Extension of Food Stamp Income Exclusion - Deployment 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. The precise language is set forth below.

Provided further, that notwithstanding section 5(d) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, any additional payment received under chapter 5 of title 37, United States Code, by a member of the United States Armed Forces deployed to a designated combat zone shall be excluded from household income for the duration of the member's deployment if the additional pay is the result of deployment to or while serving in a combat zone, and it was not received immediately prior to serving in the combat zone.

We issued an implementation memorandum on Jan. 14, 2005, which provided guidance on the income exclusion. The memorandum with the subject, “The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2005 (PL 108-447) Food Stamp Household Income Exclusion Provision,” is posted on the Partner website.

The FY 2007 Appropriations Bill (PL 110-5) signed Feb. 15, 2007, includes the above cited language from the FY 2005 Appropriations Bill. The President’s FY 2008 budget request also contains a provision that would make the policy permanent. Therefore, state agencies should continue to exclude from food stamp income additional pay received by military personnel as a result of deployment to a combat zone using the guidance provided in the Jan. 14, 2005, implementation memorandum.

Patrick Waldron
Chief
Certification Policy Branch
Program Development Division