) than Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because WIC allows state agencies to exclude portions of a servicemember's pay when determining eligibility and SNAP does not. Also, charitable organizations, such as food pantries, are available to servicemembers in need of food assistance.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has some data on servicemembers' use of food assistance programs it administers, but it does not know the extent that servicemembers use such programs because (1) it is not fully collecting or analyzing such information within the department, and (2) it has not coordinated with organizations such as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to access their data on servicemembers' use of their programs. Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government state that management should use quality information to achieve its objectives. DOD has data on the number of servicemembers' children receiving free and reduced-price school meals at DOD Education Activity (DODEA) schools in the United States. For example, DODEA data for September 2015 showed that 24 percent of children in DODEA schools in the continental U.S. were eligible for free meals and 21 percent were eligible for reduced-price meals. A DOD survey also provides some information on servicemembers' use of food assistance programs such as SNAP. However, this survey is of limited usefulness in part because it does not inquire about other food assistance programs used by servicemembers such as National School Lunch Program; also no office within DOD is monitoring food assistance needs such as through survey data. Without more complete survey data, DOD will not understand the prevalence of need among servicemembers to effectively target its support and determine if it should assign department-level responsibility for monitoring food assistance needs.
Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government also state that management should communicate with external parties to obtain needed information. USDA has access to data on servicemembers' use of food assistance programs, but none of the DOD officials with whom GAO spoke were aware of efforts by the department to coordinate with USDA to access these data. For example, USDA administers SNAP benefits that, according to a 2013 U.S. Census Bureau survey, were used by about 23,000 active-duty servicemembers in the previous 12 months. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 included a provision to address the sharing of SNAP data between USDA and DOD; however, DOD does not have a coordination effort underway to access such data. Without such coordination, DOD will miss the opportunity to collect data on the needs of its servicemembers.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD (1) revise surveys of servicemembers to collect and analyze more complete data and, if warranted, implement actions such as assigning department-level responsibilities for monitoring food assistance; and (2) coordinate with USDA to access its usage information. DOD concurred with the first recommendation and partially concurred with the second, stating that it has tried to coordinate with USDA. GAO continues to believe the recommendation is valid, as discussed in this report.