S. 5495: Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026

This bill would change how income is counted when determining whether military families qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

What the bill would do

• It would amend the National School Lunch Act so that basic allowance for housing for military members would not be counted as income in the school meal eligibility calculation.
• In practical terms, some military families could appear to have lower household income for school lunch and breakfast eligibility purposes, which could make it easier for their children to qualify.
• The bill also requires the Department of Agriculture, working with the Department of Defense, to produce a report by October 1, 2026.

What the report would cover

The required report would look at whether and how children in military households could be automatically certified for free or reduced-price meals without families having to submit a separate application.

• The report would examine possible ways to share or use data already collected for military assistance programs, including the basic needs allowance.
• It would also consider whether income from people in the household who are not the service member should be treated differently in the eligibility calculation.

Who could be affected

The main effect would be on military dependents and the agencies that administer school meal programs. Schools and state agencies that process meal eligibility would need to apply the new income exclusion, if enacted. The bill by itself does not create automatic certification, but it directs the government to study that possibility.

Relevant Companies

None found