WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee included legislation that would protect military families and kids from being cut out of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and child nutrition programs in its Agriculture Appropriations. These federal nutrition assistance programs, such as the national school lunch program, rely on income requirements to determine family eligibility. Currently, the additional pay military personnel receive as a result of deployment to a combat zone can cause families to become ineligible to continue participating in child nutrition programs and WIC. Senator Casey introduced the legislation with Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Johanns (R-NE).
“The brave men and women serving our country in combat have enough to endure while abroad without having to worry about whether their families are well cared for in their absence,” said Senator Casey. “This legislation will ensure that military families are not shut out of vital nutrition programs while their loved ones are deployed.”
The Military Family Nutrition Protection Act of 2009 will require state agencies to exclude combat pay from income when determining eligibility for child nutrition programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The legislation will now proceed to the Senate floor for a vote.
The WIC program provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for mothers and children. The program, one of the most successful federally-funded nutrition programs in the country, provides vouchers that can be used at authorized food stores. Studies, reviews and reports show that the WIC program is cost effective in protecting or improving the health and nutritional status of women, infants and children.
Despite a precedent for honoring combat pay in other important programs, the WIC program currently includes the additional pay in a family’s income level when determining eligibility for the program. For instance, combat pay has been exempted from eligibility determinations Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/food stamp program on an ad-hoc basis through various appropriations measures. The Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 made permanent the combat pay exemption for SNAP applicants.
The Military Family Nutrition Protection Act of 2009 brings consistency to the treatment of combat pay across SNAP, WIC and all child nutrition programs. The bill ensures that families of military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones do not suffer a penalty in child nutrition or WIC assistance by specifying that combat zone pay is excluded from eligibility determinations for all child nutrition programs including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, as well as day care, summer and outside-of-school programs.
Below are several of the programs the bill would impact:
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC)
WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
School Meals
National School Lunch Program Fact Sheet: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/default.htm
National School Breakfast Program Fact Sheet: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Breakfast/AboutBFast/SBPFactSheet.pdf
Summer Food Service Program
SFSP is the single largest Federal resource available for local sponsors who want to combine a feeding program with a summer activity program.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/
Child and Adult Care Feeding Program
CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care for children and elderly adults by making care more affordable for many low-income families. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/
