TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NOTE

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NOTE
1. No. 03-15
2. FOOD AND NUTRITION MANAGEMENT
  1. _

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NOTE

School Support Services

Irene Wimbush

FOOD AND NUTRITION MANAGEMENT

(800) 504-6609

Jim Horne, Commissioner

(850) 487-0020

May 1, 2003

TO:

Sponsors of the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Special Milk

Mary Pat Fortson, Acting Administrator

An Update on Military Families and Eligibility in the Child Nutrition

The purpose of this technical assistance note is to provide further clarification on the child

nutrition policy for military households affected by deployments in support of Operation Enduring

Freedom. It expands upon the technical assistance note issued on this topic on

March 10, 2003.

Under current policy (please reference pages 32-33 of the Eligibility Guidance for School Meals

Manual, issued August 2001), household members who are temporarily absent from the

household are considered household members, and their income is included with other household

income when making eligibility determinations. Household members not living with the

household for an extended period of time, or living overseas, are not included as members of the

household for eligibility purposes, and only that portion of their income made available by them

or on their behalf to the household is counted as income to the household.

For the duration of Operation Enduring Freedom, the USDA is allowing an exception to current

policy on determining household income and size for deployed service members. Therefore, only

that portion of the deployed service member's income made available by them or on their behalf to

the household will be counted as income to the household. In addition, the deployed service

member will continue to be considered a household member.

If you have questions, please contact Irene Wimbush at 1-800-504-6609 or

irene.wimbush@fldoe.org.