This memo provides guidance to state agencies regarding exclusion of combat pay given to military personnel while deployed to a combat zone.
The FY 2005 Appropriations Bill for the Department of Agriculture included a provision which excluded from consideration as income in the Food Stamp Program additional pay received by military personnel as a result of deployment to a combat zone. This provision has been extended.
PL 109-163 made the Department of Defense’s Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance permanently available.
This memorandum is intended to provide independent centers with information for their use in implementing the provisions of this interim rule.
On Sept. 1, 2004, FNS published an interim rule entitled, “Child and Adult Care Food Program: Improving Management and Program Integrity” (69 FR 53501). This rule puts into effect regulatory provisions that FNS had proposed on Sept. 12, 2000 as modified in response to 548 public comments received on that proposal.
It has recently come to our attention that under PL 104-204 and 106-419, benefits paid by the Veterans Administration to the children of Vietnam veterans born with congenital spina bifida and certain other birth defects are excludable as income for food stamp purposes.
PL 100-707 authorizes the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to pay Disaster Unemployment Assistance to any individual unemployed as a result of a major disaster.
In accordance with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, the housing allowance for military personnel living in privatized housing will be permanently excluded from income when determining household eligibility for free and reduced price meals or free milk in all of the child nutrition programs.
The purpose of this policy memorandum is to highlight and strengthen national program policy regarding integrity in the WIC certification process through existing regulatory requirements as well as through new legislative requirements mandated by PL 105-336.