Families of students attending Department of Defense Education Activity schools can apply for free or reduced price school meals during the shutdown, which has affected the income of many military and DOD civilian families. The eligibility is based on income and family size, as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Eligibility continues as long as the household income qualifies under the USDA thresholds, until the end of the school year, said Julie Mitchell, spokesman for AAFES. Overseas, AAFES provides DOD school meal support, serving 20,000 school meals daily at 73 DOD schools in seven countries.

“If income returns to previous levels after the shutdown, families are expected to update their application or status, but there is no automatic expiration of benefits when the shutd

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