He Served Our Country; Our Country Failed to Serve Him

“This is not what I fought for,” shares Julie. “SNAP was a lifeline when I got out of the service, but now it feels like they're making it impossible on purpose. I served my country, and I can't even serve my kids dinner.”

Julie is a veteran from Memphis. He and his two children, ages 15 and 17, have lost SNAP benefits due to HR 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

After serving in the United States Army, fighting for our freedom and sustaining lifelong injuries, Julie now struggles to put food on the table because of new work requirements imposed on veterans.

Prior to HR 1, veterans were exempt from meeting work requirements for SNAP. Our government recognized the struggle that many soldiers returned home to and thus worked to ensure the SNAP program was a safety net for them. Now, after HR 1, that exemption has been rescinded, leaving many veterans hungry and hopeless.

One of Julie’s sons recently asked him, “Why can’t you get food stamps anymore?” He wasn’t sure how to answer because Julie never stopped working. The cumbersome verification process is what caused him and his boys to lose these benefits.

Under the new SNAP work requirements from HR 1, Julie had to begin reporting his hours to the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), but getting the paperwork he needed was a challenge. Julie works part time at a warehouse distribution center near the Memphis International Airport, where he scans boxes, loads the dock, and stacks pallets. His hours aren't consistent because they depend on the volume of work. 

His manager was slow to provide his pay stubs, and by the time Julie received and submitted them to T-DHS, the deadline had passed. He received a notice saying he was not compliant, and his SNAP benefits were cut off. Julie appealed the decision, but the appeal process is long and arduous.

He works as much as his boss and injuries allow him to while he navigates feeding two teenage boys without SNAP. He has been to a food bank twice this month, but that doesn’t provide his family with what SNAP once did. In fact, for every meal a food bank provides, SNAP provides 9 meals (Source: Feeding America).

For Julie, losing SNAP has affected nearly every part of his life: “The stress is constant,” he says. “I used to sleep okay, but now I'm up at 3 a.m. stressing about bills, what to eat, when I can go to the food bank next.” His 60% VA disability rating is tied to a torn meniscus in his right knee. However, without SNAP, even paying for medical copays has become difficult.

Before losing his benefits, Julie could afford meat, vegetables, and milk. Now, he sometimes skips meals so his sons can have lunch. “I tell them I ate at work,” he shares.

His sons have felt the effects, too. Julie says they are hungry at school and have trouble focusing, which has affected their grades. They also see the stress their father is under. One of his sons recently asked if the family was going to lose their apartment. Julie wasn't sure how to answer this question either. He has recently borrowed $200 from a friend he served with in the military to help make ends meet. Now, Julie must choose between paying for food, rent, medicine, and utilities each month. Margins are slim, and he’s at his wit’s end. 

“I feel like I have failed [my kids] in a way,” he says.

Julie wants people to understand that he is more than a statistic: “I am a father, I am a soldier, and I am a man who has done everything right. I have served my time [in the military]. I have followed the rules, I pay my taxes, and I still fell through the cracks.”

He says that, after all this, he would still serve his country again. He would do whatever it takes to keep his boys safe. Still, he doesn't believe he should have to choose between putting food on the table and keeping the lights on.

After 12 years in the Army and an honorable discharge, Julie never expected to find himself in this position. “It's like a weight that I carry every single day,” he says. “The system isn't just taking food off my table; it's taking my dignity.”