[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HUNGER AMONG VETERANS AND
SERVICEMEMBERS: UNDERSTANDING THE
PROBLEM AND EVALUATING SOLUTIONS
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NUTRITION, OVERSIGHT, AND
DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 10, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-21
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
47-307 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
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COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia, Chairman
JIM COSTA, California GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania,
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts Ranking Minority Member
FILEMON VELA, Texas AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina, Vice ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
Chair Arkansas
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
ANTONIO DELGADO, New York DOUG LaMALFA, California
BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina
Northern Mariana Islands TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire DON BACON, Nebraska
CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona CHRIS JACOBS, New York
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California TROY BALDERSON, Ohio
RO KHANNA, California MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida TRACEY MANN, Kansas
J. LUIS CORREA, California RANDY FEENSTRA, Iowa
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota MARY E. MILLER, Illinois
JOSH HARDER, California BARRY MOORE, Alabama
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa KAT CAMMACK, Florida
KIM SCHRIER, Washington MICHELLE FISCHBACH, Minnesota
JIMMY PANETTA, California JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana
ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
SANFORD D. BISHOP, Jr., Georgia
______
Anne Simmons, Staff Director
Parish Braden, Minority Staff Director
______
Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut, Chairwoman
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts DON BACON, Nebraska, Ranking
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina Minority Member
BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, Arkansas
Northern Mariana Islands SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire CHRIS JACOBS, New York
JIMMY PANETTA, California MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York KAT CAMMACK, Florida
JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana
Katherine Stewart, Subcommittee Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Bacon, Hon. Don, a Representative in Congress from Nebraska,
opening statement.............................................. 3
Submitted statement on behalf of Stephen Rossetti, President,
American Logistics Association............................. 56
Hayes, Hon. Jahana, a Representative in Congress from
Connecticut, opening statement................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 2
Submitted statement on behalf of Brittany Dymond, Associate
Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States.................................. 55
Witnesses
Hubbard, Mia, Vice President of Programs, MAZON: A Jewish
Response to Hunger, Los Angeles, CA............................ 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Submitted question........................................... 58
Hollywood, Lt. Col. Denise, (Ret.), U.S. Air Force; Chief
Community and Programs Officer, Blue Star Families, Port
Jervis, NY..................................................... 18
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Submitted question........................................... 60
Kamdar, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, Nipa, Cypress, TX................... 26
Prepared statement........................................... 28
Submitted question........................................... 60
Keefe, Timothy, veteran, U.S. Navy, Rockland, ME................. 31
Prepared statement........................................... 33
Submitted question........................................... 60
HUNGER AMONG VETERANS AND SERVICEMEMBERS: UNDERSTANDING THE.
PROBLEM AND EVALUATING SOLUTIONS
----------
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department
Operations,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 12:00 p.m., via
Zoom, Hon. Jahana Hayes [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee]
presiding.
Members present: Representatives Hayes, McGovern, Adams,
Rush, Sablan, Carbajal, Lawson, Kuster, Panetta, Bishop, Bacon,
DesJarlais, Baird, Jacobs, Cammack, and Letlow.
Staff present: Lyron Blum-Evitts, Chu-Yuan Hwang, Katherine
Stewart, Caleb Crosswhite, Jennifer Tiller, Erin Wilson, and
Dana Sandman.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JAHANA HAYES, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM CONNECTICUT
The Chairwoman. This hearing of the Subcommittee on
Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations entitled,
Hunger Among Veterans and Servicemembers: Understanding the
Problem and Evaluating Solutions, will come to order.
Welcome, and thank you to everyone for joining this hearing
today.
After brief opening remarks, Members will receive testimony
from our witnesses today, and then the hearing will be open to
questions.
Members will be recognized in order of seniority,
alternating between Majority and Minority Members and in order
of arrival for those Members who have joined us after the
hearing was called to order.
When you are recognized, you will be asked to unmute your
microphone and will have 5 minutes to ask your questions or
make a comment.
If you are not speaking, I ask that you remain muted in
order to minimize background noise.
In order to get as many questions as possible, the timer
will stay consistently visible on your screen.
In consultation with the Ranking Member and pursuant to
Rule XI(e), I want to make Members of the Subcommittee aware
that other Members of the full Committee may join us today.
I will now begin with my opening statement.
Thank you all for joining me today for this very important
hearing which will help our Subcommittee better understand the
food security challenges that our nation's veterans and
servicemembers face. This conversation is especially
significant, given that, tomorrow, we observe Veterans Day, a
day for us to honor those who serve and their willingness to
protect our nation.
I hope this hearing helps to highlight the reality that too
many veterans face when their service has ended. Food
insecurity is disturbingly rampant among our veteran
population. On average, about 1.2 million households with
veterans participate in SNAP each year. Tragically, studies
estimate that a substantial portion of eligible veterans, as
high as 60 percent, do not participate in the program.
Food insecurity particularly impacts veterans who have
recently left service, had lower final pay grades, or live in
rural or low-income areas that have limited access to food.
Their hunger can also be exacerbated by mental and physical
health challenges, including service-related disabilities. It
is unacceptable that in America today we cannot ensure that
veterans do not struggle with food insecurity after the
completion of their service.
This problem does not spare our Active Duty servicemembers
either, who, despite working every day to serve this country,
face the same challenges with food insecurity. According to
USDA, 22,000 SNAP households included servicemembers in 2019,
and it is likely that that number is only the tip of the
iceberg, as many military families face barriers to accessing
SNAP.
Servicemembers and veterans who face different barriers and
situations--I am sorry. Servicemembers and veterans face
different barriers and situations that can cause or worsen food
insecurity. Some of these barriers are common among food-
insecure Americans, while others are unique and may require
targeted solutions.
No person should ever go hungry in America. However, it is
especially galling to see those who have dedicated their lives
to serving our nation struggle to put food on the table.
Today is not a hearing to review or investigate any
particular bill or piece of legislation. But, rather, we will
gather information from the witnesses in our efforts to search
for solutions to ensure no veteran or servicemember feels the
sting of hunger.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our
veterans and servicemembers. Please let me extend a heartfelt
thank you and the gratitude of myself, and I am sure every
Member of this Subcommittee, today and every day for all you
have done.
We look forward to hearing from each of you and are
committed to working to address this important issue.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Hayes follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jahana Hayes, a Representative in Congress
from Connecticut
Thank you all again for joining me today for this important
hearing, which will help our Subcommittee better understand the food
security challenges that our nation's veterans and servicemembers face.
This conversation is especially significant given that tomorrow we
observe Veterans Day, a day for us to honor those who have served for
their willingness to protect our nation.
I hope this hearing helps to highlight the moral dissonance between
rhetoric about honoring veterans, and the reality far too many face
when their service has ended. Food insecurity is disturbingly rampant
among our veteran population. On average, about 1.2 million households
with veterans participate in SNAP each year. Tragically, studies
estimate that a substantial proportion of eligible veterans--as high as
sixty percent--do not participate in the program.
Food insecurity particularly impacts veterans who have recently
left service, had lower final paygrades, or live in rural or low-income
areas that have limited access to food. Their hunger can also be
exacerbated by mental and physical health challenges, including
service-related or exacerbated disabilities. It is unacceptable that in
America today--a country that spends $725 billion on national defense--
we cannot ensure veterans do not struggle with food insecurity after
their service.
Make no mistake--this problem does not spare our active duty
servicemembers, who, despite working every day to serve our country,
are too often unsure of where their next meal will come from. According
to USDA, 22,000 SNAP households included servicemembers in 2019. And it
is likely that that is only the tip of the iceberg, as many military
families face barriers to accessing SNAP.
Servicemembers and veterans, while related populations, face
different barriers and situations that can cause or exacerbate food
insecurity. Some of these barriers are common among food-insecure
Americans, while others are unique and may require targeted solutions.
No person should ever go hungry in America. However, it is
especially galling to see those who have dedicated their lives to
serving our nation be left behind as they struggle to put food on the
table. Today, we will search for solutions to ensure no veteran or
servicemember feels abandoned by the country they served when they are
in a time of need. To all our brave veterans and servicemembers, please
let me extend thanks for your service from every Member of this
Subcommittee, today and every day.
We look forward to hearing more from each of you today and we are
committed to working to address this important issue.
The Chairwoman. I would now like to welcome the
distinguished Ranking Member, the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr.
Bacon, for any opening remarks he would like to give.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DON BACON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM NEBRASKA
Mr. Bacon. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I will keep my
comments fairly short.
I echo your comments about Veterans Day. I thank all our
veterans who are listening, and I am one myself. It is about
six percent of our population, our veteran community. And there
are always going to be problems in the world. We need people to
serve to defend this great country, and we thank those who
have. I appreciate that.
And referencing one of the Chairwoman's comments, I am also
concerned we have veterans come out and are having a hard time
making ends meet. I think we should be trying to do everything
we can to help transition these folks with trades, with such a
shortage of trade programs right now, whether it is truck
drivers, welders, carpenters, there are opportunities to put
our veterans into these really great-paying jobs. And so I
support a lot of programs to help with making that connection.
And when it comes to our servicemen and -women who may be
needing SNAP, I really would like to hear from the military
itself: is this really a problem? We could have one of our
chief master sergeants of the Air Force or the equivalent in
the Army or Navy just to hear from them, what are they hearing
with their E-1s, E-2s, and E-3s in this area? Or we could have
someone from the personnel like the A1s or the J1 from the
Joint Staff, just to give us the ground-level truth of what the
military is seeing here, because if this is a more rampant
problem, well, the military needs to address it.
And in the HASC, (House Armed Services Committee), we can
adjust pay levels to make this right. And there has been some
discussion about doing that, but this is really an area where
the HASC and the Military Personnel Subcommittee probably needs
to be boring into get the ground truth and then find solutions
within the military to solve.
So, with that, I will yield back. I look forward to hearing
what our panelists are saying.
By the way, I did try to invite someone from DOD here, and
they did not take the invite, but I think it is important to
get their perspective on this.
So, with that, I yield back, and I thank you, Madam
Chairwoman, for the opportunity.
The Chairwoman. Thank you. Thank you, Ranking Member.
And we will continue to look for solutions to get the
information that you are seeking. I do believe that DOD has a
policy that they don't testify on mixed panels, so we will
collect information from this group and see what we can do
moving forward.
I am not sure if the Chairman or the Ranking Member are
here and would like to offer any opening statements. I don't
see either Chairman Scott or Mr. Thompson, so I will move on.
The chair would request that other Members submit their
opening statements for the record so witnesses may begin their
testimony and to ensure that there is ample time for questions.
Without objection, the chair is authorized at any time to
declare the Subcommittee in recess, subject to the call of the
chair.
And now I will introduce the witnesses.
I am pleased to welcome such a distinguished panel of
witnesses to our hearing today. Our witnesses bring to our
hearing a wide variety of experience and expertise, and I thank
you all for joining us.
Our first witness today is Mrs. Mia Hubbard, who is the
Vice President of Programs for MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger. She provides leadership for MAZON's advocacy,
grantmaking, and strategic program efforts, and has been with
the organization since 1993.
Our next witness is Ms. Denise Hollywood, the Chief
Community and Program Officer for Blue Star Families, a
nonprofit that serves military families. In her role, Ms.
Hollywood manages membership and volunteer programs, program
design and delivery, policy decision and evaluation, and more.
She received her Air Force commission from Cornell University
and proudly served for 20 years.
Our third witness is Dr. Nipa Kamdar, a nurse practitioner
and nurse scientist, who has published several peer-reviewed
studies on food insecurity affecting veterans. She is employed
by the Veteran Health Administration and holds a faculty
appointment at Baylor College of Medicine but is testifying
today as a private citizen.
I hope I said your name right.
Our final witness today is Mr. Tim Keefe. He is a veteran
who served in the United States Navy. After being injured at
work and completing all measures included in the workers
compensation process, Mr. Keefe found himself unable to return
to work and fell on hard times. SNAP has served as a lifeline
for him, as it does for many other veterans in similar
situations.
Welcome to all of our witnesses.
We will now proceed to hearing your testimony. You will
each have 5 minutes. The timer should be visible on your screen
and will count down to zero, at which point your time has
expired.
Mrs. Hubbard, please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF MIA HUBBARD, VICE PRESIDENT OF
PROGRAMS, MAZON: A JEWISH RESPONSE TO HUNGER, LOS ANGELES, CA
Mrs. Hubbard. Well, thank you, Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking
Member Bacon, and the distinguished Members of the
Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before
you today representing MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
Let us step back for just a moment and reflect on how
absurd it is that we actually even need to discuss this
problem, one that should never have been allowed to happen in
the first place, let alone to persist with little to no
attention or action to address it. There is simply no reason
that military families and veterans should experience the
painful reality of hunger.
As I will share with you, there are several straightforward
actions that Congress, the Administration, and Federal agencies
can take to address this preventable problem.
MAZON's work is grounded in Jewish values: to pursue
justice and to respect the inherent dignity of every person. We
are guided by a central belief: Regardless of a person's
circumstance, no one deserves to go hungry.
We have made it a priority to spotlight issues of the
populations where large organizations and the government have
yet to turn their focus. For nearly a decade, we have
diligently led the national efforts to call attention to and
address military and veteran food insecurity.
In 2012, when we first became aware of the alarming number
of military families struggling with food insecurity, we made
it a priority to understand the issue and explore policy
solutions. We thought it would be a quick fix, but here we are,
nearly a decade later, facing a crisis.
Time and again, my colleagues and I have been criticized,
dismissed, ignored for raising this issue, both by policymakers
and, frankly, by some in the anti-hunger community. We
recognize this is an issue that is often hidden, which is
understandable since struggling military and veteran families
do not want to call attention to their situation. But it is a
crisis nevertheless, and we, therefore, call on you to
immediately advance policy solutions.
Your leadership and that of the Administration and agency
officials is urgently needed to chart a different course.
Military and veteran families have been allowed to go hungry on
your watch, and your inaction has allowed this situation to
persist for years and to grow worse over the course of the
pandemic, which has contributed to the worsening of diet-
related diseases, loss in productivity, and even spikes in
suicide rates.
While this hearing and my testimony will address the issue
of food insecurity for both currently serving military and
veteran families, we must be clear that these are two different
populations with distinct challenges, needs, and opportunities
for policy change, so my proposals are twofold.
For military families, Congress and the Administration must
support and prioritize inclusion of a full military family
basic needs allowance provision in the 2022 National Defense
Authorization Act (H.R. 4350).
In 2019, following years of responding to objection about
military families' access to SNAP, my colleague, Josh Protas,
MAZON's VP of Public Policy, devised and created this proposal
to address those objections, and it has worked. The proposal
now has broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate,
as well as support from countless military service and anti-
hunger organizations across the country. We just need your help
to get it across the finish line.
In addition, the Administration must take executive action
to ensure that servicemembers' basic allowance for housing does
not count as income in determining eligibility for Federal food
programs.
Congress must study and document, in collaboration with the
Administration, the full scope of military hunger and publish
comprehensive data. And Congress should reexamine military pay
levels, acknowledging that the composition and needs of
America's military has changed significantly over time and that
changes to pay and benefits have not responded adequately.
For veterans, Congress must protect and improve SNAP and
encourage the VA to connect veterans to this essential program.
Success should not be measured by how many food pantries
operate at VA centers; but, rather, how many food pantries are
unnecessary because veterans are getting the access to SNAP.
We should integrate information about Federal food programs
into the Transition Assistance Program and the new Solid Start
veteran suicide prevention program.
And, finally, we should listen to the voices of veteran and
military families. Real stories from people like our witness
who we will hear from today, Tim Keefe, are essential to
understanding the needs and barriers so that we can craft the
right solutions.
For MAZON, this is a matter of mission readiness, troop
retention, and future recruitment. And, as policymakers, your
role is essential and urgent.
We welcome the opportunity to work with you on advancing
these recommendations, and I look forward to your questions.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Hubbard follows:]
Prepared Statement of Mia Hubbard, Vice President of Programs, MAZON: A
Jewish Response to Hunger, Los Angeles, CA
Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before
you today representing MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger at this
hearing on the topic of hunger among veteran and military families.
Let's take a step back for just a moment and reflect on how absurd it
is that we need to discuss this problem--one that should never have
been allowed to happen in the first place, let alone to persist for
many years with little to no attention or action to address it by our
military leaders and public officials. There is simply no reason that
military families and veterans should experience the painful reality of
hunger. As I will share with you, there are several simple,
straightforward actions that Congress, the Administration, and Federal
agencies can take to make a meaningful difference in addressing this
preventable problem.
Fundamental to all of these actions is the basic recognition of the
hardships that far too many of our military and veteran families must
endure. MAZON has diligently led the national efforts to call attention
to and address military and veteran and food insecurity for nearly a
decade. During this time, there has been far too little acknowledgment,
analysis, and action in response to these problems. More frequently,
leaders look the other way, failing to even dignify the suffering of
those who bravely serve our country because the reality of this problem
is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to our nation. Even
worse are attempts to blame the problem on the veteran and military
families who struggle with food insecurity. Members of Congress,
Committee staff, and Pentagon leaders have repeatedly told MAZON to
stop pushing this issue because, as they claimed to us, ``this is just
an issue of personal financial mismanagement.'' Or: ``People are in
this situation because they don't know how to budget their money and
make foolish purchases that put them in financial trouble.'' Enough is
enough! We need to stop the wrongheaded accusations, harmful myths, and
misinformation that pervade much of the public discourse about safety
net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
and the specific reality of food insecurity for far too many of our
veteran and military families.
Your leadership--and that of the Administration and agency
officials--is urgently needed to chart a different course, one that
starts with acknowledging this problem and owning that this is your
responsibility. Military and veteran families have been allowed to go
hungry on your watch. Your inaction has allowed this situation to
persist for years and to grow worse over the course of the pandemic.
So, I urge you: make a change and muster the political will to act
to end this solvable and unfortunate problem. Drop the empty platitudes
of how much you love the troops. Instead, back up the rhetoric and
prioritize support for those who bravely serve or have served and yet
struggle amidst hardship. Don't wrap yourselves in the American flag to
proclaim your patriotism and thank veteran and military families for
their service if you won't have their backs in a time of real need.
In Deuteronomy 15:7-8 we are commanded, echoing a directive and
basic value that is shared across all faith traditions:
``If there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen
in any of your settlements in the land that the L-rd your G-d
is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand
against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and
lend him sufficient for whatever he needs.''
All of the witnesses here today are imploring you to look, to
acknowledge that there are needy veteran and military families among
us, and to act. And we are reminding you, as leaders of our country, on
behalf of all of us, as a fulfillment of our collective responsibility
to care for one another, to generously open your hearts, extend your
hand, and provide for what is badly needed by our struggling military
and veteran families.
Background
Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON takes to heart the
responsibility to care for the vulnerable in our midst, without
judgement or precondition. For over 36 years, MAZON has fought to end
hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds, and for nearly 10
years, we have prioritized addressing the long-overlooked issue of food
insecurity among military and veteran families. MAZON's groundbreaking
project, This is Hunger, centered around the stories of real people who
have struggled with hunger also includes powerful accounts from veteran
and military families who faced food insecurity; you can find some of
these stories included in the addendum at the end of this testimony.
This is not MAZON's first time appearing before Congress on this
topic. Nearly 6 years ago, Abby J. Leibman, MAZON's President and CEO,
spoke as a witness before the House Committee on Agriculture
Subcommittee on Nutrition to discuss the problem and propose solutions
to military and veteran hunger.\1\ In 2015, MAZON sponsored the first-
ever Congressional briefing on the issue of veteran food insecurity.
Also in 2015, I had the opportunity to testify about military and
veteran hunger before the National Commission on Hunger established by
Congress.\2\ In January 2018, MAZON coordinated and moderated a
Congressional briefing, ``Veterans in the Farm Bill.'' \3\ In 2020,
Josh Protas, MAZON's Vice President of Public Policy testified before
the House Veterans Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity about veteran hunger.\4\ Earlier this year, Ms. Leibman
participated in a Congressional roundtable hosted by the House Rules
Committee entitled ``Examining the Hunger Crisis Among Veterans and
Military Families.'' \5\ Each of these occasions shined a more
prominent spotlight on these long-ignored issues and resulted in
incrementally positive steps, including Federal agencies collecting new
data about and addressing veteran and military food insecurity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition,
Testimony of Abby J. Leibman. Jan. 2016, https://republicans-
agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/ajl_final.pdf.
\2\ National Commission on Hunger, Testimony of Mia Hubbard
(https://mazon.org/wp-admin/upload.php?item=2128). June 2015.
\3\ ``Bipartisan Group of Representatives Holds Congressional
Briefing on Veterans in the Farm Bill.'' U.S. Representative Chellie
Pingree, 19 Jan. 2018, https://pingree.house.gov/news/
documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=174.
\4\ U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on
Economic Opportunity, Testimony of Josh Protas. Jan. 2020, https://
docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR10/20200109/110350/HHRG-116-VR10-Wstate-
ProtasJ-20200109.pdf.
\5\ U.S. House Committee on Rules, Testimony of Abby J. Leibman.
May 2021, https://mazon.org/wp-content/uploads/MAZON-Written-Testimony-
for-5.27.21-House-Rules-Cte-Roundtable.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The world has changed so much since MAZON first brought
Congressional and public attention to these issues nearly 10 years ago,
but our institutions have moved too slowly and there has been too
little progress during the intervening time to adequately address
military and veteran hunger. In some ways, the problems have grown
worse; veteran and military families were severely impacted by COVID-19
and the resulting economic downturn. Food insecurity exacerbated in
these populations during this time, contributing to the worsening of
diet-related chronic disease, lost productivity, and even spikes in
suicide rates.
Some positive steps, through both programmatic and policy change,
have helped. Most notably, the recent adoption of the Hunger Vital
Signs screening tool at all VA outpatient facilities as well as
increases to SNAP benefits through the temporary boost included in
COVID-19 relief legislation and the recent update to the Thrifty Food
Plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been very
helpful.
However, while most of the suggestions and recommendations made by
MAZON in recent years continue to be relevant, and often urgent, they
remain unfulfilled.
As such, my statement today includes citations and links to reports
and testimonies offered by MAZON's leadership at previous Congressional
hearings exploring the topics of food insecurity among veteran and
military families. By calling renewed attention to these resources,
which include extensive information, historical context, and details
about the challenges and opportunities, MAZON hopes to highlight our
previous policy and programmatic recommendations and urge you to
carefully consider them as the foundation of a more comprehensive
approach to ending military and veteran hunger.
While this hearing and my testimony address the issue of food
insecurity for both currently serving military and veteran families, we
must be clear that military families and veteran families are different
populations, each with distinct challenges, needs, and opportunities
for policy change. There are some overlapping areas of concern around
the transition period, but generally, the circumstances and need for
solutions look different for each population. In addition, this
testimony does not address all military populations facing food
insecurity, particularly among the National Guard and Reserve
components, and these issues warrant additional attention and
investigation. Further, because of the way that Congress handles
authorizations and appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard, separate
legislative actions are needed to address the challenges of food
insecurity among Coast Guard families. This problem received media
coverage during the last Federal Government shutdown, when food
pantries quickly popped up at numerous installations to support Coast
Guardsmen and Guardswomen who missed their first paychecks and found it
difficult to make ends meet and feed their families.
Hunger Among Currently-Serving Military Families
Across America, food banks have experienced unprecedented demand.
Families struggling to put food on the table during the COVID-19
pandemic turned to food pantries, charities, and Federal benefits as
they endured the painful reality of hunger. Among those who sought--and
continue to seek--help are military families unsure from where their
next meal will come. Servicemembers who enlisted to fight for our
country already sacrifice so much and are struggling to feed themselves
and their families.
This is not a new problem. Sadly, even before the COVID-19 pandemic
and ensuing economic crisis, military families faced food insecurity.
These currently-serving members of the Armed Forces--often junior
enlisted servicemembers (typically enlisted ranks E-1 through E-4) with
multiple dependents--have turned in desperation to emergency assistance
for years, surviving with the help of the food pantries that operate on
or near every military installation in the United States. At Camp
Pendleton alone, there are four food pantries serving the base
community, each one routinely assisting hundreds of military families
each month. Due to the lack of transparency from the Department of
Defense (DOD) in collecting data on food insecurity among
servicemembers and their families and its reluctance to publicize any
information they do have, the true scale of this crisis is unknown.
However, the data that are publicly available from both government and
military interest group surveys indicate that the scope of the crisis
is broad and affects military families across the country.\6\ This
matches anecdotal accounts reporting increases in the number of
military families seeking assistance to put food on the table.
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\6\ McFadden, Cynthia, et al. ``Why Are Many of America's Military
Families Going Hungry?'' NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 14 July
2019, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/why-are-many-america-s-
military-families-going-hungry-n1028886.
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Key findings from MAZON's extensive work on this issue are
highlighted in our report, ``Hungry in the Military: Food Insecurity
Among Military Families in the U.S.,'' published in April 2021.\7\ They
include:
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\7\ Leibman, Abby J., and Josh Protas. ``Hungry in the Military:
Food Insecurity Among Military Families in the U.S.'' MAZON: A Jewish
Response to Hunger, Apr. 2021, https://mazon.org/wp-content/uploads/
MAZON-Military-Hunger-Report-April-2021.pdf.
Addressing military hunger is a matter of readiness,
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retention, and recruitment.
Food insecurity among military families disproportionately
impacts military families of color and failure to address it
adds to the challenges around racial equity in the military and
the lack of diversity among officer and leadership ranks.
There is a correlation between food insecurity and negative
mental health outcomes, including suicide; responding to
military food insecurity is a critical action as part of the
effort to address the crisis of increasing rates of military
suicide.
At least part of this problem stems from an unintended
barrier to assistance for struggling military families by
counting a servicemember's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) as
income in determining eligibility for Federal nutrition
programs like SNAP.
Junior-enlisted members are more diverse in race, ethnicity,
and gender than higher military ranks. They also support
families at much higher rates than previous cohorts of junior-
enlisted servicemembers. The DOD has not adequately adjusted
the base salary to reflect the reality of our modern military
force.
The circumstances that give rise to food insecurity among
military families are complex, yet simplistic responses based
on unfounded stereotypes are often pursued in lieu of more
meaningful solutions.
In the last year, COVID-19 exacerbated the unique financial
challenges of military families, such as high rates of spousal
unemployment, lack of access to affordable childcare, and costs
associated with frequent relocations.
Hunger Among Veteran Families
MAZON was proud to recently sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the
Veterans Health Administration to work collaboratively to address
veteran food insecurity. While we are excited about this opportunity to
provide input and collaborate on innovative program ideas and
solutions, the limited commitments to date by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and slow pace of response to a preventable crisis
with multiple negative consequences is deeply distressing.
Additionally, the sporadic oversight by Congress combined with a lack
of urgency to hold Federal agencies accountable to a proactive, robust,
and measurable solution to end veteran food insecurity must be
rectified. There is great bipartisan concern expressed in Congress
about veteran food insecurity, but the commitment to mandate and
provide funding for proven solutions has unfortunately not matched the
lofty rhetoric.
Recent research emphasizes the urgent need for more proactive
responses to prevent and address veteran food insecurity and highlights
particular challenges.
Calling attention to the significant SNAP participation gap
among veteran households, a recent study noted that among food-
insecure veterans, less than \1/3\ were in households receiving
SNAP; among veterans in households with incomes below the
poverty threshold, only about four in ten were SNAP-recipient
households.\8\
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\8\ Pooler, Jennifer, et al. ``Issue Brief: Veterans and Food
Insecurity.'' IMPAQ International, Nov. 2018, https://impaqint.com/
sites/default/files/issue-briefs/Transitional%20Empoyment
%20Programs_Program%20Overview_Compnents_andModels.pdf.
Between 2005 and 2019, [working-age] veterans were predicted
to be 7.4 percent more likely to live in a food-insecure
household than nonveterans. The elevated risk is concentrated
among veterans whose most recent period of military service was
during the pre-9/11 Gulf War era (August 1990 to August 2001)
and the interwar period between May 1975 and July 1990.\9\
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\9\ Rabbitt, Matthew P., and Michael D. Smith. ``Food Insecurity
Among Working-Age Veterans.'' U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic
Research Service, May 2021, https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/
publications/101269/err-829_summary.pdf?v=9153.
A new study found that veterans with PTSD and/or a history
of military sexual trauma are at significantly increased risk
for food insecurity. Of women veterans who were food-insecure,
nearly half (48.9%) had a history of military sexual
trauma.\10\
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\10\ Cohen, Alicia J., et al. ``Risk Factors for Veteran Food
Insecurity: Findings from a National U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs Food Insecurity Screener.'' Public Health Nutrition, 2021, pp.
1-26., doi:10.1017/S1368980021004584.
It is time to recalibrate the Federal Government's goals and
priorities to provide a comprehensive response to veteran food
insecurity. The VA's news and partnership email updates are well-
intentioned, but the focus is too often on supplemental help, like
veteran food distributions or food pantries organized by VA facilities
and community partners, rather than connecting veterans with needed,
long-term government support. The implicit abdication of responsibility
by the government to the charitable sector is unsustainable and
dangerous as it shifts attention away from the need to strengthen and
improve access to SNAP and other Federal programs that serve as the
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most effective, frontline response to veteran food insecurity.
Success should be measured not by how many food pantries operate at
VA centers, but rather by how many food pantries become unnecessary due
to veteran households receiving the support they need and are entitled
to through programs like SNAP.
In addition, we are particularly concerned about the impacts of
racial injustice on veterans and the ongoing tragedy of heightened
suicide rates among veterans. While there is growing public awareness
and concern about both, few viable policy proposals exist to address
either. The disproportionate impact of food insecurity on households
with veterans of color highlight racial inequities that are perpetuated
through public policies and program implementation. Closing the SNAP
participation gap for veterans and improving the program to better
reach and serve food-insecure veterans of color not only signals a
commitment to meaningful efforts to address racial justice--it
concretely contributes to efforts to achieve greater racial equity in
Federal policy.
As noted by Dr. Thomas O'Toole during his testimony before the
House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on January
9, 2020, a growing body of research sheds light on the relationship
between food insecurity and risk factors for poor mental health and
suicide.\11\ A new study, ``Association between Food Insecurity, Mental
Health, and Intentions to Leave the U.S. Army in a Cross-Sectional
Sample of U.S. Soldiers'' by researchers at the USDA Economic Research
Service and the U.S. Army Public Health Center offers additional
insight about linkages between food insecurity, mental health, and
military service.\12\ To achieve the VA's stated top clinical priority
to end veteran suicide and implement a comprehensive public health
approach to reach all veterans, the VA must bolster their leadership
and implement a robust effort to address veteran food insecurity
through proactive SNAP outreach to veterans, both within and outside of
the VA system.
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\11\ ``Statement of Dr. Thomas O'Toole, Senior Medical Advisor
Office of the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Clinical
Operations, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA).'' (https://docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR10/20200109/
110350/HHRG-116-VR10-Wstate-OTooleT-20200109.pdf) 2020.
\12\ Beymer, Matthew R, et al. ``Association between Food
Insecurity, Mental Health, and Intentions to Leave the U.S. Army in a
Cross-Sectional Sample of U.S. Soldiers.'' The Journal of Nutrition,
vol. 151, no. 7, 12 May 2021, pp. 2051-2058, https://doi.org/10.1093/
jn/nxab089.
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Additionally, a recommendation made by Dr. Colleen Heflin during
her testimony at the May 27, 2021 House Rules Committee roundtable
examination of the hunger crisis among veterans and military families
holds great promise to decrease the risk of food insecurity during the
transition from military service to civilian life, when many households
are more at risk of food insecurity.\13\ MAZON urges this Subcommittee
to explore her suggestion for the Federal Government to provide a
targeted transitional benefit to all families leaving military service
below a certain rank. Such a benefit would act as a stabilizing
mechanism and provide much-needed additional assistance to veterans and
their families during a time when they may experience a greater level
of financial need. In addition, MAZON supports the distinct, yet often
related, recommendations by Dr. Heflin to better protect veterans with
disabilities from food insecurity.
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\13\ ``Written Statement of Colleen Heflin, Professor of Public and
International Affairs, Maxwell School at Syracuse University before the
Rules Committee, United States House of Representatives, Examining the
Hunger Crisis Among Veterans and Military Families.'' (https://
rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/HRDT-117-RU00-
WState-HeflinC-20210527.pdf) 2021.
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Policy Recommendations
We all can agree that those who make great personal sacrifices for
our country should not have to struggle to provide regular, nutritious
meals for themselves or their families. Therefore, MAZON urges this
Subcommittee to consider the following specific policy recommendations
to address military and veteran hunger.
To address hunger among currently serving military families:
1. Congress and the Administration should support and prioritize
inclusion of the full Military Family Basic Needs Allowance
provision in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA). In order to reach all military
families experiencing food insecurity and provide them with
a sufficient level of assistance, it is critical that this
Basic Needs Allowance exclude a servicemember's BAH as
counted income. Additionally, a similar provision to
support low-income Coast Guard families should be
separately authorized and funded, as their needs would not
be addressed through the NDAA legislation. This targeted
and temporary assistance program must be structured in a
streamlined and efficient manner to eliminate common
barriers to nutrition assistance including shame, stigma,
and fear of retribution.
To effectively implement and administer the Military Family
Basic Needs Allowance, there must be a permanent single
point of contact at DOD to coordinate with other agencies,
Congress, and civil society partners like MAZON. The
Executive Branch and Congress must continue to emphasize
that permanent solutions to military hunger are an urgent
national priority and fundamentally influence readiness,
recruitment, retention, and morale among the Armed Forces.
2. The Administration must take executive action to ensure that a
servicemember's BAH does not count as income in determining
eligibility for Federal nutrition safety net programs.
President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack must utilize
existing administrative authorities to exclude the BAH as
income for all Federal nutrition programs including SNAP,
WIC, and free and reduced-price school meals. This action
would ensure that military families are not prevented from
qualifying for assistance and that there is a clear and
consistent consideration of the BAH across all Federal
programs that treats low-income military families in a way
comparable to civilian counterparts. Now more than ever,
struggling military families must be able to access these
programs so that they do not have to turn in desperation to
food pantries simply because they cannot get the government
assistance they need.
3. Congress must study and document, in collaboration with the
Administration, the full scope of military hunger and
publicly publish comprehensive data. Despite strong
anecdotal evidence and survey information collected by
military service organizations, food insecurity among
military families is not adequately documented or monitored
by government agencies, and this has allowed the problem to
be ignored, obscured, and misrepresented. Data are often
withheld from the public or are excessively difficult to
obtain. Available data and agency reports are often
contradictory, out of date, or simply incomprehensible.
While the recent 13th Quadrennial Review of Military
Compensation documented SNAP usage by military households,
DOD asked the wrong question. Rather than how many
servicemembers are accessing SNAP, we must explore how many
military families struggle without the assistance of
Federal safety net programs, quietly visiting food pantries
on our military bases.
4. Congress should re-examine military pay levels, acknowledging
that the composition and needs of America's military have
changed significantly over time and that changes to pay and
benefits have not responded accordingly. Policymakers
should seek to better understand the unique lifestyle and
financial challenges that military personnel with families
experience and consider raising the base pay rates for
junior enlisted servicemembers.
5. Anti-hunger advocates, government agencies, community
organizations, and media outlets must reset the narrative
around hunger and address the persistent shame and stigma
that prevent so many Americans--especially members of the
military and their families--from seeking the nutrition
assistance they need. Collectively, we must acknowledge
that there is often an unspoken stigma associated with
applying for and accepting government benefits,
particularly among military ranks. Some servicemembers are
understandably resistant to ask for help because of the
shame of their situation and the fear of retribution. This
attitude can persist as a servicemember transitions into
civilian life, clearly contributing to the related barriers
to assistance among America's veterans.
The broader anti-hunger community must work together to
prioritize a justice-centered approach to ending military
hunger that appropriately centers systemic changes and
policy priorities. Leaders in government, as well as the
media, can play an important role in moving the public's
focus away from charities straining to meet the needs of
people facing hunger. This will allow us to ensure that
public assistance programs appropriately fulfill our
collective responsibility to care for the vulnerable,
support people in times of need, and expand opportunities
so that all Americans--including all military families--can
reach their full potential.
To address hunger among veteran families[:]
1. Protect and Improve SNAP
Food insecurity can often trigger a downward spiral of economic
hardship and despair, which unfortunately can lead to
suicide. Improving access to SNAP for struggling veterans
is an important strategy in the campaign to end veteran
suicide.
We must work together to ensure that struggling veterans and
those who serve them know that SNAP exists, that they might
be eligible, and where and how to apply.
2. Connect Veterans to SNAP
After years of advocating for mandatory food insecurity
screenings at the VA, MAZON was pleased that the VA took
our advice and recently began implementing the Hunger Vital
Signs screener to identify food-insecure veterans. But the
current process is not doing enough. For veterans who
screen positive, the VA must provide on-site SNAP
eligibility and application assistance. Veteran-specific
SNAP enrollment efforts, such as peer-to-peer veteran
outreach, can also help to reduce stigma, normalize the
idea of getting help from SNAP, and reach the struggling
veterans who fall through the cracks--both within and
outside of the VA system. It is imperative that we close
the sizable SNAP participation gap for veterans.
3. Federal agencies, including DOD, USDA, VA, and the Department of
Homeland Security (agency of jurisdiction for U.S. Coast
Guard) must work collaboratively to share data and
resources about food insecurity among veteran and military
families and work together to proactively find solutions,
such as integrating information about Federal nutrition
programs like SNAP as part of the Transition Assistance
Program and the new ``Solid Start'' veteran suicide
prevention program.
The VA should work with USDA, veteran service organizations,
and community partners like MAZON to develop veteran-
specific programs and resources about SNAP and other
nutrition programs. Innovative and successful pilot
programs, like the Veteran Farmers['] Market Nutrition
Program that provides vouchers to veterans with diet-
related chronic health conditions to incentivize purchases
of fresh produce at farmers markets, should be scaled-up
and replicated nationwide.
New and promising initiatives should be explored and supported,
such as establishing a targeted transitional nutrition
assistance benefit as a way to express gratitude to junior-
enlisted military families for their service and provide a
temporary measure of assistance for food purchases during
an initial designated period when many veterans experience
challenges transitioning to civilian life.
4. Listen to Veteran and Military Families
Negative public perceptions of SNAP are only worsened by
proposals to restrict the program for only certain
Americans. This creates a chilling effect and adds to the
stigma that makes veteran and military families and others
reluctant to seek help. This Subcommittee should solicit
and gather personal stories from veteran and military
families who have lived experiences with food insecurity to
help inform policy proposals and ensure that they are
appropriately suited to the circumstances on the ground.
The perspectives from veteran and military families should
also be centered in the design of education and training
programs for VA, DOD, and other personnel who work with
individuals experiencing food insecurity. Such training
should recognize and appropriately account for heightened
stigma and reluctance to seek or accept help in these
populations and promote specifically-designed approaches to
build trust and comfort for those in need of assistance.
Hunger among veteran and military families--indeed, all food
insecurity--is a solvable problem, and the solution lies in mustering
the political will to prioritize and address it. MAZON welcomes the
opportunity to continue to work as a partner with this Subcommittee,
others in Congress, all relevant Federal agencies, military service
organizations and veteran service organizations, and other community
partners to build this political will and support those who have
bravely served our country. No servicemember or veteran should ever
have to worry about being able to feed themselves or their family. We
owe them much more than the half-measures and broken promises of our
policies and programs to date.
Hungry military and veteran families cannot eat another report or
hearing transcript.
MAZON urges this Subcommittee to immediately identify concrete
steps that Congress and the Administration can take now to end the
crisis of military family and veteran food insecurity. We stand ready
with suggestions and with resolve to work in partnership.
Addendum
MAZON's groundbreaking project, This is Hunger, centers around
stories of real people who have struggled with hunger. Included in this
powerful, immersive exhibition are stories of real veteran and military
families who faced food insecurity. Below are some of these stories.
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Ashley from San Diego, California
``If they separated base pay from
allowances, that would help our
circumstances, because we could then go
back and apply for food stamps, and more
than likely be approved because they would
only be considering the base pay. That
would free up our food budget because we
could actually buy some of the things we
don't get to have regularly because they
are expensive. I could afford to feed my
family more healthy, homecooked foods.
Because it is cheaper just to open up a box
of mac & cheese instead of buying all the
ingredients separately and making a
healthier version of it. So they would be
better fed and have better choices. And
then in turn some of the debt that we still
have would be able to be paid off, so that
we could get off of food stamps and still
afford to have better quality food, but not
having to forego other bills in order to do
that.
* * * * *
Standing in the line at the food pantry with all the other
families, it's just more sad than anything. You look around and see so
many people in the same boat as you. You don't know why they're there
or anything like that, but there's obviously a need for them to be
there.
Some food pantries are just helping anyone; some are only for
military. But it is really sad to see how many people, especially how
many military families, need help. And I come across military families
quite often who don't even know that there are services that they can
utilize. They've been struggling for months, and they don't know that
there is a source out there that could potentially help them, because
it's not directly affiliated with the military. The military doesn't
have any say in putting that information out there. So really the only
way the military families can find out about any food pantry programs
is through word of mouth.''
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Rebecca from San Diego,
California
``I heard a Sergeant Major
in the Marine Corps say, `oh
my Marines won't mind taking
these cuts, they are better
doing more with less, the
families will learn to
adapt.' I wanted to smack
him. The upper echelon of the
military doesn't understand
what the enlisted go through.
A lot of families that
weren't struggling before
have started struggling when the military started cutting benefits a
few years ago. Medical benefits were cut, salary increases for being
stationed in more expensive places were pretty much been eliminated,
and the BAH was reduced. Plus, prices in general have gone up and
salaries for enlisted stayed pretty much the same. And in our case,
while we've always lived by a strict budget and plan, we certainly
didn't plan on having twins when we planned on one more child. And we
certainly didn't plan on one of them developing autism and extenuating
medical problems, and things like that.
When my husband's Command found out that he didn't have the money
to pay for all the extras he was expected to--tickets for this,
someone's retirement, etc.--they called our finances into question.
They couldn't understand how an E-6 Staff Sergeant wouldn't have the
money, unless he was being irresponsible. I think the military really
needs to look at some of their stellar Marines and ask why those
families can't make ends meet.
Before we moved to California from North Carolina, we were doing
well. We could save. But the same amount of food that costs $250 in
North Carolina costs $800 here. The medical benefit is different and
we're required to take out additional health insurance for our kids. In
the year we've been here, we've had to use our savings to pay our bills
and make up the difference between the higher cost of living here and
my husband's paycheck, which is the same as it was before.
We used up the last of our saving a few months ago so we could buy
school supplies for the kids. I did the worksheet to apply for food
stamps and we were above the income limit. They don't consider many
things, like our extraordinary medical costs. We've cut out everything
we can from our budget. My husband wears shoes with holes and faded
uniforms, even though it's against the rules. But what can we do if we
don't have the money? I don't refill my medication regularly. We are
eating less healthy. My husband and I are down to a meal or two a day.
The only way we can make it is to go to the food distributions, but
that's not how I want my kids to remember how mom and dad provided for
them. I'm gonna do what it takes to take care of my kids. Period. End
of story. But there is a backlash that comes when using any programs,
like FSSA. Don't get me wrong, if there was a death in the family,
nobody thinks twice about you getting assistance from Navy-Marine
Relief for that. That attitude needs to change. Definitely.
I'd love to be in a position where we didn't have to use those
types of services. If I could work, it would be different. But doing a
regular job is not an option with a moderate to severely autistic
child. What I'd earn wouldn't offset the cost of specialized home care.
I'm looking for a way to make extra income at home. Maybe I'll become a
notary because you know how hard it is find a notary?"
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Astrid from San Diego, California
``I'm from Haiti and my husband is from
Columbia. We have a daughter who's 12 and a
son who's 9. My husband has a degree in
engineering and a MBA. I was a fashion
designer before I had kids. We're just a
regular family I think.
After 9/11, my husband joined the Navy
because America `opened its doors' to him
and he wanted to do something in return.
But the person I married isn't the person
my husband is today. He has been deployed
four times and when he returned from Iraq,
he was different, like so many guys.
Aggressive, broken. The military doesn't
try to mend them; they give then free
tickets to LEGOLAND as if that is going to
make the hurt go away. I don't think my
children need to go to LEGOLAND anymore.
They
need a good stable food allocation, but that's not possible anymore on
the salary of a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy.
Military salaries haven't kept up with the economy. Food and gas
prices have skyrocketed and we've already cut what we can from our
monthly budget, mainly groceries. I shop at the 99 store and garage
sales. We've moved out of military housing to a cheaper rental and have
an extra $120 a month from our BAH to spend on essentials. But my
daughter needed braces and they cost $2,000, which has been a big dent
in our budget. My husband went back to school a year ago to get a
doctorate to teach in the military, and that's another $600-$700 a
month because the military doesn't pay for a Ph.D. So, we have to rob
Peter to pay Paul.
It's a vicious circle. We don't qualify for food stamps because of
my husband's rank and income, but his salary isn't enough, especially
for the job he does. I know that the Navy says that there's support for
spouses through Fleet and Family, but showing me how to rewrite my
resume doesn't pay the bills. And if I work, who is going to pick up
the kids when my husband is deployed or off on other missions at sea?
I've seen so many military families disintegrate, and so many children
fall into drugs, because their parents aren't around.
I've started looking at how to make up the difference in our
expenses and what my husband gets paid. He's is going to transfer his
GI benefits to me so I can go back to school and learn something where
I can have flexible hours and still be there for my kids. We're making
every effort to give our kids the best. We make sacrifices. I go to the
food distributions not by choice, but to make sure my children have
every single thing they need. When I first heard about the civilian-run
food distribution from a friend, I felt so ashamed to go. I thought `oh
my god everybody is gonna know I don't have money,' or that `I'm
gambling away at a casino.' But the volunteers at the distribution made
me feel so special. Why do people outside the military know that
military families are needy, but the DOD and Congress don't seem to?''
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Gabriel from San Diego, California
``After I got my B.A. from Houston State
University I went to work in personal
finances. I taught people how to get out of
debt, apply for retirement, things like that.
I really liked that job, but I always wanted
to serve my country, so a year and a half ago
I join the Marines. I'm a Corporal based in
Camp Pendleton.
I work in ground support for all the Marine
helicopters. It's the equivalent of a
logistics manager for a company like Amazon.
In the civilian world, that person with a
degree like mine, would get paid about three
times more than I am. I like being in the
Marines, but with a wife and child, and
another one on the way, my paycheck of less
than $2,000 a month isn't enough to make ends
meet. It was easier when my wife worked in
insurance, but the cost of day care is so high
that it doesn't make sense. Anyway, we
sacrifice for the United States, why shouldn't
my wife stay home to take care of our child?
We're on a strict budget and pinch pennies
where we can, but I can't cut the gas to go to
work, the
car insurance, and the dry cleaning for my uniforms, which has to be
done so I pass inspection. We don't even have the money to buy our 2
year old daughter a bed, so she's sleeping on an air mattress on the
floor.
I'm doing all I can and serving my country, and I have to worry
about how I'm going to buy food? I am not ashamed to say, `hey I need
help' to be able to feed my family. We got WIC when our daughter was a
baby, but recently when we applied for food stamps we were denied
because our BAH counts as income. The only reason we are even getting
by is because our neighbor told us about the food distributions. We're
going twice a month and it saves us about $200 on groceries. That means
I don't have to put things such as shampoo and soap on a credit card.
It stresses me out when I have to. I won't get sucked in by the credit
card companies who say, `oh purchase whatever you want and you'll have
no interest for 12 months,' but afterwards you're hit with a huge debt.
I don't think the government protects military families enough
because so many of us need to go to a food distributions run by outside
groups. There's a real disconnect between the command and the troops. I
went to my commander asking about assistance and he didn't tell me
there was a food distribution on base or tell me about FSSA. He sent me
to the Navy-Marine Relief Society and all they did was show me how to
do a budget. But that was no help because I already knew how to do a
budget; I'm a certified financial counselor. I even teach other Marines
how to manage their money. I know the Navy-Marine Relief sometimes give
one time loans, but that won't help me with monthly expenses.
I don't really know how you go about fixing the problem, but it
would really help if the military paid us more or the Commissary was
less expensive, and if the housing allowance was not considered part of
our paychecks. We are the only job where we have to give up our lives
to protect the Constitution of the United States, so shouldn't the
government make sure we can properly feed our families?''
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Judith from Phoenix, Arizona
``When the military denied my request
for financial help, it was like putting a
dagger in my back. I spent almost 30
years in the Air Force. When Saddam
invaded Kuwait, I had to explain to my
son, I could be sent to war and I'd have
to find somebody to take care of him. His
whole face just dropped.
What children of the military go
through stays with them their whole
lives. That's why I get angry when people
say I'm pampering my son. Since he got
laid off after the economy went down the
toilet, I have helped him out But he has
essentially become my caregiver. It's
cheaper to pay my son's bills than to
hire a full-time caregiver.
We used to be comfortable. But
supporting two households is a real
struggle. I don't buy big fabulous
things--I'm not Wilma Flintstone--but my
monthly VA benefits and Social Security
are no longer enough. I've used up my
savings to keep us from becoming
homeless. One month, I came within 3\1/2\
hours of losing my son's house. I begged
the bank, saying, `Look we're doing the best we can; I don't want it to
go into foreclosure,' and the bank came through. It was really
embarrassing to ask for help, because I was the one always helping
others.
My medical is pretty well taken care of by the VA. But there are
months when I have to skip paying certain bills, and I can no longer
afford food like I used to. Where I used to have two or three chicken
thighs in a meal, now I make soup out of them and spread it over the
week. I can't get much from the local food pantry because it doesn't
carry lactose- and gluten-free food, which my doctor told me I must
eat.
Feeding my young grandson properly is the priority, so I'll eat
peanut butter and celery for lunch rather than fix myself a real meal.
You can get a bunch of celery for $0.88 and a jar of peanut butter for
$1.50 at the military commissary. Three jars of peanut butter last me
about a month. I guess my body will adapt to eating less, and I can get
nutrition from the vitamins the doctors have me taking for my medical
problems.
My son is trying very hard to get into the solar business, and if
he does, we'll be OK again. I'd like to eat something besides peanut
butter and celery. But my goal is to get out of debt so that when my
time comes, my children won't have to worry. I'd like to leave my kids
something for them to remember me by."
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Emery from Brandon, Mississippi
``We were one of those
couples that purchased the
house we could afford, so we
could have that slice of the
American Dream: our own home.
We didn't just jump into it
blind--we had two stable
incomes.
I was working for a
gentleman in home renovations
and when his business was hit
by the recession, he started
paying me late. Then he just
stopped paying me altogether. I
had to quit the job to look for
a new one that paid me for my
work. I've been
applying for jobs I'm qualified for, that have openings, but I've
gotten no response. Being unemployed has cut our household income in
half, and my wife and I are having to make decisions every day on how
to allocate what little monies we have: are we going to eat or are we
going to pay the light bill? We never lived extravagantly, but there
are no luxuries now, no more vacations. We are fighting to hold on to
what little we still have.
In the 6 years since we bought our house, this month is the first
time that the mortgage wasn't paid on time. I had to borrow from one
place to give to another. I pawned the title to my truck to supplement
income. We don't qualify for mortgage assistance or food stamps. That's
frustrating because you hear about all these programs to help people
like us, but then they tell you you're not eligible. I'm not out to
shirk my responsibility or take something that's not mine, but I just
don't want to keep sliding further down. Choices have to be made. We've
changed how we feed ourselves. I like fish a lot, but now we can't
afford it. What we buy is limited to more processed foods. Last night
for dinner, I ate some crackers and cheese and some kind of, shall we
say, processed meat. There are many times that instead of making myself
a salad, I'll have ramen noodles. Granted, ramen is full of sodium and
other things that aren't good for you, but it's just basic sustenance
and you can buy a case of them for a dollar and change.
It's a tough, tough time, and sometimes it feels insurmountable. I
just re-enlisted in the National Guard to do right by my family. I mean
the military is one job that as far as I know is always going to be
there. It gives us health insurance and a part-time steady income. My
wife worries because I am scheduled to go to Afghanistan in 2015, but
that could change.
I have been working ever since I was fifteen. To wake up and
realize you are among the unemployed is a shock. But we will get
through it. My wife and I are a team.''
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Mrs. Hubbard. And right under 5
minutes. Good job.
I now recognize Ms. Hollywood. If you would unmute and
please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF LT. COL. DENISE HOLLYWOOD, (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE;
CHIEF COMMUNITY AND PROGRAMS OFFICER, BLUE STAR FAMILIES, PORT
JERVIS, NY
Ms. Hollywood. My name is Denise Hollywood, and I am the
Chief Community and Programs Officer for Blue Star Families,
the largest national nonprofit organization supporting military
and veteran families. We are nationally recognized for our
annual military family lifestyle survey, the largest and most
comprehensive survey of its kind, covering a wide variety of
topics that impact military and veteran families.
Today, I am here to share with you what our surveys have
revealed about food insecurity.
In 2020, 14 percent of enlisted Active Duty family
respondents and 12 percent of veteran family respondents
reported low- or very-low-food security. While a greater
proportion of junior enlisted family respondents indicated that
they were food-insecure, this issue was not limited to the
junior enlisted ranks.
Our data also suggests that military families of color are
struggling with food insecurity at higher levels than their
White peers.
Blue Star Families' early findings align with existing
research regarding wealth inequality in the United States. It
is worth emphasizing that, in the military community, food
insecurity is an issue that primarily affects families rather
than single, unattached servicemembers.
We know from our research that several intersecting
structural challenges contribute to military families'
financial stress, including military spouse unemployment, the
lack of affordable childcare, and high out-of-pocket housing
expenses. Each of these factors and others can undermine a
military family's financial readiness and contribute to food
insecurity.
Military spouses face significant barriers to employment.
The unemployment rate for military spouses was nearly seven
times greater than the national unemployment rate pre-pandemic
and has not decreased significantly since 2012. Crucially, the
lack of affordable childcare continues to be a major
contributor to military spouse unemployment, with 34 percent of
Active Duty spouses who are unemployed but needed or wanted to
work citing the high costs of childcare as a barrier to their
employment.
Military family financial stress is further complicated by
out-of-pocket housing expenses. Today, the basic allowance for
housing is pegged to 95 percent of local area rent. We see in
our data that families that prioritize their children's school,
which are most military families, often end up paying
significantly more out of pocket than DOD's cost-share
estimates.
Additionally, our data shows that barriers, both
bureaucratic and psychological, exist that prevent military
families from accessing Federal nutrition assistance programs.
Financial stress and the stigma surrounding needing support
does not end when a family leaves the military. To the
contrary, a military family's financial difficulties can be
compounded by transition-related challenges, thereby leading to
veteran food insecurity. Creating the conditions for Active
Duty family financial resilience and destigmatizing the need
for assistance will therefore help prevent veteran hunger
downstream.
The need is great. Between May 2020 and October 2021, Blue
Star Families hosted 50 food security related events, including
drive-thru food distributions, grocery store gift card
distributions, sustainable gardening events, and holiday meals
for families in need. We helped to increase the immediate food
security for over 7,000 military and veteran families through
these programs.
However, we must work to address the underlying factors
that contribute to food insecurity among military families.
These issues are persistent and will take time to resolve. We
encourage you to amend section 403(k), Title 37 of the United
States Code to exclude the Basic Allowance for Housing, BAH,
from being counted as income when calculating eligibility for
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, and other
Federal nutrition assistance benefits.
Including BAH in the evaluation of SNAP eligibility creates
an artificial and unnecessary barrier for military families, as
the allowance is a nontaxable portion of a servicemember's pay
that allows for equitable housing compensation. Addressing this
barrier, which many military families face in accessing food
assistance, would help those struggling to make ends meet
during this unprecedented pandemic and would boost the
financial resilience of those military families.
I would like to thank again the distinguished Members of
the Subcommittee for their efforts to eliminate military and
veteran hunger. Those who make significant sacrifices for our
country should never struggle to put food on the table for
their families.
[The prepared statement of Lt. Col. Hollywood follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lt. Col. Denise Hollywood, (Ret.), U.S. Air
Force; Chief Community and Programs Officer, Blue Star Families, Port
Jervis, NY
Chair[wo]man Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, and distinguished Members
of the House Committee on Agriculture, thank you for the opportunity to
testify before you today.
My name is Denise Hollywood, and I am the Chief Community and
Programs Officer of Blue Star Families (BSF)--a national nonprofit
organization dedicated to supporting military and veteran families from
all ranks and services. With over 150,000 members, BSF is the nation's
largest grass-roots military family support organization, and touches
more than 1.5 million military family members every year. By
cultivating innovative programs and partnerships, BSF seeks to ensure
that our military and veteran families always feel connected,
supported, and empowered to thrive.
BSF's groundbreaking research calls attention to the unique
experiences and challenges faced by military and veteran families. Our
annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS)--developed in
partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families
(IVMF)--is the largest annual comprehensive survey of military and
veteran families, and is widely regarded as the gold standard among
military family surveys. Data from the aMFLS has been used at every
level of government to help inform those tasked with making policy
decisions that impact our military-connected communities.
Military & Veteran Family Food Insecurity Findings
Blue Star Families' research has revealed alarming rates of food
insecurity \1\ among military and veteran families. Prior to the COVID-
19 pandemic, 7% of active duty family respondents and 12% of veteran
family family respondents to the 2018 MFLS answered ``yes'' to the
question ``Has anyone in your household faced food insecurity (the
state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of
affordable, nutritious food) within the past year?'' Similarly, 9% of
active duty family respondents and 18% of veteran family respondents
answered ``yes'' to the question ``Has any member of your household
sought emergency food assistance through a food bank, food pantry, or
charitable organization?'' \2\ Due to an oversampling of senior
enlisted and officer families in the 2018 MFLS, it is possible that the
actual percentage of military and veteran families experiencing food
insecurity pre-pandemic was higher than this data suggests.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Food insecurity and hunger are distinct concepts. According to
the USDA, food insecurity is defined as a household-level economic and
social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Hunger Is defined as an individual-level physiological condition that
may result from food insecurity. [U.S. Department of Agriculture,
``Definitions of Food Security,'' Economic Research Service, September
9, 2020, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/
food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx.]
\2\ Blue Star Families, ``2018 Military Family Lifestyle Survey,''
https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018MFLS-
ComprehensiveReport-DIGITAL-FINAL.pdf.
\3\ For example, the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) has
reported that one in eight military family respondents to their survey
on the subject (pre-pandemic) was food-insecure. [Military Family
Advisory Network, ``Military Family Food Insecurity,'' Accessed on
March 4, 2021, https://militaryfamilyadvisorynetwork.org/wp-content/
uploads/MFAN-117-Food-Insecurity-One-Pager-pf-1.3-002_LA.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level of Food Security by Enlisted Rank
Active-Duty Enlisted Family Respondents Food Security Levels by Ranking
Grouping
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Blue Star Families uses a non-scientific, convenience sampling
method in our surveys.
As such, we are unable to track statistically-significant changes
within the same population overtime. That said, we posit (on the basis
of our own data and that of civilian research) that the COVID-19
pandemic has aggravated military and veteran family food insecurity in
the United States. In our 2020 MFLS, one in ten (9%) active-duty family
respondents reported that they had experienced food insecurity (low-
\4\ or very-low-food security \5\) in the 12 months preceding the
survey's September-October fielding. That figure rose to 14% for
enlisted active-duty family respondents. While a greater proportion
(29%) of junior enlisted (E-1-E-4) family respondents reported food
insecurity, this issue was not limited to junior enlisted ranks: 16% of
mid-grade enlisted (E-5-E-6) and 8% of senior enlisted (E-8-E-9)
respondents reported low- or very-low-food security. Meanwhile, 12% of
veteran family respondents in the 2020 MFLS reported that they had
experienced food insecurity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ ``Low-food security (old label=Food insecurity without hunger):
reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or
no indication of reduced food intake.'' [U.S. Department of
Agriculture, ``Definitions of Food Security,'' Economic Research
Service, September 9, 2020, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-
nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-
security.aspx.]
\5\ ``Very-low-food security (old label=Food insecurity with
hunger): reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns
and reduced food intake.'' [Ibid.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Underlying Causes of Active-Duty Family Financial Stress and Food
Insecurity
In the 2020 MFLS, 39% of active-duty families reported ``financial
issues'' as a top stressor during their time affiliated with the
military. Respondents reported intersecting challenges as top
contributors to their financial stress, including: high rates of un/
underemployment among military spouses, limited availability and high
costs of child care, and out-of-pocket housing and relocation expenses.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated each of these underlying factors.
High Rates of Un/underemployment Among Military Spouses
Spouse employment has been identified as one of the top concerns
for active-duty families since the inception of the aMFLS in 2009.
Despite multiple cross-sector hiring efforts, the military spouse
unemployment rate has not decreased significantly since 2012,\6\ and
was nearly seven times the rate of the national unemployment rate pre-
pandemic (22% \7\ vs. 3.5% \8\).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Office of People Analytics, ``2012 Survey of Active Duty
Spouses,'' https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Surveys/
ADSS1201-Briefing-Support-Deployment-Reintegration-PCS-WellBeing-
Education-Employment.pdf.
\7\ Office of People Analytics, ``2019 Survey of Active Duty
Spouses,'' December 2, 2020, https://download.militaryonesource.mil/
12038/MOS/Surveys/ADSS1901_MOS-Briefing-508-Revised.pdf.
\8\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, ``Civilian Unemployment Rate,''
December 2020, https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/
civilian-unemployment-rate.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the 2020 MFLS, more than \1/2\ (52%) of active-duty spouse
respondents and \1/3\ (31%) of active-duty service member respondents
listed military spouse employment as a top issue of concern. While
nearly half of active-duty military spouse respondents were employed,
either full time (30%) or part time (17%), \2/3\ of employed active-
duty spouse respondents (68%)reported they were underemployed in some
way (indicating their current employment did not match their desires,
education, or experience). Furthermore, 35% of active-duty spouse
respondents reported they were not employed but needed or wanted to
work.
Our research revealed an association between spouse unemployment
and food insecurity. In the 2020 MFLS, 10% of enlisted active-duty
spouse respondents who were employed were food-insecure (with low- or
very-low-food security), compared to 20% of those who were not working
but needed or wanted to work. The Department of Defense likewise
reports slightly higher rates of food pantry usage (pre-pandemic) by
military spouses who were unemployed in 2019 (7%) or not in the labor
force (6%), when compared to employed military spouses (4%).\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Office of People Analytics, DOD (2020). 2019 Survey of Active-
Duty Spouses. Unpublished email correspondence.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the causes of military spouse un/underemployment are myriad
and complex, military spouse respondents report a lack of affordable
child care, the unpredictability of service-member day-to-day job
demands, hiring/promotion discrimination, and frequent Permanent Change
of Station (PCS) moves as key barriers to employment.\10\ Other
important, but less common factors include state licensure barriers and
gaps in resumes due to frequent PCS moves.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ ``Active-duty spouse respondents who are not in the labor
force most often reported they are not working because of the
difficulty of balancing household and work obligations, such as
homeschooling or supervising children's education (35%), or that their
service member's day-to-day work schedule is too unpredictable (33%) or
too long to balance work and home demands (30%). An additional but
related barrier is the cost of child care (34%), which may quickly
overwhelm a spouse's take-home pay, particularly if they are
underemployed, resulting in a situation in which active-duty spouses
can't afford to work. The lack of affordable, available child care is
not new nor unique to active-duty families, but it is exacerbated by
families' frequent relocation, which may disrupt both the spouse's
employment and existing child care arrange-
ments . . . Spouses who seek work often perceive reluctance from
employers. More than half of active-duty spouse respondents (51%)
agreed their military affiliation prevented them from receiving a
promotion at some point in their career.'' [Blue Star Families, ``2020
Military Family Lifestyle Survey: Finding 13,'' https://
bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
BSF_MFLS_CompReport_FULL.pdf.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited Availability and High Costs of Child Care
According to the Department of Defense, 37.8% of military children
are 5 years old or younger.\11\ The DOD recognizes that childcare is a
``workforce issue that directly impacts the efficiency, readiness,
retention, and lethality of the Total Force,'' which is one of the
reasons it is the largest employer-sponsored child care provider in the
United States.\12\ Yet, challenges obtaining affordable child care in a
timely manner continue to have cascading impacts on military family
financial well-being.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Department of Defense, ``2018 Demographics Report: Profile of
the Military Community,'' https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/
MOS/Reports/2018-demographics-report.pdf.
\12\ Congressional Research Service, ``Military Child Development
Program: Background and Issues,'' March 19, 2020, https://fas.org/sgp/
crs/natsec/R45288.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many military families have trouble finding child care that meets
their needs. In the 2020 MFLS, most active-duty family respondents had
children under the age of 18 (80%) at home, and among those, 65% needed
child care at least some of the time. Of those with a need, 23%
reported always being able to find child care that works for their
situation; however, that number fell to 19% for respondents with a
child who has special needs.
In addition to limited availability, child care affordability
continues to be a major concern for military families. Among active-
duty family respondents to the 2020 MFLS who reported being financially
stressed and having a need for child care, ``out-of-pocket child care
costs'' were the most commonly reported contributor to their financial
stress (31%). Unfortunately, having a higher level of income did not
seem to completely resolve this issue. Although active-duty military
family respondents in lower income brackets had greater difficulty
finding affordable child care, respondents across all income levels
reported child care as being a need that was often out of reach.
Child care expenses likewise remain a top barrier to military
spouse employment with 34% of active-duty spouse respondents to the
2020 MFLS who were not working but needed/wanted to work stating
``child care is too expensive.'' Similarly, in the 2019 MFLS, 54% of
service member respondents with children reported that the lack of
affordable child care negatively impacted their pursuit of employment
and/or education post-service. (Female service members, in particular,
were particularly affected by the lack of affordable child care, with
62% of female service member respondents saying that childcare
``moderately'' to ``completely'' prevented their pursuit of education
compared to 51% of their male counterparts.)
Out-of-Pocket Housing and Relocation Expenses
Most active-duty family respondents in the 2020 MFLS (64%) live off
installation and use their basic allowance for housing (BAH) to rent
(27%) or purchase (37%) housing. Starting in 2015, BAH \13\ was
incrementally reduced to 95% of local area rent,\14\ making it a matter
of policy for military families to pay out-of-pocket for quality
housing, though they rarely have full control over where they are
stationed or when they move. According to the Department of Defense,
the 5% of housing cost that military families are expected to cover
out-of-pocket should range from $70 to $158 per month in 2021.\15\ Yet,
of those active-duty family respondents who reported paying out-of-
pocket housing expenses (83%), more than \3/4\ (77%) reported the costs
exceeded the anticipated range (>=$200).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ Budget Office, ``Reduce the Basic Allowance for Housing to 80
Percent of Average Housing Costs,'' December 13, 2018, https://
www.cbo.gov/budget-options/2018/54767.
\14\ Ryan Guina, ``BAH Rate Cuts: 95% BAH--The New Reality & The
Future of BAH,'' The Military Wallet, April 21, 2019, https://
themilitarywallet.com/bah-rate-cuts/.
\15\ Department of Defense. (2020, December 15). DOD Releases 2021
Basic Allowance for Housing Rates. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/
Releases/Release/Article/2447343/dod-releases-2021-basic-allowancefor-
housing-rates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of these factors--out-of-pocket expenses, the lack of
affordable childcare, military spouse un/underemployment, and others--
can contribute to food insecurity among active duty military families.
Unfortunately, this food insecurity does not end when service members
leave the military. To the contrary, the financial difficulties of many
military families can be further compounded by transition-related
challenges--thereby leading to veteran family hunger.
Financial Inequity
There is reason to believe that military families of color might be
struggling with food insecurity at higher rates than their white peers.
In the 2020 MFLS, 15% of active duty family members of color reported
low- or very-low-food security, compared to only 7% of white, non-
Hispanic active duty family members.\16\ Furthermore, in line with
civilian research which finds that Black and Hispanic/Latinx families
have fewer financial resources to navigate uncertain financial times
than white families,\17\ data from the COVID-19 Military Support
Initiative (CMSI) Pain Points Poll \18\ indicates that Black and
Hispanic/Latinx military families may be in greater need of financial
assistance than their white peers. On average, 40% of Black and 33% of
Hispanic/Latinx active-duty family respondents reported relying on
savings or credit cards during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 29%
of white active-duty family respondents. As one Black military spouse
told CMSI:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ Please contact Blue Star Families for more information:
[email protected].
\17\ Elise Gould and Valerie Wilson, ``Black workers face two of
the most lethal preexisting conditions for coronavirus-racism and
economic inequality,'' Economic Policy Institute, June 1, 2020, https:/
/www.epi.org/publication/black-workers-covid/.
\18\ The CMSI Pain Points Poll garnered 7,421 respondents from
March 18 to May 26, 2020. [COVID-19 Military Support Initiative, ``Pain
Points Poll Deep Dive: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Black
and Hispanic/Latinx Families,'' July 2020, https://bluestarfam.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/09/BDG-PPP-DeepDive-Black-Hispanic-
Respondents.pdf.]
I [took on] a loan to fly home to bury my mother-in-law in
New Orleans. I'm using credit cards to stock up on food, paper
goods, etc. . . . [and all of our] bills are going up to keep
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
the house running.
These findings align with existing research around wealth
inequality in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center
(April 2020), 73% of Black and 70% of Hispanic Americans reported they
did not have enough savings to cover expenses for 3 months of financial
hardship.\19\ When we consider that the net worth of a typical white
family is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family,\20\ it
is unsurprising that Black and Hispanic/Latinx families are more
reliant on savings and credit cards to pay expenses than their white
counterparts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ Pew Research Center, ``Hispanic and black Americans have been
hardest hit in COVID-19 wage, job losses; most do not have rainy day
funds,'' May 5, 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/05/
financial-and-health-impacts-of-covid-19-vary-widely-by-race-and-
ethnicity/ft_2020-05-05_covidrace_01/.
\20\ Kriston McIntosh, Emily Moss, Ryan Nunn, and Jay Shambaugh,
``Examining the Black-white wealth gap,'' Brookings Institution,
February 27, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/
examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To make matters worse, the CMSI Pain Points Poll suggests that
Black and Hispanic/Latinx military family respondents may not be
receiving effective communication about available community resources.
``Communication about resources/services available'' was the second
most commonly cited ``unmet local community need'' among Black (25%)
and Hispanic/Latinx (20%) respondents--and both groups reported this
need at higher rates than their white peers (16%). Similarly, in CMSI's
Resilience Under Stress Study (RUSS), only 46% of Black military family
respondents felt as though they could easily locate information about
local resources, compared to 67% of white, non-Hispanic military family
respondents who said the same.\21\ These findings might suggest that
some military families of color are less aware of and/or connected to
resources that might help alleviate their financial difficulties.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\21\ COVID-19 Military Support Initiative, ``Resilience Under
Stress Study'' (Blue Star Families, 2020), https://bluestarfam.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/11/RUSS-Report-11.4.20_FINAL.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barriers to Help-Seeking
Bureaucratic
While 14% of active-duty enlisted family respondents to the 2020
MFLS reported some level of food insecurity in the past year, only 2%
of active-duty enlisted family respondents reported utilizing
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits within the 12
months preceding the survey's fielding. One reason might be that
bureaucratic barriers are currently preventing food-insecure military
families from accessing SNAP.
As detailed in a 2016 report by the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), service members' BAH is currently treated as income for
the purpose of determining eligibility for SNAP benefits.\22\
Meanwhile, housing vouchers for low-income civilians are not treated as
income for the purposes of determining SNAP eligibility.\23\ Current
eligibility policy for SNAP thus establishes an unnecessary and harmful
barriers to nutrition assistance for struggling military families.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\22\ Government Accountability Officer, ``DOD Needs More Complete
Data on Active-Duty Servicemembers' Use of Food Assistance Programs,''
Report to Congressional Committees, July 2016, https://www.gao.gov/
assets/gao-16-561.pdf.
\23\ Cornell Law School, ``7 CFR 273.9--Income and deductions,''
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/273.9#c_1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psychological
In Blue Star Families' November 2020 Pulse Check poll of active-
duty and veteran families' financial needs, respondents were asked in
an open-ended question ``what barriers, if any, would prevent [them]
from seeking financial assistance in the event that [they] required
it.'' Among those who provided a response, the greatest proportion--28%
of active-duty family respondents and 27% of veteran family
respondents--wrote that emotional barriers, such as shame and
embarrassment, would prevent them from seeking support. In Blue Star
Families' March 2021 poll, this same question was included with a
multiple choice response. Roughly the same proportion of respondents
selected ``pride, shame, or embarrassment'' as a barrier (25% of
active-duty, 23% of veteran, and 22% of National Guard family
respondents).\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\24\ Blue Star Families, ``Pulse Check: Military and Veteran
Families' Financial Needs,'' March 2021, https://bluestarfam.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/05/BSF_PulseCheck_Report_Mar
2021.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional barriers to help-seeking reported in the November 2020
and March 2021 polls include: the desire to avoid chain of command
involvement, an incohesive assistance network, confusing application
processes, and qualification requirements that can make it difficult to
justify the effort required to apply.\25\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\25\ Ibid.
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What Congress Can Do To Help
Upstream Solutions
Food insecurity is a real, but preventable, experience for many
military and veteran families. As a society, we must collectively work
to destigmatize help-seeking behavior--among those seeking help and
those who facilitate it. The Federal Government must also work to
expand its data collection around military and veteran family food
insecurity, so as to better inform policy responses to these issues.
In the long-term, we must also work to relieve financial inequity
and address the underlying causes of military family financial
insecurity (outlined above). One way to do this is by implementing
policies that align with a Total Family Force model.\26\ For example,
Congress could:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\26\ To ensure optimal mission readiness, resilience, and
retention, the military ought to adopt a ``Total Family Force'' model.
This is an extension of the ``Total Force'' concept that the military
pioneered in the 1970s, which was designed to break down barriers
between service branches to create one ``total'' force with similar
goals and objectives. Blue Star Families wants to build upon this
concept to acknowledge the fact that military family well-being is
inextricably linked to mission readiness, and that military personnel
policies ought to reflect that reality.
Work with the Department of Defense to ensure military
families have more control over their careers--including when
and where they relocate. This would allow them to make
decisions that support their families' financial stability, and
may necessitate a reconsideration of current ``up-or-out''
talent management policies.\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\27\ See, for example: Bipartisan Policy Center, ``Building a
F.A.S.T. Force: A Flexible Personnel System for a Modern Military,
Recommendations from the Task Force on Defense Personnel,'' March 2017,
https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/building-a-fast-force/.
Support a fixed period of Federal student loan deferment for
military spouses who leave a job in order to relocate due to
military orders.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ In the 116th Congress, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced
the Military Spouse Student Loan Deferment Act of 2020 (H.R. 7433).
This bill would have allowed certain military spouses to defer payment
on their Federal student loans for 90 days. Specifically, borrowers
would be eligible to receive this deferment if (1) their spouse is an
active duty service member of the Armed Forces, (2) they lost their
employment due to a permanent change of station move, and (3) they
could provide certain documentation to the Department of Education.
Loan interest would not accrue during the deferment period. Blue Star
Families supported this proposal. [Blue Star Families, ``2020 Military
Family Lifestyle Survey: Finding 13,''
Support incentives for employers to make retirement savings
plans more accessible and portable for military spouses.\29\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\29\ In the 116th Congress, Rep. Jason Crowe (D-CO) introduced the
Military Spouse Retirement Security Act of 2020 (H.R. 7927). This bill
would have allowed a small business employer to take a tax credit for
each of their employees who is a military spouse and is eligible to
participate in the employer's defined contribution retirement plan.
Blue Star Families supported this proposal. [Ibid.]
Commission a report on discrimination against military
spouses in employment, housing, and public [accommodations] due
to their military affiliation. The report should include an
assessment of the viability of policy solutions to prevent such
discrimination (e.g., expanding USERRA to cover military
spouses, making military spouses a protect class, etc.).\30\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\30\ Blue Star Families included a deep dive on this recommendation
in our 2020 MFLS comprehensive report. [Blue Star Families, ``2020
Military Family Lifestyle Survey: Recommendations,'' https://
bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BSF_MFLS_CompReport_REC
OMMENDATIONS.pdf.]
Enhance and expand access to fee assistance programs. For
example, direct the Services to expand fee assistance
eligibility under the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood
(MCCYN) program to military families who wish to enroll their
child in a childcare facility that is state licensed, even if
it is not accredited.\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\31\ Blue Star Families, ``2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey:
Finding 11,'' https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
BSF_MFLS_CompReport_FINDING_11.pdf.
Commission a report on the demand for various child care
options among military families, and to assess the pros/cons of
requiring families to first seek care at their local CDC before
being authorized to use MCCYN fee assistance.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\32\ Blue Star Families included a deep dive on this recommendation
in our 2020 MFLS comprehensive report. [Blue Star Families, ``2020
Military Family Lifestyle Survey: Recommendations,'' https://
bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BSF_MFLS_CompReport_REC
OMMENDATIONS.pdf.]
Standardize, expedite, and simplify the Career Intermission
Program (CIP) application process for service members who are
unable to implement their family care plans due to an
unexpected extended emergency (such as virtual schooling during
a pandemic).\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\33\ Blue Star Families included a deep dive on this recommendation
in our 2020 MFLS comprehensive report. [Ibid.]
Explore different ways to calculate BAH to reduce out-of-
pocket costs, such as pegging it to the median rent/housing
cost in the best local school district and/or restoring
payments to 100% of local area rent.\34\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\34\ Blue Star Families included a deep dive on this recommendation
in our 2020 MFLS comprehensive report. [Ibid.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Downstream Solutions
It is no doubt critical that we work to address financial inequity
and alleviate the underlying causes of military family food insecurity
(by reducing out-of-pocket expenses, increasing the availability of
affordable child care, and improving spouse employment outcomes).
However, these issues are persistent and will take time to resolve. In
the interim, Congress can tackle military food insecurity and hunger
downstream by removing a legislative barrier that prevents many
military families from qualifying for Federal nutrition assistance,
despite being food-insecure.
In 2018, Blue Star Families endorsed an amendment to the farm bill
which would have excluded BAH as counted income when calculating SNAP
eligibility. That effort failed.\35\ Undeterred, BSF then endorsed the
Military Family Basic Needs Allowance (MBNA),\36\ which would have
alleviated military family food insecurity by supplementing the base
pay of military family members at or below 130% of the Federal poverty
line.\37\ BAH would not have been treated as income when calculating
eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance. Moreover, the Defense
Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) would have automatically notified
service members of their eligibility--thereby removing the need to
disclose one's financial circumstances to command. The MFBNA was thus
structured in a streamlined and efficient manner to eliminate common
barriers to nutrition assistance, including shame, stigma, and fear of
retribution. Unfortunately, the MFBNA was removed from the final
versions of the FY20 and FY21 National Defense Authorization Acts
(NDAA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\35\ Blue Star Families continues to support the exclusion of BAH
as counted income from SNAP eligibility calculations in the next farm
bill. [Blue Star Families, ``2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey:
Recommendations,'' https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
BSF_MFLS_CompReport_RECOMMENDATIONS.pdf.]
\36\ The 2018 Farm Bill amendment and military family basic needs
allowance were also endorsed by MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the
National Military Families Association (NMFA) and many other military
and veteran support organizations.
\37\ Note that to qualify for SNAP, you must be at or below 130% of
the Federal poverty line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We encourage you to amend Section 403(k), Title 37 of the United
States Code to exclude the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from being
counted as income when calculating eligibility for the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other Federal nutrition
assistance benefits. Including BAH in the evaluation of SNAP
eligibility creates an artificial and unnecessary barrier for military
families, as the allowance is a non-taxable portion of a service
member's pay that allows for equitable housing compensation. Addressing
this barrier, which many military families face in accessing food
assistance, would help those struggling to make ends meet during this
unprecedented pandemic, and would boost the financial resiliency of
those military families.
I would again like to thank the distinguished Members of the
Committee for their attention to this critical issue. Those who make
significant sacrifices for our country should never struggle to put
food on the table.
Sincerely,
Denise Hollywood,
Chief Community and Programs Officer,
Blue Star Families.
The Chairwoman. Thank you for your testimony.
I now recognize Dr. Kamdar. Please begin when you are
ready.
STATEMENT OF NIPA KAMDAR, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, CYPRESS, TX
Dr. Kamdar. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking
Member Bacon, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee.
Thank you for allowing me to share my work with you.
As a nurse practitioner and researcher, I recognize food
insecurity or the lack of access to healthy food as a threat to
the well-being of veterans who have served our nation. Nearly
all the veterans who participate in my research ask what I will
do with the information they openly and bravely share. This
opportunity to testify before the Members of this Subcommittee
allows me to directly communicate what I learned from them with
those who have the power to make change.
Before I begin, I would like to clarify that, although I am
employed by the Veterans Health Administration and have a
faculty appointment at Baylor College of Medicine, today, I am
presenting to you as a private citizen. The views and opinions
expressed in this testimony are mine and do not necessarily
express the official policy or position of Baylor College of
Medicine or the Veterans Health Administration.
One approach to understanding the problem of food
insecurity is to place a quantifiable number to capture its
scope. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey, I learned that veterans who are food-
insecure are almost three times more likely to suffer from
very-low-food security compared to nonveterans who share
similar socioeconomic characteristics, like age, gender, and
income.
My team and I also found that veterans dealing with very-
low-food security have an almost fourfold increase in odds of
suicidal ideation. Although these statistics provide evidence
that food insecurity is a serious threat, they do not capture
the struggles of veterans who are food-insecure. For that, I
listened to veterans who have experienced food insecurity. I
will share some of what I learned. Any names I use are
pseudonyms to protect their identity.
I will start with Ed. Ed is a 39 year old Marine veteran
who reminded me that no one is ever just food-insecure. Nearly
all the veterans I have met in my studies struggle with other
basic needs, like housing, transportation, and childcare. They
are making hard decisions on how to spend their next $20.
As Sheila, a 34 year old single mother of three and Army
veteran explained: ``How much [I am] spending on gas affects
how much [I have] left over for food . . . gas comes over
food.'' Following this statement, I asked Sheila if she ever
skipped a meal. She looked at me and said: ``I skipped out on
meals plenty of times, plenty of days.''
Too many veterans ration their personal food intake to
ensure that their children and others in their family do not go
hungry. Some, like Haley, a 35 year old Army veteran and single
mother of three, have tried to increase their food supply.
Haley applied for SNAP four times but never qualified.
Ultimately, she stopped applying. She said: ``I have been
burned so many times, I don't try it anymore.''
Her sense of desolation was shared by other veterans when
their attempts to find help fell short.
For many veterans like Sarah, a 33 year old Army veteran,
finding help was a matter of luck. Years ago, when she was
homeless and pregnant, Sarah's life was gratefully rescued by a
fellow veteran on the bus one day when he noticed her Army T-
shirt. After asking if Sarah needed help, he directed her to a
veterans center, where she was fed and connected to much-needed
resources.
This event was a major turning point in her life. What
would have happened if Sarah and her fellow veteran were not on
the same bus that day?
The experiences that these veterans share point to the
complex nature of food insecurity and the challenges of finding
effective solutions. One approach to finding effective
solutions is to use the public health model of prevention. This
model consists of three levels of prevention: primary, which is
focused on preventing the problem in the first place;
secondary, which is identifying the problem as early as
possible; and tertiary, which is reducing the damage and
preventing the problem from getting worse.
Most efforts to reduce food insecurity focus on tertiary
prevention with food distribution from the USDA food assistance
programs. There is also increased attention on screening for
food insecurity, which is a form of secondary prevention.
However, the most effective, but also the most complex
solutions, address the root causes of food insecurity.
So far, research indicates that veteran--[inaudible] with
physical and mental health, housing instability, and financial
instability. This means that efforts to address food insecurity
need to tackle these.
Additionally, veterans have described the initial 6 to 12
months post-separation from Active Duty as being a time of high
risk for food insecurity. This is also a time when they run out
of money, may still be looking for a job, and may not have yet
received care for health-related issues.
Thus, another proactive approach to reduce the risk of food
insecurity is to leverage the Transition Assistance Program to
facilitate registration into the Veterans Health Administration
so that veterans have access to healthcare and auxiliary
support, like social work. This is also a prime opportunity to
encourage transitioning servicemembers, especially those who
are enlisted grade 7 or below, to apply for SNAP.
Moving forward, I encourage all who strive to reduce food
insecurity among veterans to balance the need to address
immediate food shortages with the need to address contributing
factors.
Once again, I thank the Subcommittee. And I wish all
veterans in the Subcommittee and abroad a very happy Veterans
Day.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Kamdar follows:]
Prepared Statement of Nipa Kamdar, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, Cypress, TX
Good afternoon, Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. As a nurse practitioner and
researcher, I recognize food insecurity as a threat to the health and
well-being of Veterans who have served our nation. Now it is my honor
to serve them and work towards finding solutions to address food
insecurity that affects too many of them.
Before I begin, I would like to clarify that although I am employed
by the Veterans Health Administration and hold a faculty appointment at
Baylor College of Medicine, today I am presenting to you as a private
citizen. The views and opinions expressed in this testimony are mine
and do not necessarily express the official policy or position of
Baylor College of Medicine or the Veterans Health Administration. I do
not speak for either entity today.
Thank you for allowing me to share my work with you. Nearly all the
Veterans who participate in my research ask what I will do with the
information they openly and bravely share. This opportunity to testify
before the Members of this Subcommittee allows me to directly
communicate what I learned from them with those who have power to make
change.
Understanding the Problem
Food insecurity is the lack of access to healthy food often due to
financial limitations and is a complex issue.
To grapple with an understanding of the problem, I approach it in
two ways. One is to place a quantifiable number to capture its scope.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES), I learned that Veterans who are food-insecure are almost
three times more likely to suffer from very-low-food security compared
to non-veterans with similar socioeconomic characteristics (i.e., age,
gender, race/ethnic background, level of education, marital status, and
income).\1\ Very-low-food security is associated with decreased food
intake and skipping meals which could result in feelings of hunger.
Adding to this concern, in another study using data from NHANES, my
team and I found that Veterans dealing with very-low-food insecurity
have an almost a four-fold increase in odds for suicidal ideation.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Kamdar N., Lester H.F., Daundasekara S.S., et al. Food
insecurity: Comparing odds between working-age veterans and nonveterans
with children. Nurs. Outlook. 2021; 69(2): 212-220. doi:10.1016/
J.OUTLOOK.2020.08.011 (https://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-
6554
(20)30625-4/fulltext).
\2\ Kamdar N., Horning M., Geraci J., Uzdavines A., Helmer D.,
Hundt N. Risk for depression and suicidal ideation among food-insecure
U.S. veterans: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Study. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2021; 1:3. doi:10.1007/
s00127-021-02071-3 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33770225/).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although these statistics provide evidence that food insecurity is
a serious threat, they do not capture the daily struggles of Veterans
who are food-insecure. For that, I listened to Veterans who have
experienced food insecurity.
Since 2018, I have been learning directly from Veterans who have
lived with food insecurity to better understand their day-to-day
challenges, and--importantly--work with them to identify how to assist
them. Some of themes I am about to share come from research that is
still in progress. Any names I use are pseudonyms to protect the
identity of the Veterans.
1. Getting food to the table is much more than having the ability to
buy food.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Kamdar N., True G., Lorenz L., Loeb A., Hernandez D.C. Getting
Food to the Table: Challenges, Strategies, and Compromises Experienced
by Low-Income Veterans Raising Children. J. Hunger Environ. Nutr.
Published online December 7, 2020: 1-21. doi:10.1080/
19320248.2020.1855284 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/
19320248.2020.
1855284).
Other factors to consider in effort to ensure Veterans have the
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ability to get food to the table include:
Access to resources like time, transportation, kitchen
tools and equip-
ment, social support (e.g., friends and family).
Personal capacity including physical and mental
health.
Military training/experience and life experiences
prior to joining the mili-
tary. These experiences often shape Veterans'
willingness to ask for and/
or accept help. For example, many Veterans describe a
military ethos of
``making do with what they got'' and may not ask for
help even if they
need it. As a Marine Veteran explained: ``We can't show
weakness. We
have to show we have everything under control even if
we have strug-
gles.''
Attempts to address food insecurity that do not account for
these factors will be inadequate.
2. Mental health and well-being play heavily into the Veteran's
capacity to care for themselves and their basic needs like
food.
Carl is a 55 year old Air Force Veteran. He separated from
active duty in 2015. On his return home from deployment his
life spiraled down. His wife left him and took their son.
In his effort to pay child support, he ended up living in
his car and was food-insecure. His ``head was messed up''
and he did not have the capacity to help himself. Finally,
in 2019, he walked into a VA clinic and got connected with
a case manager who helped him.
His take-away message was that ``Veterans have lots going on
and if their head is not in the right space and things are
hard, they'll give up . . .''
3. ``No one is ever just food-insecure.'' (Ed, 39 year old Marine
Veteran)
Nearly all the Veterans I have met in my studies struggle with
other basic needs like housing, transportation, and
childcare. They are making hard decision on how to spend
their next $20: groceries or gas?
As Sheila, a 34 year old, single mother of three and Army
Veteran explained: ``How much [I am] spending on gas
affects how much [I have] left over for food, because even
though food is a necessity, gas is one too. So, when it
comes to deciding between food and gas, gas comes first
over food. I can't lessen the gas.''
4. Sense of desolation when the request for assistance is turned
down.
Haley is 35 year old Army Veteran and single mother of three
children. She has applied for SNAP four times but never
qualified. Even when she was in a shelter, her application
was denied because she was a few dollars over the
eligibility line. Ultimately, she stopped applying. She
said, ``I have been burned so many times that I don't try
it anymore.''
5. Many Veterans who are food-insecure implement survival skills
like rationing of personal intake.
To ensure that their children did not experience hunger, Haley
and Sheila are just two of many parents who, when food
supply is low, will cut back on their personal consumption
to make sure their children have enough food to eat. In
Sheila's words: ``I've skipped out on meals plenty of
times, plenty of days. I've actually fed all of my family,
and there's no meat left, because,
like . . . so I would give my portion [to the children], so
everyone can get full. And just would tell them, `Oh, I
ate.' '' Too many Veterans adopt this coping strategy.
It is unclear how the stress of living in this sort of survival
mode/stress affects the health and well-being of Veterans
overtime but getting them access to assistance as soon as
possible needs to be part of the solution.
6. Finding assistance is often a matter of chance or luck.
Sarah is a 33 year old Army Veteran with three children. Years
ago, when she was homeless and pregnant, Shannon's ``life
was gratefully rescued by a fellow veteran on the bus one
day''.\4\ The fellow Veteran noticed her Army T-shirt. He
asked if she needed help and she said yes. He directed her
to a Veteran Center where she was fed and connected to
other much needed resources. This event was a major turning
point in her life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Downey S., Helmer D., Kamdar N. Shannon's ETS (Expiration of
Term of Service) Experience: How Engaging with Veterans Informs
Researchers and Shapes Practice. Journal of Veterans Studies. 2021;
7(1): 241-4. doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v7i1.237 (https://journal-veterans-
studies.org/article/10.21061/jvs.v7i1.237/).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What would have happened if Sarah and her fellow Veteran were
not on the same bus that day? She, and other Veterans,
cannot afford to leave finding assistance to luck.
The experiences that these Veterans share point to the complex
nature of food insecurity. This complex nature also adds to the
challenges of findings effective solutions.
Finding Effective Solutions
Ultimately, the goal in understanding the problem is to apply the
findings towards developing and evaluating effective solutions.
An initial step to this difficult task is to organize the various
solutions using the Public Health Model of Prevention. This model
consists of three-levels of prevention: primary (focused on preventing
the problem in the first place), secondary (identifying the problem as
early as possible), and tertiary (reducing damage and preventing the
problem from getting worse).
Tertiary Prevention of Food Insecurity
I start by describing tertiary prevention because most efforts to
address food insecurity focus on tertiary prevention through charitable
food distributions and/or USDA food assistance programs like SNAP,
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC), and the National School Lunch Program. These programs are
essential for Veterans who are suffering from food insecurity as they
directly address the immediate lack of food. Increasing awareness of
and accessibility to the USDA programs, in particular, would benefit
many of the Veterans who are food-insecure.
Secondary Prevention of Food Insecurity
Screening using validated tools like the Hunger Vital
SignTM, if implemented correctly, will help identify
Veterans who are struggling with food shortages. There is increasing
awareness among healthcare clinics about the need to screen for food
insecurity. Yet, many Veterans who have unmet food needs may not seek
healthcare. Their first point of contact may be community
organizations. Therefore, we need to facilitate screening and referral
systems where Veterans are.
Primary Prevention of Food Insecurity
Finally, the most effective, but also the most complex solutions,
address the root causes of food insecurity in effort to not let it
happen in the first place. To achieve this level of prevention, we need
to move upstream and examine what places Veterans at risk for food
insecurity. What are those contributing factors?
So far, my current study and that from prior research indicates
that food insecurity is highly intertwined with physical and mental
health, housing instability, and financial instability. This means that
efforts to address food insecurity need to also tackle issues like
access to healthcare, stable housing, and financial stability.
Additionally, Veterans have described the initial 6 to 12 months
post-separation from active duty as being a time of high risk for food
insecurity. This is about the time that they run out of money, may
still be looking for a job, and may have not yet received care for
health-related issues.
Thus, another proactive approach to reduce their risk for food
insecurity is to leverage the Department of Defense Transition
Assistance Program (TAP) curriculum to facilitate registration into the
Veterans Health Administration. This will help transitioning Service
Members have access to healthcare and auxiliary support like social
work. This is also a prime opportunity to encourage transitioning
Service Members to apply for SNAP. The target group for such an effort
would be transitioning Service Members who are enlisted grade 7 (E-7)
or below.
Conclusion
I appreciate the Subcommittee's recognition that to have effective
solutions, we need to understand the problem--however complex it may
be. I also thank the Subcommittee for the opportunity to share how
current and future solutions fit in the public health model of
prevention.
Moving forward, I encourage all who strive to reduce food
insecurity among Veterans to balance the need to address immediate food
shortages with the need to address contributing factors.
Efforts to prevent food insecurity need to start prior to
separation from active duty (primary prevention). For those Veterans
who have already separated, early identification of Veterans with unmet
food needs (secondary prevention) and assistance to access programs
that will meet their immediate food needs and contributing factors will
be critical to reduce the negative outcomes like sense of desolation
and suicidal ideation (tertiary prevention).
Our nations' Veterans served and protected us. Now we need to
serve them.
The Chairwoman. I don't think I was unmuted.
Thank you for your testimony.
I now recognize our final witness, Mr. Keefe. Please unmute
and begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF TIMOTHY KEEFE, VETERAN, U.S. NAVY, ROCKLAND, ME
Mr. Keefe. Good morning or afternoon. Now I am confused
with all the Zoom stuff. But, Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member
Bacon, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, my name
is Tim Keefe, and I would like to start by saying that I worked
since I was 11 years old. I never had to worry about being
hungry. I would just work and I would eat. It wasn't until I
couldn't work that I experienced real hunger. Boy, that was a
blow.
I suffered an injury at work, as the Chairwoman said. And
after 2 years of surgeries and physical therapy, occupational
therapy, it was another 2 years before I could get even the
status to get back to work, as the Department of Labor had me
medically unable to work. So, with no income or address by that
time, I became homeless.
I applied for SNAP benefits and received $194 worth of
food. This was crucial. However, because of work restrictions,
I was cut off after 3 months.
I brought all my paperwork to SNAP and a declaration by the
Department of Labor that I was medically unable to work. I was
told that this did not qualify me for disabled status in which
the work restriction would be waived. I showed my doctor's
paperwork, which basically cleared me from work, although the
Department of Labor wasn't reading it that way. This was to no
avail.
I then asked for the paperwork I needed to volunteer to
satisfy the work restrictions that way. The screener told me he
didn't feel comfortable putting me into a volunteer situation
with my injury. So, I asked, ``What do I eat?'' He said there
was an appeal process that I could go through and appeal the
decision. So, I asked, ``What do I eat until then?'' I waited
in silence for a solid minute as he stared blankly back at me
and finally said there was nothing he could do for me.
In the year that followed, I filed appeals to both SNAP and
the main Department of Labor for a change in status, but I lost
all of them. In the meantime, I had to add seven holes to the
belt I was wearing to keep my pants up. My conditions devolved
into that of a caveman. That is all I could think of. I am
living like a caveman, nothing better than that.
Foraging took up a lot of my time. But once a month, I
could hitchhike 25 miles to visit--in either direction,
actually, which was fortunate--I could visit the food pantries
there. I was able to fill a backpack with enough food to give
me a meal a day for 2 weeks, if I stretched it. Still, there
were more days than I care to remember where there was nothing
to eat.
The food bank offered supplemental food once a month and
had me eating one meal a day, but the food bank has limited
resources. And I am truly grateful for that food, but I know
that I still lacked nutrition and calories. SNAP, in my
particular case, would have gone a long way to bolster my
health during this time, as I continued to wade through a
seemingly endless appeals process.
Unfortunately, I can tell you firsthand that when you have
gone a couple days without food, your whole being cries out for
it with a desperation I can't explain. You can't sleep, as
tired as you are. You can't do anything but think about and try
to get food.
I contemplated stealing food. I could hitchhike down to the
supermarket and fill a backpack. And, if I got caught, I would
go to jail and I would eat. If I got away, I could have the
food and I would eat. But I was able to resist this urge. It is
a desperation I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
A little more than a year later, I turned 50 and aged out
of the work restrictions. I immediately reapplied--I think I
was in there on my birthday, if I am not mistaken--and received
that $194 benefit. It amounts to about $6.45 a day. But it
didn't take long for my health and energy to increase. I
started gaining the weight back. The return of SNAP benefits
meant that I could concentrate on improving other areas of my
life, and a year later, I was working again.
I would like to also raise awareness for the veterans who
are not disabled but are returning to society with the unique
experience of having to adjust from a combat zone to everyday
life. Surely, we could feed them.
When I swore into the Navy in Boston, I was ready and
willing to give my life for this country, and it seemed like,
during this time, I couldn't even get a sandwich from them.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Keefe follows:]
Prepared Statement of Timothy Keefe, Veteran, U.S. Navy, Rockland, ME
Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, and Members of the
Subcommittee,
My name is Tim Keefe, and I'd like to start by saying that I have
worked since I was 11 years old. I never had to worry about being
hungry because I could work and eat. It wasn't until I couldn't work
that I experienced true hunger.
I suffered an injury at work and for the next 2 years I went
through two surgeries, physical and occupational therapy. But it would
be another 2 years before I was medically able to return to work, as
far as the Maine Department of labor was concerned. Eventually what
money I had ran out and I found myself homeless and living in a tent in
the woods in the winter in Maine.
With no income or address, I applied for SNAP benefits and received
$194 worth of food per month. Which was crucial. However, because of
work restrictions on SNAP benefits I was cut off after 3 months. I
brought all my paperwork to the SNAP office including the declaration
by the Department of Labor that I was medically unable to work. I was
told that this did not qualify me for disabled status in which the work
restrictions would be waived, I showed my doctor's paperwork which
cleared me for work but the DOL wasn't reading it like that. It was to
no avail. I then asked for the paperwork that I needed to volunteer and
satisfy the work restrictions that way . . . the screener told me that
he didn't feel comfortable putting me into a volunteer situation with
my injury. I asked, ``what do I eat?'' He told me that there was an
appeal process and I asked, ``what do I eat until then?'' I waited in
silence for a full minute for an answer, but the screener must have
thought it was rhetorical because he just stared blankly back at me
until finally stating that there was nothing he could do.
In the year to follow, I filed appeals both to SNAP and the Dept.
of Labor for a change in status, but I lost all of them, while in the
meantime I had to add seven holes to my belt just to keep my pants up.
My conditions devolved to that of a caveman, foraging for food took up
a lot of my time. Once a month I could hitchhike 25 miles and visit the
food pantry. This was lifesaving, I was able to fill a backpack with
enough food to give me a meal a day for 2 weeks if I stretched it.
Still, there were more days than I care to remember where there was
nothing to eat.
Unfortunately, I can tell you first hand that, when you have gone a
couple of days without food your whole being cries out for it. You
can't sleep, as tired as you are, you can't do anything else but try
and get food. I contemplated stealing food many times with the
justification being that if I got away with it, I would eat, if I got
caught, I would go to jail for at least some amount of time, and I
would eat. It's a level of desperation that I wouldn't wish on my worst
enemy.
A little more than a year later I turned 50 years old and aged out
of the work restrictions, I immediately reapplied and received that
$194 benefit. It amounts to about $6.45 per day but I'd didn't take
long for my health and energy to increase and I started gaining the
weight back.
The return of the snap benefits meant that I could concentrate on
Improving other areas of my life and another year later I was working
again.
When I swore into the navy at the Military Entrance Processing
Station in Boston, I was ready and willing to give my life for my
country. During this time in my life, I felt like my country wouldn't
even give me a sandwich in return.
Tim Keefe,
Navy Veteran.
The Chairwoman. Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Keefe.
At this time, Members will be recognized for questions in
order of seniority, alternating between Majority and Minority
Members. You will be recognized for 5 minutes each in order to
allow us to get to as many questions as possible.
Please keep your microphones muted until you are recognized
in order to minimize background noise.
I now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questioning.
First of all, Mr. Keefe, thank you for your service and for
your powerful testimony. You are exactly what Members of this
Committee--your testimony is exactly what Members of this
Committee need to hear as we search for solutions.
I understand that after you turned 50, you were able to
access SNAP benefits, since the time limit on benefits for
adults without dependents phased out at that age. Based on your
experience, do you believe that the SNAP work requirement
incentivizes work, or do you think they have unintended
consequences specifically for veterans?
Mr. Keefe. Well, definitely unintended consequences. I feel
like there was like a fissure that I fell through, this Catch-
22 that just opened up in front of me and swallowed me up. So,
definitely that.
Work restrictions, I mean, isn't laying your life down on
the line enough work?
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Mr. Keefe.
Dr. Kamdar, you mentioned in your testimony the sense of
desolation that veterans feel when they are denied assistance.
How can we better address hunger and food insecurity among
veterans who are living on the poverty line? And, based on your
research, would allowing people to save more money while still
qualifying for SNAP--for example, raising the asset limit--be
helpful in this situation?
Dr. Kamdar. I do believe that one of the reasons why many
of the veterans who told me that they applied for SNAP couldn't
qualify was because their disability counted as income. So, if
the disability could be removed as an income qualifier, then
perhaps that would open opportunity for more of them to get
SNAP benefits.
I am sorry. Can you repeat the first question that you had?
The Chairwoman. Yes. I said, how do we better address
hunger and food insecurity amongst veterans who are living on
the poverty line?
Dr. Kamdar. So, I think having those safety nets available
to them, having access to those safety nets is critical. That
addresses the immediate needs that they have. But then, also,
we need to consider childcare, transportation, housing, because
they are all so interrelated. So, if we only focus on food and
we neglect those other important and critical needs, we are
only addressing part of the problems that they are facing.
The Chairwoman. Do you think that we need to make specific
changes that are unique to our veterans and servicemembers,
because, as you mention, it is a different population?
Dr. Kamdar. They have their own unique culture, and I do
believe that the way we approach them to help them needs to be
unique to their culture. Most veterans I have met don't want to
feel like they are getting a handout. But if they can
understand that this is assistance that they have earned, that
they deserve, and it is presented to them respectively and
honorably, those are the approaches that we need to make sure
that they are receiving the care with.
The Chairwoman. Thank you.
Ms. Hollywood, studies have shown that food insecurity is
associated with increased risk of negative mental and physical
health outcomes, including depression, hypertension, diabetes,
and oral health problems. These outcomes seem particularly
problematic for servicemembers, whose jobs often depend on
staying physically and mentally fit.
Do you believe that food insecurity harms our military
readiness and recruitment and retention efforts?
Ms. Hollywood. Our resources do not have a specific
statistic on that, but I would say that, as a veteran, who
served for 20 years in the Air Force, that anything that
impacts our military readiness is an important problem we need
to attack.
The Chairwoman. Thank you. I think it is critical to note
that this is a population that has higher instances of
disability. So, we really need to, in my opinion, think about
the way disabilities are counted towards benefits in most of
these cases.
Thank you all for your thoughtful answers to my questions.
I yield back. And I now recognize the distinguished Ranking
Member, Mr. Bacon, for his questions. You can unmute.
Mr. Bacon. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
Thanks for all the testimony today.
And, Mr. Keefe, thank you for sharing. Did you say that you
were not--they wouldn't allow you to have disability, did I
understand that correct, or you weren't offered a disability
recognition?
Mr. Keefe. Yes. So, of course, I went to the Feds and had
them examine me for Federal disability, and they said, ``No, I
was fine.'' My doctor said my condition would improve. I had
torn cartilage in my hand, which I see people working with one
hand. I just didn't understand what was happening to me at the
time.
Mr. Bacon. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.
And, Mrs. Hubbard, I have had one of the command chiefs of
one of the services visit with me recently, and he told me that
the pay for our junior enlisted really hasn't been reviewed in
decades. And so, what we have seen is, like, every year, you
get a cost-of-living increase, but when you do a three percent
raise, for example, at a lower pay versus the higher grades,
the disparity keeps getting bigger.
Would you not think that maybe a more effective way of
trying to address food insecurity, I would think, for our
junior enlisted is maybe reviewing the pay?
Mrs. Hubbard. Yes. I agree that military pay levels need to
be looked at, and I think that is an issue and a solution that
is working, really far upstream on this issue, which is, of
course, I think where we all need to focus, right, as far
upstream on these issues as we can.
It is a big lift, I think. And I think, in the meantime,
some of the other proposals and solutions that are being put
forth and that we will discuss today, can help these families
to be able to put food on the table.
But, yes, I agree. I think we have so many more enlisted
members who are supporting families and need additional
supports. And so, we really do need to look at how the
composition of our military has changed over time and make sure
that our pay and the benefits are supporting them adequately.
Mr. Bacon. Okay. Well, thank you. I appreciate that
feedback.
And I am hearing some feedback from our senior enlisted
leaders in the military thinking it is time that the HASC or
the Armed Services Committee and the Personnel Subcommittee may
take a look at this. And I just heard that last week, in fact,
from a lot of them.
So--and maybe I will turn over to Mrs. Hollywood--or Ms.
Hollywood. Excuse me. I know we have worked hard on extending
family tours or tours of our enlisted so that spouses could get
employment more easily, so they don't lose their jobs. We are
also looking at licensing laws so that, if you are licensed in
Virginia, it will work in, say, Illinois or whatever and so
forth.
Are you seeing a positive impact here of some of these
adjustments we are making on families for spouse income?
Ms. Hollywood. So the needle is moving, but it is not
moving nearly fast enough. And the primary reason why it is not
is the childcare issue, because, the licensing is great, but if
we don't fix the childcare issue, we are never going to move
the needle on military spouse unemployment.
Mr. Bacon. Okay. Now, most bases offer childcare. So, are
you saying it is not enough capacity at each base or some of
the bases are not doing it? Because every base I have been on
has childcare provisions.
Ms. Hollywood. In my Active Duty life, I was a squadron
commander for those units that did run childcare facilities,
and [there was] never enough capacity. Never enough capacity,
coupled with the cost. And, granted, childcare facilities on
military installations are subsidized, but there is just
increasing costs on and off installations.
So, that is really a primary concern of military spouses
that has prevented successful military spouse--the unemployment
for military spouses for the needle to move like we would like
to see it.
Mr. Bacon. Okay. Well, I don't know if it is--I would be
curious to get [more] from the Military Subcommittee [on] if
this capacity has gone down or up. I did 30 years in the Air
Force, and where we were at, like at one base, we had two
childcares there, so it is maybe hit and miss depending on
which base. But I think most of the bases I have been on have
tried to provide that capacity, because I know it is a concern
for a lot of families.
You mentioned you didn't think we should count housing or
the substance--the food allowances towards pay. But for some,
that is over a thousand or could be up to $1,500. It varies
based on where you are living. But you don't think they should
count that towards determining SNAP income. Is that what I am
hearing?
Ms. Hollywood. Yes. I think we need parity with our
civilian--military family members need parity with their
civilian counterparts. This is not taxable income. BAH isn't
taxable, the housing allowance. So, it almost feels like having
BAH be part of what makes you eligible or not--eligible for
SNAP--is a disservice, and it is not on par with what our
civilian counterparts would have to count in their income.
Mr. Bacon. Do civilian counterparts get VAS and housing
allowance?
Ms. Hollywood. No, but their salaries would be reflective
of those different allowances.
Mr. Bacon. Yes. I guess that is a debatable point, but I
appreciate your perspective on it, then.
One other thing I wanted to--I guess I am out of time, so I
better yield back to the Madam Chairwoman. So thank you.
The Chairwoman. I was going to let you go, Representative
Bacon. I will add, from the Committee, thank you again for your
service. Thirty years is quite impressive.
And to Ms. Hollywood, to your point, highlighting the
childcare issue, that is part of the President's Build Back
Better agenda to offer universal pre-K and a seven percent cap
for childcare costs, because we have heard this over and over
from different communities.
I now recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts,
Representative McGovern. You have 5 minutes for your questions.
Mr. McGovern. Well, thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman.
And look, this is not a new issue. We have been talking
about this. You have been talking about this. I know MAZON has
been talking about this, and others have been, Blue Star
Families have been talking about this for years. The bottom
line is that the powers that be haven't done anything about it.
The Pentagon has known this for years, and yet, they have
not come up to the Hill and asked that we not count the housing
allowance toward total income so that those people who are
struggling could actually get SNAP. They haven't done that.
And they haven't been up here, shaking the trees for better
compensation for enlisted servicemen and -women. That has to
change. I mean, we know there is a problem--there is a problem
here. For anyone to imply that there is not a problem is
ignoring reality. And, by the way, it is not just amongst
Active Duty servicemembers; it is amongst our veterans.
Mr. Keefe, I want to thank you for your service to our
country as well. And I want to thank you for sharing your story
today. I first learned about you through a Washington Post
article in which it talked about what you went through.
And I think, all too often, the voices of people with lived
experiences are left out of policymaking. And I hope that my
colleagues on this Committee who have advocated for harsher
time limits and work requirements are listening to your
testimony, because, in real life, things don't fall into nice,
neat categories. There is a lot of gray area, and that is where
your situation is.
And, by the way, the average time that somebody is on SNAP
anyway is less than a year. But in your case, you have clearly
laid out how cruel these requirements are--they do not make
sense--and how complicated the lives of people living and
struggling in poverty are.
So, I want to ask you: What kind of things would have
helped you make ends meet after you lost your job? I mean, what
can Congress do to better help people who fall into your
situation? In addition to not having these harsh and cruel time
limits or work requirements, how could the system have been
more helpful to you?
Mr. Keefe. Well, to start with, a complete audit of the
workmen's comp system would probably show a couple of--reveal a
couple things. But, it really dawned on me that the Department
of Labor's decision didn't affect SNAP, and the Federal
decision didn't affect the Department of Labor's decision. It
dawned on me these agencies are at odds with each other in
dealing with me at the time, and it was creating quite a vortex
that I was falling into. The paperwork on the appeals I have
for all of this is ridiculous.
What would have helped me? As the doctor said, stopping the
bleeding. Immediate stopping the bleeding.
Mr. McGovern. Right.
Mr. Keefe. If I could have gone to the military medical
center and gotten something to eat and maybe a box of food or
something that would have been great.
Mr. McGovern. Right.
Mr. Keefe. And mirroring the food banks, because this is an
effective program.
Mr. McGovern. Right. Right.
Mr. Keefe. These people give you food. You walk out of the
building with food. There is no red tape in between. There is
no anything. They give you food.
Mr. McGovern. Right. Right. But, clearly, if there had been
no arbitrary time limit on your SNAP benefit that would have
helped, right? That would have provided for you, right.
Mr. Keefe. Oh, yes.
Mr. McGovern. Which, again, real life is complicated. It
doesn't fit into nice sound bites, and I really appreciate your
testimony.
I know I am running out of time, but I do want to thank my
friends at MAZON for their attention to this issue. They have
for a long, long time been sounding the alarm about the
seriousness of the hunger problem amongst our Active Duty
servicemen and -women, but also amongst our veterans.
I mean, people who put their lives on the line for our
country, people who served our country are in this situation
where they don't know where their next meal is going to come
from. All of us should be ashamed.
And, again, this is not a new revelation we are hearing
here today. We have been hearing about this for a long, long,
long time. The question is whether or not we are going to do
anything about it or whether we are going to raise questions as
to whether this is all real. It is real.
And, we have heard from Mr. Keefe. There are lots of other
people. Talk to our friends at Blue Star Families as well. They
have documented case after case after case. So, look, we know
there are solutions here. We have to act. We have to do
something.
And I know I am out of time, but I want to thank you all
for your testimony. This is really helpful. And as we approach
Veterans Day, let's all resolve that we are going to, by next
year, have done something so that we don't have to hear these
stories and we have actually helped make people's lives better.
I yield back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Mr. McGovern.
I now recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, where it is
70 today, Representative DesJarlais.
Mr. DesJarlais. Thank you. I appreciate it, Madam
Chairwoman. And thank you to our witnesses for appearing today.
Clearly, this is an important topic.
And it almost seems as if we should have the VA Committee
and HASC Committee included today to discuss this, because they
are all intertwined. And we don't want to see anyone in the
country go hungry, but we certainly owe a debt of gratitude to
our servicemembers and our military veterans, who, as our
witness said, put their lives on the line for us, and we want
this not to be one of their problems.
But I would like to note that the House Armed Services
passed the Fiscal Year 2021 and 2022 Defense Authorization Act
that all included provisions related to military hunger and the
issues that we are here discussing today.
The DOD had asked for an extension now, I guess, on two
occasions to address the reports of hunger within the military,
and now the report is due on March 31st of 2022.
So, I think we should all encourage the Department to
publish this information so we can get an accurate grasp on the
situation and see what committees of jurisdiction should get
involved here. Like I said, I think probably VA has--and
possibly Ag.
Now, it is interesting, in the 2018 Farm Bill conference
report, we did attempt to address this. Chairman Conaway had
suggested that $500 of the BAH not be included. And for some
reason, MAZON's reaction, among others, led to that provision
being dropped from the fiscal 2018 Farm Bill.
So, I do take a little issue, Mrs. Hubbard, with you saying
that nobody cares and nobody has tried to do anything. That
maybe wasn't enough, but it was something, and I am not sure
why that olive branch was rejected.
So, I guess I would just close with, again, thanking all of
our veterans and military personnel. We certainly want to solve
this problem, and I am committed to working with those other
committees to find a way to alleviate this problem.
And wish everyone a happy Veterans Day, and I will yield
back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Congressman.
I now recognize the gentlelady from North Carolina,
Representative Adams. You have 5 minutes for questions.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Chairwoman Hayes and Ranking Member
Bacon, for hosting the hearing today. And thank you to our
witnesses for your testimony. And to our two veterans who are
speaking today, who are witnesses, thank you so much, Ms.
Hollywood and Mr. Keefe, for your service.
It is disheartening to know that so many of our veterans
and our military families don't know when their next meal will
be. No one in this great country, especially the men and women
who wear the uniform and bravely served, should ever go hungry.
But we must address long-standing barriers to veteran and
military families' participation in SNAP with innovative and
proactive solutions, which is why, earlier this year, I
introduced the Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2021 (H.R. 4077), a
bill that would eliminate eligibility time limits and
unrealistic barriers for SNAP. Provisions like these are
crucial and would prevent SNAP recipients from losing their
benefits when they are not able to meet work requirements.
For example, how we heard today of Mr. Keefe's testimony,
creating a barrier to food access does not help anyone secure
employment or make our communities healthier.
So, Mr. Keefe, thank you again for your service and your
willingness to share your story. Can you provide an estimate of
how long after you became food-insecure did you first apply to
SNAP for benefits?
Mr. Keefe. Well, it wasn't until after the workmen's comp
had run out, so 2 years after my injury.
Ms. Adams. Yes. Okay.
Mr. Keefe. And so, that day, they gave me 3 months' worth,
which was the stipulations, and then cut me off----
Ms. Adams. Okay. Were you screened for food insecurity at a
healthcare facility while you were getting treated for your
injuries or provided with resources to prevent you from
becoming food-insecure and homeless?
Mr. Keefe. Well, they asked. They asked if you had food,
but that was about it. Really, all--there was only the food
pantry was my lifeline.
Ms. Adams. I see. Okay. Okay.
Mr. Keefe. Really, they were the only ones to offer.
Ms. Adams. Right. I think you have already indicated at
least what you think Congress can do to make sure that the
veteran experiences that are not the same kinds of hardships
that you experienced. So, thank you for sharing that.
Ms. Hollywood, as we all know--again, thank you for your
service as well--the basic allowance for housing is currently
considered as income when determining a servicemember's
eligibility for SNAP. So, do you know why SNAP doesn't exclude
the basic allowance for housing as income but WIC does?
Ms. Hollywood. I don't know the answer to that, but I do
know that that is definitely a barrier to--that having the BAH
be part of income is definitely a barrier for military
families, as is the fact that BAH is only pegged at 95 percent
of the local area's rent. So even that difference, that five
percent, is another barrier, to be honest, with military
families' pay.
Ms. Adams. Okay. Right. Mrs. Hubbard, can you respond to
this question?
Mrs. Hubbard. Yes. I mean, I think from where we sit, it is
simply an oversight. And that the BAH is not listed among many
exclusions that are included in the SNAP program. So, that
includes, as already been mentioned, it is not counted or
considered income for Federal income tax purposes. And for most
Federal assistance programs, it is not treated as income.
Ms. Adams. Okay.
Mrs. Hubbard. And so, it is really seems to be an
oversight, and it may have been unintended, but it has
persisted.
Ms. Adams. Right. Okay.
Mrs. Hubbard. And so now it is a choice, and we need to----
Ms. Adams. Thank you.
So, Dr. Kamdar, you mentioned that efforts to prevent food
insecurity need to start prior to separation from active duty.
So, could you please elaborate briefly on what efforts we
should be focusing on and how Congress can help in this regard?
Dr. Kamdar. Well, and as I said in my statement, my
suggestion is that as the veterans are going--or as the
transitioning servicemembers are going through the TAPs
courses, if there is a way that they can be signed up for
healthcare through the Veterans Health Administration, that
would at least connect them with healthcare so that there is
not a gap there.
Ms. Adams. Right.
Dr. Kamdar. And then, once they are in the VHA system, they
would have access to other support systems, like social worker
and case managers, who can direct them when the needs arise, or
hopefully prevent the need from arising.
Ms. Adams. Right. Well, thank you very much.
And I am out of time. Madam Chairwoman, I am going to yield
back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Representative Adams.
I now recognize the gentleman from Indiana, Representative
Baird. If you can unmute, you have 5 minutes for questioning.
Mr. Baird. Well, thank you, Madam Chairwoman and Ranking
Member Bacon.
I really appreciate this hearing today, but I would really
want to start off too just by saying and expressing my
appreciation to all of our nation's veterans and for all those
that have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces.
And I want to thank Mr. Keefe for his testimony.
Now, my question really deals with the concern I have about
hunger in any demographic, but on this basic concern about and
has been expressed here already today, about veterans and
Active Duty personnel.
So, I am concerned that, I don't feel that we have the kind
of data that we need to make the analysis, and we don't have--I
don't know that we have an overall feeling of engagement. So,
my question, then, is to any member that would like to address
this.
The organizations that you represent--have you conducted
research and come up with various conclusions on this topic?
And then I want to know how--have you tried to share or have
shared that with DOD or the VA or the House Armed Services
Committee?
So, any one of you that would like to start is welcome.
You--if you want me to do it----
Mrs. Hubbard. No. I am actually happy to chime in. Thank
you, first, for your service, Representative Baird, and for the
question. It is an important one, this issue of the lack of
data around these issues.
Obviously, we don't have enough data, and the Federal
Government has not collected enough data. And there are
definitely some gaps that need to be filled, and thankfully we
have colleagues in the field who have conducted studies and
tried to give us information that we can use to make better
public policy.
But the Federal Government really is the place that has the
capacity, the reach to really document this issue, and needs to
be held accountable to do it. And it is that lack of
recognition that is really a problem. And it is simply
unacceptable that we don't have the data.
And I guess I would say, not only does the government need
to be held accountable, but it is also not an excuse for
inaction. And, hungry families, they can't wait for data. They
can't eat another hunger study. And so, while we need to
continue to really push for the numbers--we also have to act.
We can't wait any longer.
Mr. Baird. Dr. Kamdar?
Dr. Kamdar. I am presenting today as a private citizen, so
I really can't speak about any data that is in the VA or
elsewhere.
I will say that we have been able to use data from
surveillance, surveys like the Current Population Survey and
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, but it
would be nice to have additional data.
Mr. Baird. Ms. Hollywood?
Ms. Hollywood. Sir, we have been conducting the annual
Military Family Lifestyle Survey for 10 years now, so we do
have data that I think could help us get the ball moving
forward in the right direction, along with the data from the
U.S. Army Public Health Center that was conducted recently
among 11,000 soldiers of two different installations.
So, I think there is some data, there is a data baseline.
Continued data analysis would always be welcome, but I do think
there is enough data now to actually help move the needle in
the right direction.
Mr. Baird. Thank you.
Dr. Kamdar, I have about, it looks like about 58 seconds
left, and so my question to you is, I really appreciated you
recognizing that veterans really are a unique culture in and of
themselves. There is a bond there, that is, as you approach
them, you have to make sure you approach them appropriately.
But I just thought I might ask you exactly how you think we
ought to address homelessness, hunger, and unemployment for
veterans. And you have 26 seconds, not to put pressure on you.
Dr. Kamdar. I don't have an eloquent answer in the 15
seconds I have left to address that, but I will say that
veterans depend on other veterans. So, some solution, I think
the veterans are the best people to go to to ask, ``How can we
help you?'' And that is the approach that I take in my
research.
I don't have the solutions. I turn to the veterans to ask
them, ``How can I help you; how can we help you?''
Mr. Baird. Nice job. You did it within time.
So with that, I yield back, Madam Chairwoman.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Representative Baird.
I now recognize the gentleman from Illinois. Representative
Rush, you have 5 minutes for your questions. Please unmute and
begin.
Mr. Rush. I thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and the Ranking
Member for convening this particularly important hearing this
morning. I join this conversation as a veteran of our armed
services and also as a pastor of a local church that takes
seriously the charge to feed the hungry and provide services
for all of our wanting citizens and needy citizens.
As a pastor of a church, as a Congressman, and also as a
Vietnam-era veteran, these roles have informed my perspective
on the points of addressing food insecurity for our veterans
and also for our active servicemembers.
Madam Chairwoman, let me make sure that I am clear on this.
Our veterans are one of our nation's most appreciated and most
valuable assets. Their sacrifices should be, again,
appreciated, and their requisite skills should also be eagerly
anticipated in regards to our nation's future.
And that said, Dr. Kamdar, I agree that the three-tiered
approach is critical to prevent, to stop, and to treat the
damage caused by food insecurity. While I agree with Ms.
Hollywood's call to not allow the Federal Government to
abdicate its responsibilities to the charitable sector, I
firmly believe that there is a role for religious organizations
and not-for-profits in this vital work.
Churches, community organizations, know their communities
best, most of all, and they work with their communities on a
day-to-day basis. And they are able to marshal food and
intervene to provide assistance to the very veterans that we
are concerned about, if they are given the priority of proper
support by the Federal Government.
So, my question, Dr. Kamdar, what is the current role of
churches and not-for-profits in providing primary, secondary,
and tertiary prevention of food insecurity, and how can the
Federal Government better empower them to play a more effective
role?
Dr. Kamdar. Well, I can address how churches can play a
role in the secondary and tertiary prevention. Most of the
veterans that I have encountered, when they are in need, they
go to the community for assistance. And churches are one of
those safe spaces that can ask their congregation, including
those who are veterans, if they need assistance, if they are
lacking any--if they are short on food. So, screening would be
one of them.
And then the tertiary prevention, as you stated, churches
are there to help, and they can be that source for the
immediate needs, the ones that helped Tim keep his--stay alive,
for all practical purposes.
So, they can be a source of immediate relief, but they can
also be a source that can help connect veterans to other
resources that they need to address those upstream barriers
that they may be facing.
So, if there is a support mechanism that can help them
address those questions that they have, be a source of support,
not just providing the food, but also helping to help them be
an advocate.
Mr. Rush. Madam Chairwoman, I only have a few seconds, so I
yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Chairwoman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Chairwoman. I am sorry. I now recognize the gentlelady
from Louisiana, Congresswoman Letlow.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you, Chairwoman Hayes. As we look to
tomorrow to recognize Veterans Day and share our utmost
appreciation to the men and women who courageously stepped up
to the line of duty to fight for the freedom we all share here
at home, I would like to extend a special thank you to the
veterans testifying before us today and all the other
servicemembers and veterans for their service to our great
country.
Given the sacrifices of our servicemen and -women, I
believe it is only right that we, in Congress, ensure that our
military and veteran families have the resources and care they
need to prosper.
However, for the purpose of this hearing, I echo the
sentiments that my Republican colleagues have shared before me.
Some of the topics discussed today are the direct jurisdiction
of the House Armed Services Committee and matters pertaining to
the Department of Defense.
While the Agriculture Committee has oversight of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's supplemental nutrition programs,
the committees of jurisdiction and the DOD need to be at the
table to provide their insight and findings as it relates to
the financial stability of Active Duty members and those
transitioning out of the service.
Ms. Hollywood, in your written testimony, you highlighted
the barriers that military spouses face when considering
gainful employment and how it contributes to families'
financial stress. Can you speak to the workforce development
services Blue Star Families undertakes, specifically for
unemployed spouses?
Ms. Hollywood. Yes, thank you. One of the things that we
really strive to do at Blue Star Families is partner with other
organizations to share resources. So, we are a hub of resources
for our military spouses to help them find not only resources
on the training side, to help them get some of the needed
training they may need. Maybe they have been out of the job
market for a few years because they were living in a state and
then they moved to another state and couldn't find similar
employment.
So, not only do we find those additional resources, we
provide mentorship opportunities, and then we also connect with
industry partners who are really looking to increase their
pipeline of military spouses.
I think the more we can educate industry on the ongoing
problems with military spouse unemployment, the more we can get
industry to employ our military spouses and learn about their
unique situations as a result of being a military spouse.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you. That is encouraging to hear. I do
have a follow-up question as to relates to our veterans. Does
Blue Star Families provide any services for individuals
transitioning out of the service to help them find post-Active
Duty employment or help them navigate other programs offered,
and how would you measure the success of these programs?
Ms. Hollywood. Yes, we do provide those programs. Our
programs are open to both Active Duty and veteran families. So,
any transitioning veteran who would like to come in and take
part of any of our programs, that is an option for them.
We measure success of our programs through an annual impact
survey, and we also do program evaluations after each
particular program that we do. So, I would say we have had some
good success moving the needle and trying to get military
spouses employed.
We have hosted--I think our current pipeline of military
spouses who are looking for training is over 10,000 people. So
just getting folks in the door to try to get resources, is also
a measurement of success on the military spouse part.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you so much, Ms. Hollywood. I yield back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Representative Letlow.
And I will just add that while hunger is a very complex
issue and there are multiple committees that have jurisdiction,
the House Agriculture Nutrition, Oversight, and Department
Operations Subcommittee, this Committee, has jurisdiction over
policies and statutes related to nutrition, including SNAP,
domestic commodity distribution, and consumer initiatives. So,
it is absolutely something that we should be working to try to
address.
I now recognize the gentleman from California.
Representative Carbajal, you have 5 minutes for questions.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Chairwoman Hayes and Ranking
Member Bacon. My Central Coast district is home to a robust
military community, including Active Duty military personnel
and many veterans who have devoted their lives to protecting
our country.
As a veteran myself, I am committed to ensuring that our
brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our
country, along with their families, have the resources they
need.
Mrs. Hubbard, as has been discussed, you highlight barriers
servicemembers face when their basic allowance for housing is
treated as income, which can affect their eligibility for
Federal nutrition programs like SNAP.
You also highlight other factors that increase a
servicemember's chance of being food-insecure, like base
salaries that do not reflect the reality of our modern military
force and the lack of access to affordable childcare.
The Military Hunger Prevention Act (H.R. 2339), a
bipartisan bill I co-led with Members of this Subcommittee,
including Representative Panetta, Ranking Member Bacon, and
Representative Baird, would create a basic needs allowance to
support low-income servicemembers who are not eligible for
SNAP.
Can you please speak on how this bill would improve the
crisis at hand? I know you have touched on it already, but if
you can expand on it, I would greatly appreciate it.
Mrs. Hubbard. Yes, thank you, thank you for the question
and for your supporting leadership on this.
The Military Family Basic Needs Allowance, if enacted,
would basically call on the DOD to automatically notify
servicemembers of their potential eligibility for this
allowance, if they are at or below 130 percent of the Federal
poverty line, which is the base minimum of the gross income
threshold for SNAP.
And you know, the DOD doesn't have all of the households'
information, and so a servicemember would have to report
additional income, including their spouse's income.
They could opt out if they chose not to participate, but if
they did qualify and were able to participate, they would
basically get kind of a plus-up in their base pay, which would
put them at above the 130 percent poverty line.
And it is really an opportunity to respond to the barriers
that we are seeing in SNAP and to be able to give these
servicemembers a little extra money they can use to respond to
basic needs.
So, we have bipartisan support for it, and I am really
hoping we can get it done. The full provision is in the House
NDAA. The Senate version, unfortunately, does include the BAH
as income. So that particular version of it would not be as
effective, and we are hoping that the House version will be the
version that ends up in the final NDAA bill.
So, we really appreciate your work on it and your
leadership on the Committee who have also supported us.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you. And following up to that, could
you also speak on how this bill could help improve mental
health outcomes for our military's serving families?
Mrs. Hubbard. Yes. Yes, thank you for that. I think a
number of us have mentioned in our earlier remarks about the
correlation between food insecurity and negative mental health
outcomes, including suicide, and so I think responding to food
insecurity is a critical action that we can take to address the
crisis of increasing rates of military suicide.
And so I think whether it is the screening that we are
doing or in the care that is being provided, and one of the
things that I mentioned was the Solid Start program, the
Veterans Suicide Prevention Program, and being able to make
sure that folks are getting information about food insecurity
and about resources that they can use, including the SNAP
program to address it, will help with this interconnection
between food insecurity and mental health outcomes.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you so much.
Madam Chairwoman, I yield back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you for your questions.
I now recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Jacobs. I
am not sure if he is on.
Okay. The next Member that I had on the Republican side is
Representative Cammack from Florida.
Okay. I recognize the gentleman from California,
Representative Panetta. You have 5 minutes for questioning.
Mr. Panetta. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I
appreciate this opportunity, and, of course, thank you to all
of the witnesses as well as my colleagues who are not just
interested but actually focused on doing something about this
pressing issue. So, thanks to all of you and especially the
witnesses who are willing to discuss some of these tough issues
of military hunger and hunger amongst our veterans.
As you have heard, and I think we all kind of believe that
these issues really represent a failure of our government to
serve those who have served us. And today you and my colleagues
that we have heard from have expressed a number of the
complicating reasons but also some solutions that we can put
forward here in Congress to help.
For example, we have heard how the USDA counts the BAC--
excuse me--BAH towards income when considering SNAP
eligibility. That has resulted, as you know, in low-income
military families being disqualified from SNAP and having to
rely on food pantries and food banks for emergency food
assistance.
That is why, to address that specific issue, I introduced
the bipartisan Military Hunger Prevention Act, which you have
heard discussed, talked about. And I was fortunate to have the
support of my colleagues on this Subcommittee, Reps. Bacon,
Baird, and Carbajal.
And this bill would make up for that loss by providing
military households with a basic needs allowance to purchase
groceries.
Now, although it is unfortunate that SNAP military families
must resort to that program, I do believe it is our
responsibility to ensure that those families, at the least,
have access to this necessary support, that they need to lead
healthy, food-secure lives.
Now, we are going to continue to work on this policy in the
conference NDAA, and I encourage all of my colleagues, not just
at this hearing but throughout Congress, to join in that
effort.
Now, we have also heard what we must do to support our
military spouses who struggle with unemployment. That is why I
was proud to introduce, along with Representatives Delgado and
Bacon the Military Spouse Hiring Act (H.R. 2947), which would
make military spouses eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax
Credit, so that businesses are actually incentivized to hire
those married to our servicemembers.
We have to do more to take care of those who have protected
us, who have served us, and not deter the good men and women
from enlisting or serving in our armed services.
Now let me just hit on the bill, if I could, a couple of
questions on the Military Hunger Prevention Act. As we noted,
that BAH counts as income when determining SNAP eligibility.
Now, my legislation would address the unacceptable
situation and ensure that these families are able to put food
on the table. And so, Mrs. Hubbard, I know you have talked
about this already, but how would a food allowance change the
circumstances for servicemembers who are currently relying on
food banks, if this legislation was passed?
Mrs. Hubbard. Well, as you mentioned, it would basically
give folks some additional resources and increase their
purchasing power for things like food, for their basic needs.
And you know, I think we want to see that. I think if folks--if
they don't have these resources, they are turning to the
charitable sector for food, and that is unacceptable.
I think there is nothing wrong with food pantries for
emergency needs, but it is unacceptable that servicemembers are
turning to pantries routinely to help feed their families.
And so, this benefit would really enable folks to have some
additional resources to be able to adequately address their
basic needs for food.
Mr. Panetta. I agree. And I think your word unacceptable is
more than appropriate.
Let me just--I have a few minutes left. Ms. Hollywood, you
note that one intersecting issue, along with the issues that we
have discussed with the basic allowance for housing, is
military spouse unemployment.
And as I have noted and I just talked about the Military
Spouse Hiring Act, which would make military spouse eligible
for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, how would that help
address the unemployment crisis amongst military spouses, and
if you could also elaborate on the key drivers of military
spouse unemployment in your answer?
Ms. Hollywood. So, the main key driver is the lack of
childcare. Another key driver is military spouses unfortunately
need flexible and a lot of times remote work. Because, if you
have a military spouse who is deployed for 6 months out of the
year, it is a much different dynamic than than a family whose
spouse doesn't go on deployments. So, then you are left with a
whole other set of problems.
But, I think anything that helps move the needle for
military spouse unemployment and gets employers more interested
in hiring military spouses, as this Act would do, would be a
great move in the right direction. So, I think that that would
really open the door to more employers pursuing hiring of
military spouses.
Mr. Panetta. Thanks, Ms. Hollywood, and thanks to all of
our witnesses for highlighting such an important, unacceptable
issue as what we have been talking about today.
I yield back, Madam Chairwoman. Thank you.
The Chairwoman. Thank you, Representative Panetta.
I am not sure if the gentleman from New York rejoined.
Representative Jacobs?
Or the gentlelady from Florida, Representative Cammack?
Okay. I now yield to the gentleman from Florida,
Representative Lawson. You have 5 minutes for questions.
Mr. Lawson. Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman, and I
would like to say happy Veterans Day to all of those Members on
this Committee who are veterans and served for so many years.
My question would be primarily to Mrs. Hubbard right now,
but anyone on the panel may answer. Mrs. Hubbard, you mentioned
in your testimony the need for Congress to explore a transition
of benefits for servicemembers and their family leaving the
military service.
In your opinion, what sort of services should be included
in the transition of benefits, and how long should they last?
Mrs. Hubbard. Well, thank you, thank you for the question.
And I think that period of transition between active service
and transition back to civilian life, I think is a critical
time, and it is a time when the risk for food insecurity can
rise.
And so, I think the VA and the DOD need to do a better job
at improving kind of the policies and the systems that help
folks making that transition. One of the things that I
mentioned in my testimony was for the TAP program, needing to
be a better bridge to Federal food programs like SNAP.
I think, from my understanding, the program could be more
effective at delivering information about those resources.
I think oftentimes folks who go through the program, it is
kind of like a fire hose of information that is hard to retain,
and so I think thinking about different ways to be able to link
people to these resources during their transition is important.
And then the other piece is, looking at providing a 6 month
transitional SNAP, a temporary, targeted, transitional SNAP
program for exiting servicemembers at a certain rank level, so
that they don't have to worry about food security during those
6 months while they are establishing themselves, while they are
finding a home, and finding a job, and getting back on their
feet in the civilian world. So, something like that I think
would be very helpful for servicemembers during that critical
time.
Mr. Lawson. Did anyone else on the panel want to comment on
that?
Ms. Hollywood. So, I think getting upstream on some of the
problems will also help with transitioning veterans. So, back
to my earlier comment about the 95 percent of the local
housing, the military members get 95 percent of the local
housing.
As a person who moved ten times in 20 years, every time you
move you have out-of-pocket expenses, and that just kind of
complicates things as you then transition out of the military,
so getting upstream of those problems is another way to solve
this.
Mr. Lawson. And one other question I wanted to ask to the
Committee, for the panel, is: does military ranking, regardless
to what branch of the service you come out have a great deal to
do with whether you are going to have food insecurity?
Ms. Hollywood. Our research shows that it is mostly junior
enlisted and other enlisted, more senior enlisted families
particularly face food insecurity.
Mr. Lawson. I would like Mr. Keefe to comment on that.
Mr. Keefe. Well, it wasn't exactly an issue for me, but I
did see that happening when I got out and people I know, yes,
you didn't make much money when you were in. You are not going
to have much money when you leave.
If you are in the higher ranks, you are going to make more
money and have a savings. You are going to be able to afford
it. It is kind of reflective of American society in general.
But I mean, we are only as good--somebody said great country. I
think we are only as great as our most disenfranchised person,
and that should never be a veteran.
Mr. Lawson. That is amazing. And I also would like my
colleagues and Mr. Bacon and some of them to think about, after
serving 30 years or so what it was like when they exited the
military.
And Madam Chairwoman, since I only have about a few more
seconds, I am going to yield back. I don't think I could get
the other question in, which is that I have in the State of
Florida the third largest veteran population according to the
Census Bureau and about 130,800 of those are women. And I worry
about the transition of women back into the workforce and SNAP
benefits and everything else with kids and so forth. But I
don't have enough time, so with that, I yield back.
The Chairwoman. Well, thank you, Representative Lawson, and
thank you for bringing that to the attention of this Committee.
I now recognize the gentleman from the Northern Mariana
Islands, Delegate Sablan.
Oh, did I lose him?
Okay. I will yield to the gentleman from New York,
Representative Maloney.
Moving right along, we have a guest joining us today, the
gentleman from Georgia and Chairman of the House Agriculture
Appropriations Committee, Representative Bishop. Welcome to our
Committee. You are recognized for 5 minutes for questioning.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman. Let me
thank all of the Members of this Subcommittee for your
attention to this very, very important issue.
Let me also commend Representatives Panetta for the
introduction of the Military Hunger Prevention Act, which is
very much needed, and I certainly agree 100 percent with the
need for the basic needs allowance.
But I would like to ask Ms. Hollywood, Mrs. Hubbard, and
then Mr. Keefe to comment about their knowledge of the bill
that we have introduced, along with Members of the
Subcommittee, dealing with military hunger, the Equal Access to
the Right Nutrition for Military Families (EARN) Act of 2021,
the EARN Act (H.R. 5346).
I think there have been a number of hearings where Ms.
Hollywood and Mrs. Hubbard have participated. I would like for
you to comment on it.
Based on what we have heard today, the need for a national
eligibility threshold, for example, the need for the
transitional assistance, the need for a better data collection
to be able to actually document, which we have been looking
forward to, the need to have the Department of Defense and the
Department of Agriculture work out some kind of cooperative
agreement so that they can, together, address this problem for
our military families, the possibilities of an automatic
enrollment for our military families who would be eligible for
SNAP, the basic allowance for housing looked at as we compare
that to Section 8, for example, of HUD, which is exempt in
calculating SNAP benefits, but for a military family that lives
on post and receives the basic allowance for housing, they are
penalized.
So, with that background, let me ask Ms. Hollywood and Mrs.
Hubbard to comment on how the EARN Act would complement the
Military Hunger Act that Mr. Panetta has offered and which we
hope will soon become law.
Ms. Hollywood. Thank you, sir. The EARN Act has been
helpful in raising awareness about military food insecurity.
And short-term solutions like the EARN Act, inclusion of the
basic needs allowance in the NDAA, and removing barriers to
SNAP eligibility from the farm bill even more broadly are
extremely helpful.
I do believe, though, in the long run, that the root causes
that I addressed earlier in my testimony really need to be
resolved in order to prevent this problem from existing in the
first place.
Mrs. Hubbard. And thank you, Congressman Bishop, for your
commitment to ending hunger among military and veteran
families.
I think the EARN Act has really started and contributed to
this larger conversation about how to address these issues in a
comprehensive way, and you know, I think we welcome any
legislation that is going to generate more conversation about
potential solutions, and we welcome the opportunity to work on
this with you and also, to be a part of future hearings where
we are able to explore this particular piece of legislation
further.
I mean, I think from where I sit, I think the single most
important thing that we can do right now is pass the Military
Family Basic Needs Allowance provision in the NDAA. It is on
the table now, and it would provide immediate assistance to
families.
But we certainly look forward to exploring other viable
options to address this issue. That one piece of legislation
and that one provision is not going to get us there. It is
going to be a great start, but we definitely would be open to
talking about other ways that we need to address this issue
because it has been too long of an issue to have been ignored
the way it has.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you. I think my time is about expired,
but if you could share some top-line conclusions from your
upcoming report, Blue Star Families, on the disproportionate
impact that Black and Hispanic families in general face in
particular. Can you share some top-line conclusions quickly?
Ms. Hollywood. Sir, I don't have the actual stats right now
other than our research did actually say that military families
of color--and we haven't released--we just conducted a military
families of color study this summer. The results aren't all
finalized yet, but our top-line results do show that food
insecurity is higher in military families of color than their
white peers. We will be releasing those results in February of
2022.*
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* Editor's note: the report referred to is retained in Committee
file and is available at: https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/
2022/02/BSF_MFC_REI_FullReport2021-final.pdf.
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Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much, and thank you, Madam
Chairwoman, for allowing me to participate in the hearing.
The Chairwoman. Thank you. Thank you, Congressman Bishop.
I now recognize the gentleman from New York, Representative
Maloney. You have 5 minutes for questions.
Mr. Maloney. I want to thank the Chairwoman so much for
convening this hearing, and I am particularly delighted to
learn more about this subject and to see my constituent, Denise
Hollywood here from Port Jervis, New York.
People who don't know the area may not realize that Port
Jervis is in western Orange County, New York, on the border
with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but it is also not that far
from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
And so right now, I think the largest construction projects
in the Army are at West Point. We spend, and properly so, a
huge amount of taxpayer dollars making sure we have the best
trained, the best equipped, most extraordinary group of young
officers anywhere in the world coming out of the United States
Military Academy.
And yet just a few miles down the road, an organization
like Blue Star Families, right, is working on an issue that
represents a whole nother spectrum of the reality that so many
people who serve in our military face.
And so, I really just want to give you an opportunity to
explain to folks who may find this hard to believe what the
unique barriers are, Ms. Hollywood, to military families when
they are trying to access the SNAP benefits that they have
earned.
And it is particularly glaring to know how many are
accessing benefits because they are food-insecure and their
families, but of course, there are a great number that are
eligible that aren't receiving those benefits. And I would love
to give you an opportunity to talk about that if you could.
Ms. Hollywood. Thank you, sir. And yes, I was up at West
Point yesterday. Lot of construction going on in that area. One
of the things I think that we have seen in our research is
that--and whether it is food insecurity or whether it is
financial insecurity that military families--you have to go
through your chain of command to get help. Oftentimes you have
to go through your chain of command to get help, and there is
this stigma that is associated with that. So, I think really
trying to overcome that even with terms, like, maybe food
insecurity isn't the right way to approach it with our military
families and our veterans, like maybe we need another nourish
to flourish, or some other way that we can help destigmatize
this issue with our military families.
And then again, getting them the access that they need to
those resources. The three real areas that we talked about
getting down, upstream of the problem, military spouse
unemployment, the unreimbursed relocation expenses that all
military families get every time that they move, and then just
the out-of-pocket housing expenses because the housing
allowance doesn't meet a hundred percent of the actual rents in
that area.
I think those are the three main causes that we see that
actually continue to make this problem not go away for military
families.
Mr. Maloney. And I know you have done important work on
this with the Military Family Lifestyle Survey, and if you
could just expound on that a little bit, please, because we
have certainly seen this in other areas where we are trying to
help our vets and their families, and sometimes, yes, there is
a reluctance to ask for help. And that barrier, which is
sometimes self-imposed, is particularly challenging. Talk a
little bit about how we can do better on that and what some of
the survey work you have done can tell us.
Ms. Hollywood. We have been doing this Military Family
Lifestyle Survey for 10 years now, and what we do then, we are
not a lobbying group, but we are an advocacy organization. We
have tried to bring this, the results of these surveys to
senior government leaders to help them help us move the needle.
Our theory of change is we listen, partner, share, and act.
So, what we try to do is listen to what military families are
really saying, and we get a lot of great input from military
spouses who really bear the burden of military moves. They bear
the burden of childcare. They bear the burden of maybe
household incomes that aren't as high as they would like
because of spouse unemployment issues.
So, when we gather this research, then we work with
partners to try to find creative solutions, and we share that
information with government leaders to help us advocate for
solutions such as the ones we have discussed today on this
panel.
The Chairwoman. Representative Maloney, you are muted.
Mr. Maloney. Excuse me. Well, thank you so much, and we
really appreciate your help in shining a light on this
important issue, particularly as we celebrate our veterans and
military families on Veterans Day. So, thank you all for your
important work, and thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for holding
this hearing, and I yield back.
The Chairwoman. Thank you. Mr. Keefe, it seems like you are
the only one that knows how to work the mute button here.
I think that brings us to the end of our Member
questioning. If there are any other Members on the platform who
would like to ask a question, I will now recognize you.
Okay. With that, I invite the Ranking Member, Congressman
Bacon, to share any closing comments he may have.
Mr. Bacon. Thank you very much. And again I thank our
panelists for being on today and sharing your perspective.
Madam Chair, I have a statement from the American Logistics
Association. They provide some details on how the supply chain
also affects food insecurity for our military, so I would like
to submit that for the record.
The Chairwoman. Without objection.
[The statement referred to is located on p. 56.]
Mr. Bacon. Thank you.
Also, I just want us to be careful if we start talking
about changing BAS and BAH, in the end, we do not want that to
be considered taxable income, or real taxable income, because
it will end up being a 10 or 20 percent cut with taxes taken
out for these individuals. So, we just want to be careful how
we address this, in my view.
And there was--I had maybe a follow-up question, but maybe
it is too late to get the panelists to comment on this. There
was a mention on there that minorities are affected more. I
would love to get a little more detail how that works if it is
the same pay, the same thing. So maybe I will come back and try
to get those details because I would like to understand that
better.
And I will just also commit to the Chairwoman and to the
team that I am going to write a letter to DOD. I want to get
their position on this. I could do it, I am also on the HASC. I
mean, I could do it either way here, but we need to know, is
this a real issue with our junior enlisted ranks. And if it is,
the military needs to say it is and give us the scope of the
problem, and we need to work into it and lean into it and
figure out how we are going to fix this.
So with that, Madam Chairwoman, I just appreciate the time
to makes some closing remarks. Thank you.
The Chairwoman. Well, thank you, Representative Bacon, and
thank you for your unique perspective on this issue, and again
thank you for your service.
I would also like to sincerely thank all of the witnesses
today. We genuinely appreciate you for being here to share your
experiences. Your testimony and answers to our questions paint
a picture of the challenges faced by veterans and Active Duty
military members that we will need as we work to remedy this
problem on this Committee.
I hope we can all agree that even one hungry veteran or
servicemember is too many. I ask the other Members of this
Committee to reflect on what we have heard today and to come
together to find solutions that will ensure our veterans and
servicemembers have the basic dignity of knowing that they will
have food on the table for themselves and their families.
Under the Rules of the Committee, the record of today's
hearing will remain open for 10 calendar days to receive
additional material and supplemental, written responses from
the witnesses to any questions posed by a Member.
This hearing of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight,
and Department Operations is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 1:41 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
Submitted Statement by Hon. Jahana Hayes, a Representative in Congress
from Connecticut; on Behalf of Brittany Dymond, Associate Director,
National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States
Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, and Members of the
Subcommittee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, thank you for the
opportunity to provide our remarks on this important topic.
As an organization, the VFW tirelessly advocates for veterans and
their families. From health care to economic opportunity, the VFW works
to ensure all veterans--past, present, and future--have the benefits
and tools they need to be successful after service. While it is not
lost on us that working-age veterans are 7.4 percent more likely to
reside in homes experiencing food insecurity, we want to take this
opportunity to discuss the unconscionable issue of food scarcity within
the ranks of those fighting our nation's battles today.
Our country relies on the patriotism and selflessness of
individuals and their families to sustain our all-volunteer force.
Those who join willingly accept the inevitable challenges that come
with military service including mentally, physically, and emotionally
demanding training and often multiple deployments. They further accept
that they may sustain irreparable injuries, both visible and invisible.
Most prominent of all, service members assume the very real risk that
they may make the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation.
By nature, volunteering for military service means accepting the
unknown with the exception of the one assumed guarantee that one will
have the means to satisfy their most basic needs after they raise their
hand. Unfortunately, an alarming number of service members learn that
is not the case. An estimated 160,000 enlisted active duty troops have
difficulty feeding themselves and their families. Accordingly, even
though military readiness is paramount, many service members cannot
fully engage their missions since their families struggle to eat and
satisfy other basic necessities. This is unacceptable.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food security as
consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life. A 2020
Blue Star Families (BSF) survey showed that 14 percent of enlisted
active duty military families experienced low- or very-low-food
security in the twelve months prior to the survey. While junior
enlisted families (E-1-E-4) were the most impacted at 29 percent,
enlisted families of all ranks reported food insecurity. A separate
survey by the Military Family Advisory Network found that between early
2020 and early 2021, 20 percent of currently serving respondents
reported challenges with food scarcity.
Why Military Food Insecurity Matters
Food insecurity within the ranks is an issue of national security
since it directly impacts recruiting and retention. In general, lack of
regular access to enough food can lead to poor long-term health
outcomes such as chronic diseases, stress, and weight gain. For
children, food insecurity can adversely impact childhood development,
lead to more frequent hospitalizations, and create behavioral health
issues. A May 2021 National Military Family Association (NMFA) survey
of over 2,000 military teens revealed that over 65 percent want to
serve in the military. This is in stark contrast to just 13 percent of
Americans aged 16 to 24 identified by a Department of Defense survey
only 2 years prior. With so many enlisted families experiencing food
insecurity, we must consider the likelihood that the eligibility of
some of our most promising future recruits has been and is being
sabotaged.
The aforementioned NMFA survey also found that nearly 36 percent of
military teens are worried about lack of food. Without considering
fitness for military service, the experiences of this group may
discourage them from joining as they seek alternative career paths with
less perceived risk. More broadly, prospective recruits with families
may not consider a military career if they are worried about potential
food insecurity. Both instances result in the loss of prospective
talent, undermining our nation's efforts to attract the best and
brightest.
From a retention perspective, food insecurity has been associated
with a decreased likelihood of staying in the military. While low base
pay is an obvious variable, high rates of spouse unemployment and
underemployment due to frequent relocations, licensing challenges, and
child care issues, for example, lead to lost household income and
hampered spouse career growth. These challenges have been made even
more acute by the COVID-19 pandemic as families transitioned to remote
schooling. The 2020 BSF survey also found that 35 percent of spouses
needed or wanted to be employed, but were not.
Also contributing to families' financial distress is that many do
not qualify for state and Federal assistance benefits, like the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This occurs because
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is included in calculations that
determine benefit eligibility. Absent meaningful changes in support for
military families, retention of affected service members will continue
to be challenged.
What the VFW is Doing
VFW Posts across the nation are doing their part to help solve
hunger in their communities. In addition to posts that make fighting
hunger a monthly priority, many around the country have stepped up
during the COVID-19 pandemic by hosting food drives and teaming up with
other community organizations to provide meals to those in need.
On a national level, together with Humana, the VFW oversees the
Uniting to Combat Hunger (UTCH) campaign. Established in 2018, our
campaign has partnered with several organizations to provide meals to
those in need. Between launch and 2019, UTCH joined Harvesters (a
regional Feeding America affiliate) and the VFW Department of Florida
to provide over 550,000 meals to those in need--enough for over 137,500
families of four. In 2020, when faced with the health and safety
challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team turned to food
pantries located within Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
Leveraging generous cash donations, UTCH had provided the equivalent of
over 1,000,000 meals by the end of July 2020, which marked the close of
the 2020 campaign.
With COVID-19 precautions continuing during 2021, UTCH is again
leveraging cash donations by partnering with Feeding America. By August
15, 2021, the equivalent of over 505,000 meals had already been
generated. To maximize participation, the 2021 campaign will continue
through December 31, 2021, with the goal of providing another 1,000,000
meals. Donations are sent to Feeding America affiliates closest to U.S.
military bases and VA hospitals.
Solutions
Counting BAH as income creates inequities among military families
and also between military and civilian families. Cost of living
differences between bases result in vastly different BAH rates, which
can inflate or deflate income calculations used to determine assistance
eligibility. As such, some military families in high cost-of-living
areas are ineligible for food assistance even though they might have
otherwise qualified had they been stationed at a base with lower living
costs. Since BAH is similar to Federal housing assistance, the VFW
believes it should not count as income when determining eligibility for
SNAP and similar food assistance programs. Accordingly, USDA should
amend this program's guidelines to exempt BAH from counting as income.
Furthermore, Congress should pass the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA)
as outlined in H.R. 4350, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2022, as this version would exclude BAH from the BNA eligibility
calculation. For families experiencing food insecurity, this additional
benefit would bring urgently needed relief as they continue to navigate
COVID-19-related challenges and regain financial stability going
forward.
Last, while we understand other fixes may not be in this
Committee's jurisdiction, the VFW believes Congress must diligently
address barriers to military spouse employment. This includes policies
that generate, provide, or otherwise support flexible and remote
working opportunities that accommodate the military lifestyle. Congress
must also work to expand on-base child care access that is high
quality, affordable, and accommodating of military work schedules.
Chairwoman Hayes, Ranking Member Bacon, this concludes my
testimony. I am prepared to answer any questions you or the
Subcommittee Members may have.
______
Submitted Statement by Hon. Don Bacon, a Representative in Congress
from Nebraska; on Behalf of Stephen Rossetti, President, American
Logistics Association
Thank you, Chair[wo]man Hayes and Ranking Member Bacon, for the
opportunity to provide this statement on this vital issue and we
appreciate the Committee's involvement and interest.
The American Logistics Association is a 100 year old trade
organization that represents all companies in the military food supply
chain from source to shelf. This includes major consumer packaged goods
companies, distributors, brokers, and marketing and technology
organizations.
We have been on the front lines of military and Veteran food
insecurity both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic.
The military and veteran food insecurity issue has is two major
aspects.
One is financial. There indeed is the difficulty of some families
to make ends meet and this often results in having to trade off between
food and other necessities. And, there is a program designed to address
this much of this difficulty: It's called the military commissary
system. Taxpayers and patrons of these commissary stores have invested
billions of dollars into a food insecurity prevention infrastructure
and Congress annually provides nearly $1.1 billion per year to offset
operating costs. This results in an average 24 percent savings off of
food prices outside the gate and often these savings reach 40 percent
or higher in certain locales. The law protects these savings with
Congress saying that if the average savings ever dips below 23.7
percent, Congress will appropriate additional funding to provide for
these savings levels. The commissary program not only exists for active
duty military and their families but also fore millions of retirees and
veterans including some 3.5 million disabled veterans that were
provided the commissary benefit only a few short years ago.
And, now, to augment this commissary investment and in recognition
of the plight of some military families, the Congressional Defense
Committees are moving to focus funding on the most distressed families
with a ``Basic Needs Allowance.'' And, we believe that this Basic Needs
Allowance can be turbo-charged by leveraging the commissary system. For
every dollar of the Basic Needs Allowance that would be redeemed in the
commissary stores, the military family member gets an additional 25
percent in value for their dollar. This means that for every dollar the
taxpayer invests in the basic needs allowance, an additional 25 percent
is gained when using the commissary.
The second aspect of addressing and preventing food insecurity for
veterans and military is taking care of the food supply chain from
source to shelf.
Mobilizing to provide food for military families during the
pandemic was no less a war mobilization task than moving equipment and
personnel into a combat theater. It was a mobilizing to care for people
to meet a human need instead of wartime need but a need no less.
First, we want to bring to the Committee's attention the tremendous
work that the Defense Commissary Agency has done in ensuring products
for our military families during the pandemic. Particularly we wish to
recognize and salute the tens of thousands of brave commissary and
military exchange workers and industry partners who went into the
stores to serve the military when the pandemic was hitting in full
force. They showed up, rolled up their sleeves and went to work for
military families--at great risk. This included thousands of shelf
stockers, warehouse workers, cashiers, and military broker and
manufacturer representatives.
The Pandemic exposed vulnerabilities to the military's food supply
chain that we are still working through including shoring up key
distribution hubs on the East and West Co[a]sts to military families
overseas. We are working with the Department of Defense to have them
recognize the need to bolster the military food supply chain. This
supply chain is global, constant, and essential with long-lead times to
far-flung corners of the globe.
The performance of commissaries, their exchange brethren and
industry partners in the military consumer marketplace was magnificent
during the pandemic. It was only a short 14 months ago during the
darkest and most uncertain days of the pandemic when COVID hit overseas
areas first--areas where military bases were located--South Korea,
Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan. The military supply chain went to
extraordinary lengths to ensure that products were supplied. The
Department of Defense declared commissaries as ``Mission Critical'' and
major work-arounds were instituted to ensure that product got to
military families. This included airlift in many cases as borders
closed and massive efforts to keep distribution hubs disinfected at
great cost to distributors. It's the untold story of the pandemic, a
story of bravery, innovation and a tremendous demonstration of the best
of the private- and public-sectors coming together to care for the best
people in the world--our military. Manufacturers worked to get product
to distribution centers and these distribution centers went to
expensive and massive efforts to stay open by sanitizing trucks,
pallets, and all of those things that go into keeping the supply chain
humming.
We appreciate the efforts to provide food banks for Veterans,
military personnel and their families and ALA member companies provide
product and labor to support efforts such as the Military Family
Advisory Network's million meals challenge. And, we appreciate and
support a basic needs allowance for truly needy families that can't
make ends meet. But handing out free meals is not sustainable over the
long-term. We believe that the long-term and sustainable solution for
military and Veteran hunger rests with the private-sector and public-
sector coming together to underpin and leverage the existing investment
that has been made and continues to be made in the commissary benefit.
We believe a multi-faceted long-term sustainable approach is called
for:
Leverage the investment that the taxpayer has made in these
commissary stores.
Develop mechanisms to incentivize and encourage food
manufacturers to recognize the unique aspects of the military
food supply chain and allocate adequate product to provide for
military family needs at commissaries at home and abroad.
Stop or limit the practice of recovering some costs of
operating the commissaries through price increases and return
to the pre-2017 practice of selling goods to military and
Veteran consumers at the cost that the government pays for
products. In a food insecurity and inflationary environment, it
doesn't make any sense to mark up food at the shelf at a time
when Congress is looking to provide additional funding to help
military families put food on their table[.]
Include food distribution to the military bases as a
``critical supply chain capability'' that must be funded,
maintained and bolstered just as Department of Defense is
moving to shore up other critical supply chains for vital
Defense components and systems. Recognize and fund personal
protective equipment and other measures needed to ensure that
main distribution hubs do not go down.
Provide an identification credential that enables Veterans
that have the commissary privilege to easily access military
bases and take advantage of their commissary benefit.
Provide funding for delivery of discounted groceries from
the commissary stores to patrons living off base.
Stretch any funding of the Basic Needs Allowance by 25
percent or more by developing ways to incentivize and promote
the use of the commissary stores including easy redemption of
their Basic Needs Allowance in the stores and waiving the five
percent surcharge for customers redeeming the Basic Needs
Allowance.
We appreciate the Committees interest and stand ready to assist in
any respect to address this vital issue.
______
Submitted Questions
Questions Submitted by Hon. Don Bacon, a Representative in Congress
from Nebraska
Response from Mia Hubbard, Vice President of Programs, MAZON: A Jewish
Response to Hunger
Question. Do you think it is the role of the Department of
Agriculture to subsidize the Department of Defense? If so, why?
Answer. May 13, 202[2]
Dear Congressman Bacon:
Thank you for the interest in the recent hearing on the topic of
hunger among veterans and servicemembers, and for your request for
additional information.
The Jewish community has a rich tradition of asking questions and
wrestling with different perspectives in order to discover the meaning
and truth about an issue. However, asking the right questions is
critical in the pursuit of understanding. The questions that you
posed--about whether I think it is the role of USDA to subsidize the
Department of Defense, and if so, why?--strike me as misguided and
based on some questionable assumptions.
I challenge you to ask some other questions as well, to help inform
a more comprehensive understanding about the nature of food insecurity
within the military and veteran populations. For instance, how have
Congress and Federal agencies allowed military hunger to manifest and
persist? How can Congress, the Department of Defense, and the
Administration address these long-overlooked issues?
In my response below, I will try to briefly share perspectives from
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger's expertise on military and veteran
hunger and suggest other questions that might be worthy of your
consideration.
First in response to your question: no, I do not think that it's
the role of USDA to subsidize DOD, but I do not believe that was the
focus of our conversation during the hearing. If you're referring to
SNAP, it's clearly more than just a ``subsidy''--it is our country's
most important anti-hunger program, providing critical benefits to
millions of people each year. We believe that USDA and DOD must
coordinate more closely to make sure that military families are not
falling through the cracks of our nutrition safety net--as you know,
MAZON has advocated for the Administration do this through removing the
policy barrier that currently prevents some servicemembers from
accessing SNAP and strengthening the newly-mandated ``Military Family
Basic Needs Allowance'' to ensure that all military families can put
food on the table
I believe Congress must update military compensation policies to
better reflect the current reality of our Armed Forces, which includes
many more military families than in previous generations. However,
until those compensation structures are rectified and/or the basic
needs of military families are fully met through implementation of
directed supports--such as the Military Family Basic Needs Allowance
that passed in the House version of the FY22 National Defense
Authorization Act--then SNAP should be available to provide needed
assistance to struggling families, be they civilian or military.
I think the notion implied in your question is that it is not
appropriate for military families to receive support from SNAP.
Informing that notion might be a negative characterization of SNAP, one
that has been fed over the years by some harmful and sometimes racially
coded cultural stereotypes.
So in response to your question, I would say that it should be the
role of the Department of Defense to provide adequate compensation and
benefits to all servicemembers so that they are able to fully meet the
basic needs of their families. Because this is not the current reality
and there are thousands of military families struggling to meet their
basic needs, then I do think that SNAP benefits should be available to
provide assistance until the needs of military families are fully
addressed, either through adjusting existing compensation and benefits
or through another mechanism, such as a fully adequate benefit that
reaches all military families in need through the Military Family Basic
Needs Allowance.
As you consider solutions to address the issue of food insecurity
among our military families, there are some different questions that I
would urge you and your staff to explore and reflect upon:
Why has this situation been allowed by Congress, the
Department of Defense, and Federal agencies to persist for so
long?
Why has the Department of Defense been so uncooperative in
collecting data, making it publicly available, and advancing
solutions to this problem?
Why has the Department of Defense previously denied that
there is a significant problem with military hunger and
suggested that those who are struggling have only themselves to
blame because of their own financial mismanagement?
If it is not the role of USDA to support struggling military
families, what more does Congress and the Department of Defense
need to do to fulfill its responsibilities and truly take care
of those who serve?
Given the issues of shame, stigma, and fear of retribution
that surround the issue of food insecurity within the military,
what can be done to eliminate the negative perceptions and
stereotypes that have made it more difficult for individuals to
seek needed assistance?
You will find some reflections on the questions above as well as
additional information and recommendations in MAZON's report, ``Hungry
in the Military''.\1\ I encourage you and your staff to review the
findings in this report as you consider solutions to address this long-
overlooked and unacceptable problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://mazon.org/news/mazon_statements/new-mazon-report-
hungry-in-the-military/.*
* Editor's note: the report referred to is retained in Committee
file.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope that my response, and the additional questions that I have
shared with you, are helpful as you and your colleagues work to end
military hunger. MAZON greatly appreciates your concern about this
issue and your leadership as a cosponsor of the Military Hunger
Prevention Act, which mirrored the full Military Family Basic Needs
Allowance provision that passed in the initial House version of the
FY22 NDAA. We also recognize your engagement with Mission: Readiness
and the concerns about childhood obesity that threaten future
recruitment for our Armed Forces and note that addressing the military
hunger crisis now will help to support the goals around future
recruitment and fitness to serve by ensuring support for children from
military families that experience food insecurity. MAZON looks forward
to partnering with you to once and for all put an end to the
preventable problem of military hunger.
Sincerely,
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mia Hubbard,
Vice President of Programs,
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
Response from Lt. Col. Denise Hollywood, (Ret.), U.S. Air Force; Chief
Community and Programs Officer, Blue Star Families
Question. Do you think it is the role of the Department of
Agriculture to subsidize the Department of Defense? If so, why?
Answer. Ongoing government efforts to address military family
financial insecurity by working to increase child care availability,
solve spouse employment challenges, and address military pay
inadequacies all are vitally important. However, military families
facing hunger need access to immediate interventions, such as SNAP
benefits, to prevent negative health and financial consequences while
long term solutions are identified and implemented. Providing access to
resources that allow military families to lead productive, healthy
lives while in service to our country is the responsibility of all
government departments to the fullest extent allowable within their
respective authorities.
Response from Nipa Kamdar, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC
Question. Do you think it is the role of the Department of
Agriculture to subsidize the Department of Defense? If so, why?
Answer. As a reminder, I am testifying as a private citizen. The
views and opinions expressed in this testimony are mine and do not
necessarily express the official policy or position of Baylor College
of Medicine or the Veterans Health Administration.
My area of research focuses on Veterans. However, in speaking with
Veterans, they remind me that active-duty Service Members take an oath
to defend our nation and are willing to risk their lives in their
service. In contrast, making sure that they have adequate access to
healthy food for themselves and their families seems like a small ask.
The primary responsibility for this assurance should be that of the
Department of Defense. Service members need to have livable wages that
meet the cost-of-living for the area where they are based.
As one Marine Veteran explained: Troop welfare must come first.
They can't be mission ready if they are struggling to get food on their
table. The Marine Veteran told me about how he and his partner, even
after careful budgeting, only had $62 per month to spend on groceries
while he was serving. He did not realize at that time how close to the
edge of financial collapse he and his partner were living.
Having said that, if a subsidy from the Department of Agriculture
will reduce the struggle to get food to the table, then yes--a subsidy
is needed. Yet there needs to be an awareness that a subsidy does not
solve the underlying issue of financial stability. A subsidy from the
Department of Agriculture, if it is treated similar to the SNAP
program, would provide immediate, temporary relief from food shortage;
however, until underlying contributors to food insecurity--like low
wages, inadequate childcare, spouse employment opportunities--are not
addressed, Service Members and their families will continue to live in
a state of financial stress which could impact their health and
wellness.
Response from Timothy Keefe, Veteran, U.S. Navy
Question. Do you think it is the role of the Department of
Agriculture to subsidize the Department of Defense? If so, why?
Answer. The sad part of this question is that so many active duty
families cannot survive on a military salary and until they can, they
should surely be able to access food, [whether] in the form of [SNAP]
benefits (you don't join the military to get rich so lots live below
the poverty line), or governmental or military food distribution, so my
answer is yes, if the military budget is too small to take up the
slack, then the Dept. of Agriculture should.
[all]