国际战略研究中心-解决美国退伍军人和军人家庭的粮食安全问题（英）-2022.6

SolvingFoodInsecurityamongU.S.

VeteransandMilitaryFamilies

CSISBRIEFS

JUNE2022

ByJamieLutzandCaitlinWelsh

THEISSUE

FoodinsecurityamongU.S.veteransandmilitaryfamiliesisanationalsecurityconcern:itmultipliesstressonactive-duty

personnel,diminisheswell-beingamongservicemembersandtheirchildren—whoaremorelikelytoserveinthemilitaryas

adults—andmayhinderrecruitmentforthearmedservices.AsdirectserviceprovidersandtheU.S.governmentrespondtothe

short-termneedsofveteransandmilitaryfamilies,thisbriefputsforwardlong-termsolutionstofoodinsecurityintheU.S.

militaryandveterancommunities.

INTRODUCTION

TheCSISGlobalFoodSecurityProgrampublishesthispolicy

briefatatimeofnotablemovementontheseissues.Food

insecurityhasexistedintheU.S.militarycommunityfor

decades,butwhenDefenseSecretaryLloydAustindiscussed

foodinsecurityinmilitaryfamiliesinNovember2021,he

wasthefirstsecretaryofdefensetoexpressconcernover

thisproblemandinstructtheDepartmentofDefense(DOD)

totakeaction.HereiteratedthissupportonMay3,2022,

whenhestatedbeforetheSenateDefenseAppropriations

SubcommitteethattheDODwants“tomakesurethat

peoplecanputfood—goodfood,healthyfood—onthetable,”

emphasizingthat“allofourservicesarefocusedonitas

well;again,it’svery,veryimportanttous.”

1

TheFY2022

NationalDefenseAuthorizationAct(NDAA)taskedthe

secretarytoconductastudyoffoodinsecurityinthearmed

forcesandpresentresultstoCongressbyOctober1,2022.

Aspolicymakersandthepublicawaitresultsofthisstudy,

theyalsoanticipatethereleaseofaroadmaptostrengthen

foodsecurityacrossthearmedforces,whichSecretaryAustin

instructedtheundersecretaryofdefenseforpersonneland

readinesstodevelopinearly2022.TheFY2022NDAAalso

mandatedaBasicNeedsAllowance(BNA),andtheDODis

deliberatingqualificationsforandbenefitsduetoservice

membersundertheBNA.TheVeteransHealthAdministration

(VHA)begantoaskveteransabouttheirexperienceswith

foodinsecurityonlyfiveyearsago,updateditssurveyin2021,

andisseekingfurtherwaystoaddressfoodinsecurityamong

U.S.veteransinthewakeoftheCovid-19pandemic.

Indeed,theCovid-19pandemicattractedsignificant

mediaattentiontofoodinsecurityinthemilitaryand

amongveterans,oftenfocusingontheroleofcharitable

organizationssuchasfoodbanksandfoodpantries.While

theseorganizationsprovideimportantservicesintimesof

greatneed—inthemilitaryandthegeneralpopulation—

theyarenotdesignedorresourcedtoprovidelasting

solutions.Long-termsolutionsarethepurviewofthe

U.S.government.Asnewdataemergeandlegislationand

policiestakeshape,theCSISGlobalFoodSecurityProgram

intendsforthisbrieftoguidelegislators,policymakers,

andpolicyandprogramimplementersintheireffortsto

addressfoodinsecurityinthemilitarycommunity.

Thecontentandrecommendationshereinarethe

culminationofintensiveresearchandoutreachtoand

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interviewswithU.S.governmentofficials,active-dutyservicemembers,researchers,advocacyorganizations,andothers.Thisbrieffocusesspecificallyonactive-dutyfamiliesandveteranslivinginthecontinentalUnitedStates,thoughmembersoftheNationalGuard,Reserves,andthoseservingoutsidethecontinentalUnitedStatesmayfacedifferentchallengesandrequiredifferentsolutions.

Asistrueinthegeneralpopulation,foodinsecurityinthemilitarycommunitydoesnotexistinavacuum—itexistsalongside,andisexacerbatedby,otherchallenges.Thepolicyrecommendationsattheconclusionofthisbriefreflecttheintegratednatureofthesechallengesandtheirsolutions.

THEEXTENTOFFOODINSECURITYAMONGU.S.VETERANSANDMILITARYFAMILIES

NewdatahaveshedlightontheextentandnatureoffoodinsecurityamongU.S.militaryfamiliesandveterans.ResearchshowsthatU.S.militaryfamiliesandveteransexperiencefoodinsecurityathigherratesthanthegeneralpopulation,andCovid-19hasonlyamplifiedtheproblem.Thereasonsforandmanifestationsoffoodinsecuritydifferbetweenthesetwopopulations,asdescribedbelow.

FOODINSECURITYAMONGACTIVE-DUTYFAMILIES

TheDODhasyettoreleasecomprehensive,nationallyrepresentativedataonfoodinsecurityamongactive-dutyservicemembers.Inthemeantime,researchershaveusedmanydifferentnationaldatasets,organizationalmembersurveys,andothersourcestobeginfillingthisknowledgegap.Forexample,in2021,theU.S.ArmyPublicHealthCenterandU.S.DepartmentofAgricultureEconomicResearchService(USDA-ERS)releasedtheresultsofa2019surveyatamajorU.S.Armyinstallation.Thestudyfoundthatnearly33percentofover5,600respondentsweremarginallyfoodinsecure,usingatwo-itemfoodinsecurityscreenerderivedfromtheUSDA’s18-itemHouseholdFoodSecuritySurveyModule(HFSSM)

.2

Incomparison,theUSDAfoundthat17.9percentofallU.S.householdsweremarginallyfoodinsecurein2019.Atanationallevel,BlueStarFamilies’annualmembersurveyfoundthat14percentofalmost4,500enlistedactive-dutyfamilyrespondentsreportedloworverylowfoodsecurityin2020usingquestionsfromHFSSM,comparedto10.5percentofallU.S.householdsin2020.

3

Riskfactorsforfoodinsecurityamongactive-dutyfamiliesincludelowerrankandage,raceandethnicity,havingchildren,andlocation.Severalsurveyshavefoundthatfoodinsecurityismostprevalentamongjuniorenlistedfamilies,althoughsomefamiliesofhigh-rankingenlistedservice

DEFININGFOODINSECURITY

AccordingtotheUSDA,foodinsecurityis“ahousehold-leveleconomicandsocialconditionoflimitedoruncertainaccesstoadequatefood.”

4

TheUSDAmeasuresthisthroughan18-itemmeasure,theHFSSM.MarginalfoodinsecurityreferstothosewhoreportoneortwoindicatorsoffoodinsecurityontheHFSSM,typicallyanxietyoverfoodsufficiencybutnoreducedfoodintake.Foodinsecurityindicatesreducedqualityorquantityoffoodintake,whileverylowfoodsecurity(similartofoodinsufficiency)meansreportsofdisruptedeatingpatternsorreducedfoodintake.Hunger,accordingtotheUSDA,isanindividual-levelphysiologicalconditionthatmayresultfromfoodinsecurity.

DEFININGFOODSECURITY

AccordingtotheUSDA,“Foodsecuritymeansaccessbyallpeopleatalltimestoenoughfoodforanactive,healthylife.”

5

Tobefoodsecuremeanstohaveaccesstonotonlyasufficientquantityoffoodbutalsotherightqualityoffood—thatis,foodthatmeetsthenutritionalneedsofallmembersofahousehold.

membersalsoexperienceit

.6

Additionally,intheirannualmembersurvey,BlueStarFamiliesfoundthatactive-dutyfamiliesofcolorweretwiceaslikelytoreportfoodinsecurityastheirwhite,non-Hispaniccounterparts

.7

Militaryfamilieswithchildrenareathigherrisk,andarecentstudyatoneArmybasefoundthatfamilieswithchildrenweremorelikelytohavebecomefoodinsecureduringthepandemic

.8

Someevidencesuggeststhatcertainlocationshavehigherratesofmilitaryfoodinsecurity,suchasTexasandVirginia,butmoreevidenceisneededtodeterminetheextentofregionaldifferencesinmilitaryhunger

.9

Active-dutyfamiliesofcolorweretwiceaslikelytoreportfoodinsecurityastheirwhite,non-Hispaniccounterparts.

FOODINSECURITYAMONGVETERANS

Intheveteranpopulation,datashowahigherprevalenceoffoodinsecuritythanamongthegeneralU.S.population.Inoneofthefirstnationally

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representativestudiesoffoodinsecurityamongveterans,whichsurveyedover13,800working-ageveterans,theUSDA-ERSfoundthatveteranshavea7.4percentgreaterriskforfoodinsecuritythannon-veterans,afteradjustingforobservabledifferencesbetweenveteransandnon-veterans.

10

Working-ageveterans...havea7.4percentgreaterriskforfoodinsecuritythannon-veterans.

Justasintheactive-dutypopulation,someveteransaremorelikelytobefoodinsecurethanothers.ArecentstudyfromtheVHAfoundthatBlackandHispanicveteransaremorelikelytoscreenpositiveforfoodinsecurity,asarewomen,thosewhoarenon-married/partnered,low-incomeveterans,andthosewithhousinginstability.

11

TheUSDA-ERSalsoreportedthatfoodinsecuritywashigheramongdisabledandunemployedworking-ageveterans.

12

Someresearchshowsthatveterans’ageanderaofserviceplayaroleinfoodsecurity.Youngerandmiddle-agedveteransaresomewhatmorelikelytobefoodinsecure,accordingtoresearchfromtheUSDA-ERSandIMPAQInternational.

13

Similarly,somestudiesshowhigherfoodinsecurityamongveteransoftheU.S.warsinIraqandAfghanistanthanamongallveterans.

14

ParticipationintheSupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram(SNAP)isalsothreetimeshigheramongthosewholeftmilitaryserviceduringtheprioryearthanamongactive-dutypersonnel,suggestingthatthetransitionoutofmilitaryserviceisaparticularlyhigh-risktimefornewveterans.

15

Anotherstudyfoundthat,since2009,newveteranswhoattendcollegearemuchlesslikelytobeenrolledinSNAPthanlong-termveterans,indicatingapossibleknowledgegaporotherbarriersthatnewveteransfaceastheytransitiontocivilianlife.

16

IMPACTSOFCOVID-19

Covid-19amplifiedhungerinthemilitaryandveterancommunity,asitdidacrosstheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld.Anumberofadvocacygroupssurveyedactive-dutyandveteranfamiliesearlyinthepandemic,andallfoundincreasesinfoodinsecurityduringthepandemiccomparedtothepre-pandemicperiod.Forexample,inits2019annualsurvey,theMilitaryFamilyAdvisoryNetwork(MFAN)foundthatoneineightrespondentswerefoodinsecure,butby

SNAPUSEAMONGU.S.

MILITARYPERSONNEL

TheconceptofU.S.militarypersonnel—whomakeextraordinarysacrificesfortheircountry—relyingon“foodstamps,”orSNAPbenefits,isanathematomany. In2000,SenatorJohnMcCaindecried“soldierson foodstamps”;onememberofthemilitaryinterviewedbyCSIScommented,“‘JointheArmyandyou’llneed foodstamps’—that’sahellofarecruitmenttool.”

17

Ideally,forthereasonsexplainedhere,nomemberofthemilitarywouldfacefoodinsecurity,yetfor some,itisarealityoflifeduringandafterservice.The solutionsprofferedherecouldobviatetheneedforSNAPbenefitsbutwouldtaketimetoimplement,andevenifimplementedfully,somefamilieswouldstill faceunexpectedcircumstancesthatnecessitatefood- securityassistance.Forthisreason,theauthorsdonot recommendreducingenrollmentinfederalnutritionprograms—suchasSNAPandtheSpecialSupplementalNutritionProgramforWomen,Infants,andChildren (WIC)—whichcouldincreasestigmaaroundtheseprogramsanddeterotherwiseeligiblefamiliesfromaccessingservicesthatcouldimprovetheirwell-being.Federalnutritionprogramsareimportantsourcesoffoodandnutritionformillions,andsomeofthe recommendationsinthisbriefconcerntheseprograms.

2020,MFANfoundthatnumberhadjumpedtooneinfive

.18

Inaspring2020surveybySyracuseUniversity,30percentofveteransand39percentofactive-dutyrespondentssaidtheyneededmorefoodandnutritionresources,withrespondentsofcolorreportingevenhigherlevelsofneed

.19

TheimpactsofCovid-19areevengreaterforfamilieswithchildren.Infact,arecentstudybytheUSDA-ERSand

U.S.ArmyPublicHealthCenterfoundthatbeingasinglesoldierwastheonlyprotectivefactoragainstbecomingfoodinsecureduringthepandemic

.20

BetweenApril2020andFebruary2022,theCensusBureau’sHouseholdPulseSurveyshowedanaverageof23percentofactive-dutyrespondentswithchildrenreportednothavingenoughtoeatsometimesoroften,comparedto16percentofallactive-dutyrespondentsand11.9percentofallU.S.householdswithchildren

.21

Additionally,fromJuly21,2021,throughJanuary10,2022,37.4percentofactive-dutyfamilyrespondentstothePulseSurveyreportedreceivingtheexpandedChildTaxCredit.

22

TheChild

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Active-dutyhouseholdswithchildren

AllU.S.householdswithchildren

HouseholdPulseSurvey:FoodInsufficiencyandtheChildTaxCredit

PercentageofHouseholdPulseSurveyrespondentswhoreportedsometimes

orolennothavingenoughtoeat,Apr14,2021–Feb7,2022.

23.0%

Active-dutyhouseholds

withchildren

16.0%

Allactive-duty

households

11.9%

AllU.S.households

withchildren

30

40

50

01020

PercentageofHouseholdPulseSurveyrespondentswhoreportedreceiving

theChildTaxCredit,Jul21,2021–Jan10,2022.

37.4%

22.1%

50

010203040

Source:CSISGlobalFoodSecurityProgramanalysisoftheCensusBureau’sHouseholdPulseSurveydata.“HouseholdPulseSurveyDataTables,”U.S.CensusBureau,

/programs-surveys/household-

pulse-survey/data.html.

FOODASSISTANCE

TheThirteenthQuadrennialReviewofMilitaryCompensation,publishedinDecember2020,foundthatbetween0.08percentand0.42percentofservicemembersstationedintheUnitedStateswereenrolledin

SNAPatanypointin2019.

24

ThisissignificantlylowerthanSNAPenrollmentinthegeneralU.S.population,whichwas9.6percentthesameyear.However,lowenrollmentinSNAPdoesnotnecessarilyindicatelowlevelsofneedamongservicemembers.Barrierssuchasstigma,administrativeinconsistencies,andlackofinformationandawarenesscanpreventfamiliesfromaccessingresourcestheyneed.

Utilizingfoodassistance—includingfederalnutritionassistanceprogramsandcharitablefoodaid—cancarrysignificantstigmaandnegativeperceptionsinthemilitaryandveterancommunities.SomemilitaryfamiliesreportfeelingembarrassedthattheyneedtoapplyforSNAPorvisitfoodpantriestomakeends

TaxCreditpaymentsthatfamiliesreceivedfromJulytoDecember2021wereshowntodecreasechildpovertyacrosstheUnitedStates,soitislikelythatmilitaryfamiliesreceivingthesepaymentsfacedhardshipsaftertheexpandedpaymentsexpiredinDecember.

23

WHYFOODINSECURITYISHAPPENING:

CHALLENGESUNIQUETOMILITARYLIFE

Manyofthedriversoffoodinsecurityaresharedamongmilitaryandcivilianpopulations,butsomecharacteristicsofmilitarylifepresentadditionalchallengesforfamilies.Theseincludebarrierstoaccessingfoodassistance,challengestohouseholdfinancialstability,andamplifiedphysicalandmentalhealthconcerns.Eachoftheseincreasesthelikelihoodthatservicemembersandtheirfamilieswillexperiencefoodinsecurityduringandaftertheirmilitarycareers.

meet

.25

Inadditiontofeelingsofpersonalshameandlostdignity,therecanalsobeprofessionalrepercussionsifaservicemembertellstheirbasechainofcommandthattheyareinneedoffoodassistance—amilitaryleader’sperceptionthattheirservicemembercannotproperlymanagetheirmoneycouldnegativelyimpacttheservicemember’ssecurityclearance,performancereviews,andcareerprospects

.26

ThewaytheUSDAcalculateshouseholdincomesforSNAPeligibilitydisqualifiesmanyotherwiseeligiblemilitaryfamiliesfromaccessingfederalnutritionbenefits.TheBasicAllowanceforHousing(BAH)iscountedasincomeforthepurposesofSNAPeligibilitywhilethemonetaryvalueofin-kindhousingisnot.Thismeansthatamilitaryfamilylivingoffbase—orevenamilitaryfamilylivinginprivatizedmilitaryhousingonbase—isconsideredbytheUSDAtohaveahigherincomeandislesslikelytoqualifyforSNAP

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benefitsthanamilitaryfamilylivinginmilitaryhousingonbase,eveniftheon-andoff-baseservicemembersearnthesamebasepay.ArecentworkingpapersimulatingchangesinSNAPeligibilityunderdifferentBAHexemptionlevelsfoundthatexemptingaservicemember’sBAHfromincomewouldincreaseSNAPeligibilityamongactive-dutyhouseholdsbyasmuchas70percent

.27

However,theUSDAFoodandNutritionService(USDA-FNS),whichadministersSNAP,saysthattheBAHdoesnotcurrentlymeetanyoftheincomeexclusionsoutlinedinSNAPregulations,meaningtheBAHcannotbeexemptedfromincomecalculationsforSNAP

.28

Currently,thefederalgovernmentdoesnotcounttheBAHasincomeforthepurposesoftaxesandmostotherfederalbenefits.Thevalueoffederalhousingvouchersforlow-incomeciviliansisalsonotcountedasincomeforSNAPeligibility,creatingadisparityinSNAPeligibilitybetweenservicemembersreceivingtheBAHandciviliansreceivingfederalhousingbenefits.

Finally,alackofawarenessaboutfoodinsecurityandfoodassistanceprogramscanbeabarrierforsome.InMFAN’sspring2020surveyofmilitaryfamilies,nearly30percentofthosewhodidnothaveenoughfoodsaidtheydidnotseekassistance;

29

however,BlueStarFamiliesfoundin2021thatthemostcommonreasonfood-insecurefamiliesdidnotaccessfoodandnutritionprogramswasthattheydidnotthinktheywereeligible

.30

Furthereducationabouteligibilityforandavailabilityofresourcesmaybehelpfulforthosewhoareabletoovercomethepersonal,professional,andadministrativebarrierstoaccessingassistance.

FAMILYECONOMICSECURITY

Somerealitiesofmilitarylifemakeeconomicstabilitydifficulttoachieve,whichcancompromisefamilies’foodsecurityandnutrition.

Firstandforemost,servicemembersareoftenrequiredtomoveeveryonetothreeyears,whichhasrippleeffectsforhouseholdfinances,spousalemployment,andchildcare.Therearebothdirectandindirectcostsofthesefrequentmoves.ABlueStarFamiliessurveyreleasedinMarch2022foundthattwo-thirdsofactive-dutyfamilyrespondentsreportedunreimbursedout-of-pocketexpensesrelatedtotheirlastPermanentChangeofStation(PCS)move,andoverhalfofthesereportedover$1,000inunreimbursedexpenses.

31

Therearealsoindirectcostsoffrequentmoves,suchasmilitaryspousesstrugglingtofindandmaintaincareerpaths.TheDOD’s2019SurveyofActiveDutySpousesfoundthataPCSmovewithinthelastyearmorethandoublestheoddsthatacivilianactive-dutyspousewas

unemployed,and35percentofactive-dutyspouseswhoexperiencedaPCSmoveindicatedthatittooksevenmonthsormoretofindemploymentafterthemove

.32

Whenchanginglocationsfrequently,manyspousesalsofounditdifficulttomaintainjobsthatallowthemtoadvanceprofessionallythroughouttheircareerinthesamewayastheirciviliancounterparts.Remoteworkhaspresentednew,flexibleopportunitiesforsome,butamajorityofmilitaryspousesworkinpositionsthatcannotbedoneremotely,suchasinhealthcareandeducation

.33

InthesameDODsurvey,35percentofactive-dutyspousessaidtheyrequiredastate-issuedlicensefortheircareerfieldoroccupation,whichcanprolongperiodsoftemporaryunemploymentafteramoveandmayforcespousestostartoverinanewroleorfieldentirely.

34

DODrepresentativesandothershavepreviouslypointedtothecompetitivebasepaythatyoungservicemembersreceiverelativetociviliansofacomparableageandeducationalbackgroundasevidencethatfoodinsecurityshouldnotexistamongmilitaryfamilies

.35

Militarypaywasinitiallydesignedonanassumptionthattheservicememberwouldbeayoung,singleman,butthisisnolongerthereality.Today’sservicemembersaremuchmorelikelytobeolderandhavefamiliesthaninthepast,andaslivingcostshaverisen,twoincomeshavebecomenecessarytomeethouseholdneedsformanyfamiliesinboththemilitaryandcivilianpopulations

.36

Comparingonlyanindividualservicemember’ssalarytoasimilarcivilian’ssalaryignoresthefactthatmilitaryspousesaremorelikelytobeunemployedorunderemployedthantheirciviliancounterparts.AccordingtoBlueStarFamilies’2020membersurvey,theunemploymentrateofmilitaryspouserespondentswasnearlyseventimestherateofsimilarcivilianpeers(20percent,comparedto3percent)

.37

Researchshowsthatmilitaryfamilieswithunemployedorunderemployedspousesaremorelikelytobefoodinsecure,andBlueStarFamiliesreportedthat41percentofactive-dutyfamilieswhoreportfinancialstresscitespouseunemploymentorunderemploymentasatopcontributortotheirstress

.38

Alackofaccesstochildcareisnegativelyassociatedwithhouseholdeconomicandfoodsecurity.TheDODprovidessubsidizedon-basechildcareandoff-basechildcarefeeassistance,buttheseresourcesarenotavailabletoallfamilieswhoneedthem.A2020reviewofmilitarychildcarebytheGovernmentAccountabilityOffice(GAO)foundthattherearesignificantwaitlistsforon-basechildcareatmanybases,whichDODofficialsreporttheyareworkingtoaddressonalocation-specificbasis

.39

Manyadvocatesandmilitaryfamilies

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reportthatoffbasefeeassistanceisnotsufficientandhasstricteligibilityrequirementsthatmakeitdifficulttoqualify.Spouseswhoareunemployedarenoteligible,andwithoutchildcare,manyspousesfinditdifficulttoseekwork.Ineachbranchofservice,familiescanapplyforaone-time90-daywaivertoreceivechildcarefeeassistancewhileaspouseisseekingwork,thoughittakesanaverageofsevenmonthsforspousestofindemploymentafteraPCSmove

.40

AccordingtoBlueStarFamilies,childcareexpensesareoneofthetopreasonsthatsomeactive-dutyspousesarenotworking

.41

Inadditiontothechallengesnotedabove,70percentofservicemembersliveoffpostandmaynothaveeasyaccesstolower-costfoodfromcommissaries.Theyarealsorequiredtogetpermissionfromtheircommanderbeforetakingasecondjob,somethingciviliansmaybeabletodoiftheydesire

.42

LONG-TERMCHALLENGES

Thecumulativeeffectsofthesechallengesthroughoutaservicemember’smilitarycareercanhavelifelongeffects.Theycandecreaseahousehold’slifetimeearningpotentialandeconomicstability,leadingsomehigher-rankingservicemembersandveteranstoexperience

foodinsecuritylaterinlife.Inadditiontoactive-dutymilitaryspouses,veteranspousesalsoreportedhigherunemploymentinBlueStarFamilies’latestsurvey,indicatinglong-termimpactsofmilitaryserviceonspouseemployment.

43

Thesecompoundingchallengesareevenmoreacuteforactive-dutyandveteranfamiliesofcolor,whoreportagreaterneedfortwohouseholdincomesandahardertimefindingemploymentthantheirwhitepeers

.44

Additionally,evidenceshowsthatmilitaryserviceincreasesthelikelihoodofpoorhealthanddisability.Thisisparticularlyprevalentamongcertaingroupsandhasincreasedinrecentyears.Recentmedicalandequipmentadvanceshaveimprovedcombatsurvivalrates,whichmeansthatpost-9/11veteransandthosewhoexperiencedcombataremorelikelytohaveaservice-rela