GAO urges USDA and VA to boost veteran SNAP outreach and formalize collaboration

The Government Accountability Office released a report containing four recommendations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The recommendations call for the development and dissemination of SNAP outreach materials tailored to veterans, updates to the SNAP eligibility website, and the establishment of a formal mechanism - such as a review of the September 2023 memorandum of agreement (MOA) - to coordinate agency efforts on veteran food insecurity.

GAO's analysis cites a 2023 RAND report that an average of 1.4 million veterans faced food insecurity each year from 2015 to 2020. SNAP participation among veterans is lower than among non-veterans, and state outreach plans for fiscal year 2026 show that 39 of 47 states with approved plans identified veterans as a target group.

Stakeholders interviewed indicated that veterans' misconceptions about SNAP impede outreach. GAO found that USDA has not produced veteran-specific outreach materials in the past five years, despite recent program changes. The VA-USDA MOA, signed in September 2023, has stalled since April 2025 after key USDA staff departures, and the agencies have not reviewed the agreement as required.

The four recommendations are: (1) USDA to ensure the SNAP eligibility website includes up-to-date information on time-limit exceptions; (2) USDA to develop and disseminate veteran-focused outreach materials in collaboration with the Veterans Health Administration; (3) USDA to create a formal mechanism for collaboration with VA, including MOA review; and (4) VA to ensure a comparable formal mechanism with USDA. All four recommendations are listed as open.

VA and USDA have received a draft of the report for review and have concurred with GAO's recommendations. GAO will monitor agency actions and update the status of each recommendation as information becomes available.