5 things to know in veterans news: Food stamp snafu, VA-hosted food pantry and a WWII soldier is returned home

Lawmakers point to an issue with the SNAP program, a food pantry opens in a VA clinic in Florida and the remains of a WWII POW will be buried with full military honors.

Lawmakers point to an issue with SNAP, a food pantry opens in a VA clinic in Florida and the remains of a WWII POW will be buried with full honors. Soldiers’ Angels Food Pantry, which assists veterans and military families in need, is opening a food pantry within the Lake Nona VA Medical Center in Orlando, Fla. Organizers said the location at the medical complex will make it easier for individuals and families to access their food program. (Soldiers’ Angels Food Pantry) WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee are criticizing the USDA for failing to note on its website that veterans who receive food assistance, also known as food stamps, are no longer exempt from work requirements following passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

A Government Accountability Office report published in October highlighted that the Agriculture Department’s eligibility page to apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, still tells veterans they are exempt from work requirements. Rep. Mark Takano, of California, the top Democrat on the House VA Committee, strongly criticized the lack of communication, calling it incompetence. Under the new law, able-bodied adults without dependents — including veterans — must fulfill a work, volunteer or training requirement of 80 hours per month to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months