The Department of Defense pays certain members of the Armed Forces and their families a Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA). The FSSA is designed to bring a household’s income up to 130% of the Federal poverty line and decrease the reliance on Food Stamps.
Previously for the purpose of The Child Nutrition Programs’ free and reduced price meal eligibility determination, the FSSA payments were counted as earned income for households (See Q and A 2 on page 35 of the Eligibility Guidance for School Meals Manual- revised August, 2005). However according to the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 108-375, passed in 2005, any FSSA that a household receives MUST NOT be treated as income in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals under any of the Child Nutrition Programs. Please add this memo to your copy of the Eligibility Guidance for School Meals.
For questions related to FSSA, please call the Child Nutrition Unit, Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Area Specialists at 501-324-9502.