Agriculture would study automatic school meal eligibility for military families

The text edits a school meal income rule that concerns service members’ basic allowance for housing. The rule concerns income calculations for school meal eligibility. The excerpt does not show how the amended rule would count the allowance.

The Agriculture Secretary must report to Congress on whether children in service-member households could be certified for school meals without applying. The report concerns children in households of uniformed-service members and free or reduced-price school lunches and breakfasts. The report must assess options, including using data from the basic needs allowance and other service-member assistance programs, and excluding income from people who are not service members. This report studies possible certification; it does not itself make children eligible without applying. The report is due to Congress by October 1, 2026.