Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Federal Actions Needed to Help Veterans Access Benefits

Executive Summary

The GAO report highlights persistent veteran food insecurity (a 2023 RAND estimate of about 1.4 million veterans per year, 2015–2020) and gaps in outreach and interagency coordination that reduce veteran participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). States vary widely in the share of veterans receiving SNAP, and most states with USDA‑approved outreach plans in fiscal year 2026 (39 of 47) identified veterans as a target group. USDA has not developed veteran‑tailored outreach materials in the past five years despite program changes affecting veterans, and a VA–USDA memorandum of agreement (MOA) established in September 2023 has seen collaborative activity slow since April 2025.

For contractors, this creates immediate demand signals across outreach, communications, veteran services, program administration, management consulting, and data analysis. Opportunities include development and distribution of veteran‑focused outreach materials, training for trusted messengers (including veterans’ organizations), state outreach plan support, analytics to identify low‑participation veteran populations, and management support for re‑establishing interagency collaboration. Contractors should prioritize readiness to respond to state and federal solicitations supporting SNAP outreach and coordination with VA and USDA, while aligning proposals to these agencies’ evolving needs.

Impact Matrix

Social Services

• Risk Level: High
• Opportunity: Support state and local delivery of SNAP outreach and application assistance targeted to veterans; partner with veterans’ organizations and state SNAP agencies to increase enrollment. Relevant NAICS codes from Tags: 624210. Agencies: USDA, VA. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: States’ outreach plans noted for fiscal year 2026; SNAP participation data cited for 2015–2020.
• Action Required: Prepare staffing and program delivery models for outreach and enrollment assistance; document experience working with veteran populations; ready proposals that emphasize compliance with state outreach plan requirements.
• Competitive Edge: Demonstrate existing community/veteran organization relationships and measurable outcomes from prior social‑services outreach engagements.

Outreach and Communications

• Risk Level: Critical
• Opportunity: Create veteran‑tailored outreach materials (talking points, myth‑busting content, outreach toolkits) and training for trusted messengers; assist states in meeting USDA outreach plan requirements. Relevant NAICS codes from Tags: 541613, 541820. Agencies: USDA. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: USDA has not developed veteran‑tailored materials in the past five years; states’ outreach plans referenced for fiscal year 2026.
• Action Required: Assemble communications teams with veteran‑facing experience, develop prototypes of veteran‑focused materials, and prepare capability statements targeted at state SNAP agencies and USDA outreach programs.
• Competitive Edge: Offer evidence‑based messaging tested with veteran audiences and integrated dissemination plans that leverage veterans’ organizations as trusted messengers.

Public Relations

• Risk Level: High
• Opportunity: Reputation and community engagement campaigns to increase acceptance of SNAP among veterans and reduce stigma; media and stakeholder engagement to support state outreach initiatives. Relevant NAICS codes from Tags: 541820, 541613. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: Timeline elements mirror outreach/comms (past five years, FY2026 references).
• Action Required: Develop PR strategies tailored to veteran audiences and partner networks; prepare KPIs and monitoring frameworks to demonstrate impact to sponsors.
• Competitive Edge: Combine veteran‑centered messaging with measurement frameworks showing changes in reach and enrollment attributable to PR efforts.

Veterans Services

• Risk Level: High
• Opportunity: Partner with VA medical centers, veterans’ organizations, and state agencies to integrate SNAP enrollment assistance into veteran service delivery. Agencies: VA, USDA. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: VA–USDA MOA established September 2023; collaborative activity slowed since April 2025.
• Action Required: Position teams to provide joint outreach services, offer training for VA and veterans’ organization staff on SNAP eligibility and enrollment, and propose mechanisms to revive or operationalize the MOA objectives.
• Competitive Edge: Show proven track record working with VA entities or veterans’ nonprofits and offer turnkey models to embed SNAP assistance into existing veteran services.

Food Assistance Programs

• Risk Level: Medium
• Opportunity: Support states’ SNAP outreach plan development and execution, program evaluation, and vendor services that improve veteran enrollment and participation. Agencies: USDA. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: SNAP program context and state outreach plan status referenced through FY2026.
• Action Required: Prepare programmatic proposals that align with USDA outreach plan reimbursement rules and state priorities; assemble cross‑functional teams that can handle outreach, intake, and reporting.
• Competitive Edge: Provide integrated service packages combining outreach, intake assistance, and reporting that simplify states’ ability to claim federal outreach reimbursements.

Management Consulting

• Risk Level: Medium
• Opportunity: Advise on interagency coordination, review and operationalize MOA commitments, and help states refine outreach plans and performance metrics. Relevant NAICS codes from Tags: 541611, 541990. Agencies: USDA, VA. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: MOA established September 2023 and not reviewed per agreement since activity slowed in April 2025.
• Action Required: Prepare consulting frameworks for MOA review, coordination recovery plans, and governance structures to sustain collaboration between USDA and VA and between states and veterans’ organizations.
• Competitive Edge: Offer rapid‑start assessment packages and facilitation expertise to rebuild interagency momentum and document measurable deliverables.

Data Analysis and Research

• Risk Level: Medium
• Opportunity: Analyze veteran SNAP participation by state, identify under‑served veteran populations, and measure outreach effectiveness. Relevant NAICS codes from Tags: 541910, 541990. Specific opportunities TBD pending solicitation language.
• Timeline: GAO analysis and Census‑based measures cited; historical data referenced for 2015–2020.
• Action Required: Prepare analytics capabilities for small‑area veteran SNAP participation estimates, program evaluation designs, and dashboards for state/federal partners.
• Competitive Edge: Combine veteran demographic data expertise with outcome‑oriented evaluation plans that tie outreach activities to enrollment and benefit receipt metrics.

Cross-Segment Implications

• Outreach and Communications/Public Relations depend on credible data and research to target messages effectively; Data Analysis and Research is therefore foundational to effective campaigns.
• Veterans Services and Social Services require coordination with USDA and VA; instability in the VA–USDA MOA (MOA established September 2023; collaborative activity slowed since April 2025) increases demand for Management Consulting to re‑establish formal mechanisms and governance.
• Food Assistance Programs and Social Services execution relies on aligned outreach materials and training produced by Outreach/PR firms; contractors offering integrated packages (communications + intake assistance + analytics) may present stronger state and federal proposals.
• Successful outreach requires trusted messengers (veterans’ organizations), so contractors with existing partnerships across Veterans Services and PR/Outreach segments will have a competitive advantage.