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1 1 (July 10, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemek0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ Sa Research Service FY2024 NDAA: Basic Needs Allowance and Military Food Insecurity July 10, 2023 Background The military compensation system includes cash payments (e.g., basic pay, special and incentive pays) and allowances (e.g., housing and subsistence). The sum of cash benefits and the tax benefit accrued from certain non-taxable allowances is called regular military compensation (RMC, 37 U.S.C. §101(25)), and is often used as a benchmark to compare civilian compensation (see Table 1). The amount of basic pay a servicemember receives depends on the servicemember's pay grade and length of service and is typically the largest component of cash compensation. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY2022 NDAA, P.L. 117-81), Congress authorized a Basic Needs Allowance (BNA, 37 U.S.C. §402b) for servicemembers with dependents (i.e., a spouse and/or child(ren)) whose gross household income (GHI) is less than 130% of the Department of Health and Human Services' federal poverty guidelines. The BNA was enacted following reporting on low food security among military active and reserve component families. The Senate Armed Services Committee report to accompany the bill stated, this provision is intended to ensure that all servicemembers can meet the basic needs of their families, particularly for food expenses. Section 611 of the FY2023 NDAA (P.L. 117-263) expanded eligibility for BNA to military families with GHI less than 150% of the federal poverty guideline. The Secretary of Defense has the authority to grant BNA to families making up to 200% of these guidelines if determined appropriate based on circumstances. Because BNA is designed to bring households up to 150% of the poverty line, the amount of assistance may vary by household size (see Table 2). Those most likely to be eligible for BNA are junior servicemembers with several dependents. Servicemembers must apply for the BNA. It is considered taxable income under 26 U.S.C. §61 and would be counted in income eligibility for federal means-tested food assistance programs. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12196 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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