Dear Senator Warnock,

On behalf of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, I write to express our strong support for the Commissary Healthy Options and Servicemember Welfare (CHOW) Act, and to commend Senators Warnock and Marshall for their bipartisan leadership on this critical issue.

Food insecurity among active-duty service members has reached alarming levels. In 2022, 41% of active-duty personnel experienced food insecurity – more than three times the civilian rate of 12.8%. Food-insecure service members are less likely to re-enlist, experience higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidality, and demonstrate lower focus and executive functioning. These outcomes directly undermine military readiness and force retention.

The CHOW Act mirrors the proven USDA voucher model by providing redeemable food benefits at subsidized military commissaries, while appropriately targeting junior enlisted service members who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.

IVMF strongly supports the legislation and respectfully encourages two enhancements to strengthen the pilot’s impact and credibility. First, the pilot should include independent evaluation mechanisms to rigorously assess impacts on food insecurity, mental health, and reenlistment outcomes. Second, participation should be structured to ensure confidentiality and reduce stigma, for example, by ensuring information is excluded from promotion and personnel records, in order to maximize awareness and enrollment among eligible servicemembers.

IVMF looks forward to working directly with the Committee to develop these and any additional changes that would further strengthen the legislation. We at the IVMF, and across the Syracuse University campus, bring both research expertise and programmatic experience to this issue and are committed to ensuring the pilot generates durable, actionable evidence to inform future policy decisions.

Thank you for your leadership and continued dedication to the service members and families who sacrifice so much on behalf of our nation.

Respectfully,

Stacy Ann Hawkins, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Research and Evaluation
D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University