“We ask that you provide a report on the status of veteran
food security and hunger screenings to relevant House and Senate oversight
committees by November of 2018, along with recommendations about further
actions that could be taken to assist veterans who are determined to be food
insecure, including pilot programs to test the feasibility of SNAP enrollment
and applications assistance by VA personnel,” the members wrote in their letter
to Shulkin. “It is imperative that Members of Congress are
briefed by the Administration the progress of this screening tool as well as VA
programs and personnel efforts to connect those in need to SNAP and other
social services.”
“As we prepare to honor the men and women on Veteran’s Day who have served our country, it is crucial that we know how many of our nation’s veterans and their families are struggling to put food on the table,” Lawson noted. “These screenings will go a long way in helping Members of Congress and policymakers understand the severity of this problem and identify steps we can take to support our veterans.”
“Asking this screening question is an essential first step
to better understand the scope of food insecurity among our nation’s veterans,”
says Abby J. Leibman, president & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger. “We urge the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement appropriate
systems and processes to directly help food insecure veterans in applying for
and enrolling in nutrition assistance programs like SNAP.”
Lawson was joined by Members of Congress who have direct
jurisdiction over veterans and hunger issues: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) of
the Senate Agriculture and Armed Services committees, Reps. Lujan Grisham (NM)
and James P. McGovern (MA) of the House Agriculture Committee, Seth Moulton
(MA) of the House Armed Services Committee, Tim Ryan (OH) of the House Veteran
Affairs Subcommittee on Appropriations, and Tim Walz (MN) of the House
Agriculture and the Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
U.S. Reps. J. Luis Correa (CA), Peter A. DeFazio (OR), Julia
Brownley (CA), Dwight Evans (PA), John Garamendi (CA), Denny Heck (WA), Tom
O’Halleran (AZ), Jimmy Panetta (CA), Chellie Pingree (ME), Jacky Rosen (NV),
and David Scott (GA) also signed the letter.