School Meals Program
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service School Meal Program (AAFES)
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) operates the DoD Student Meal Program (SMP) in over 70 OCONUS locations.
The goals of the AAFES SMP are:
- Create an atmosphere of excellent customer service and care for all,
- Make school meals a noticeable extension of the classroom and a learning environment for nutrition education, and
- Give students the best nutritional value for their money.
The School Meals Program is dedicated to building student health and academic achievement in our communities. Daily access to nutritious foods is the foundation for students to reach their full potential.
- Our program provides parents convenience and reduces stress by providing budget-friendly meals that are nutritious, too!
- Our program is a participant of the USDA National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program ensuring the high standards of nutrition are served to your child.
Free and Reduced-Price meals are available for students who qualify under Federal regulations. Households must reapply annually and will be notified if approved. Applications are accepted no earlier than July 1st for the new school year.
All meals must be paid for in advance or at the time of sale. Families are encouraged to include your child’s school meals in your monthly budget. A best practice is to fund your child’s meal account each pay day with enough funds to pay for meals until the next pay day. Put a reminder on your calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions (AAFES)
When can I apply for free or reduced-price meals?
Beginning July 1st of each school year, families can complete an application for free and reduced-price meals. Free or reduced-price eligibility is for the current school year only. Families are required to reapply each school year.
How do I apply for Free and Reduced-Price meals?
Apply online application at https://LinqConnect.com. Register for a LINQ Connect account and click on “Start Meal Application.”
What is a LINQ Connect account?
LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows parents/guardians to manage their child’s school meal account. LINQ Connect enables you to:
- Submit an online application for free and reduced-price meals,
- Make online payments to your child’s meal account,
- Monitor your child’s account balance and cafeteria purchases,
- Set up automatic recurring payments,
- Set up low-balance alerts,
- Transfer funds between your children’s accounts, and
- View school menus.
What information do I need on hand to fill out the free and reduced-price meal application?
Apply for free and reduced-priced meals beginning no earlier than July 1st of each year at https://linqconnect.com. Families must re-apply each year. Eligibility is valid for only one school year. To apply for free and reduced-price meals you must have the following information:
- Child’s DoDEA student ID number, which is provided after enrollment via email,
- Student name as written on your school enrollment/registration form.
- Email address to receive the status confirmation notice,
- Sponsor’s leave and earnings statement (LES) and spouse pay voucher (spouse income must be reported), and
- School district as listed in the meal application software:
- Army and Air Force military installations in Europe and Pacific, enter “AAFES DoDEA”
- Guam schools – enter “DoDEA – Guam”
- Iwakuni – enter “DoDEA – MCCS Iwakuni”
- Navy sites (not Guam) – enter “DoDEA – Navy Exchange”
What income is included/excluded when determining household income for free and reduced-price meals?
The following pay is included in household income:
- The sponsor’s gross pay (before deductions are withheld)
- Spouse’s military or civilian gross pay (before deductions are withheld)
The following pay is excluded from total income:
- Overseas cost of living adjustment,
- Overseas housing allowance,
- Hazardous duty pay, and
- Combat pay.
Note:
- A foster child who is the legal responsibility of the courts is eligible to receive free meals regardless of your income.
- Children enrolled in Sure Start automatically qualify for free school meals.
- Families of children in Universal Pre-K (UPK) are encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals (meals are NOT free).
What is eligibility for free and reduced-price meals based on?
Eligibility for free and reduced-price meals is based on household size and income. When determining household income, each spouse’s gross income is included. Overseas families, excluding Guam and Puerto Rico, use the Alaska Income Eligibility Rate. USDA publishes the income eligibility rates mid-late June of each year.
What happens if my family isn’t eligible for free or reduced-price meals?
Families who do not qualify or do not apply for free or reduced-price meals will pay the full price amount. Free or reduced-price eligibility is for the current school year only; families must reapply each school year.
My child is currently enrolled in the DoDEA Virtual School (DVS). Are DVS students allowed to participate in the SMP?
Yes, all students enrolled in DoDEA schools participating in the USDA SMP are eligible to participate.
I home school my children. Is he/she eligible for the SMP?
If home school students have a DoDEA student ID number and are receiving auxiliary services or enrolled in at least one course, they are eligible to participate in the SMP.
What do I do if my child forgets lunch or lunch money?
In the rare event that a child has no lunch meal or money to pay for a meal, the school kitchen staff will make special arrangements to feed your child. This meal must be paid for by you. Tax dollars and school meal revenue cannot be used to pay debt owed by your family.
Where can I find the monthly breakfast or lunch menus for my child’s school?
Menus can be found on your LINQ Connect account. Additional AAFES and NEXCOM meal information can be found at the following links.
- AAFES & MCCS meal information is available at https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/school-lunch-program/
- NEXCOM meal information is available at https://www.mynavyexchange.com/studentmealprogram/
What is the cost of a school meal?
| Breakfast | Lunch |
| $2.00 Full-price breakfast* | $3.50 Full-price lunch (elementary school) |
| $0.30 Reduced-price breakfast* | $3.75 Full-price lunch (middle and high school) |
| * Not all schools provide a School Breakfast Program | $0.40 Reduced-price lunch |
Free and Reduced Meals Program
Households may apply for free and reduced meals beginning July 1st of every school year and must reapply every year since eligibility is only for one year. To apply for free and reduced-price meals you must have the following information:
- Student ID number, which is provided after enrollment via email.
- Service Member’s leave and earnings statement (LES) and spouse pay voucher if working or dual military.
- Student name as written on your enrollment/registration form.
- School district as listed in the meal application software:
- For DoDEA schools in the continental United States enter the name of the military installation at which you are assigned for duty, with the following exceptions: 1. MCAS Beaufort – enter “Laurel Bay”; 2. Puerto Rico schools – enter “Puerto Rico”.
- Guam schools – enter “DoDEA – Guam”
- Iwakuni – enter “DoDEA – MCCS Iwakuni”
- Navy sites (not Guam) – enter “DoDEA – Navy Exchange”
- For Army and Air Force military installation in Europe and Pacific, enter “AAFES DoDEA”
Important note about household income:
- Enter the full household gross pay (not after tax income)
- Include spouse gross pay income
- Do not include: housing allowance if overseas or if living in privatized housing stateside, COLA, imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay.
Additional notes:
- A foster child who is the legal responsibility of the courts is eligible to receive free meals regardless of income.
- Children enrolled in Sure Start automatically qualify for free school meals.
- Families of children in Universal Pre-K (UPK) are encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals (meals are NOT free).
- Apply for free and reduced meals at the website: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new
- Households can also pay for meals online by registering for the Linq Connect Community at https://linqconnect.com
- AAFES meal information is available at https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/school-lunch-program/
- Navy meal information is available at https://www.mynavyexchange.com/studentmealprogram/Your child may qualify for free meals or reduced-price meals.
Did you know?
- Eligibility for free meals or reduced-price meals is determined by a combination of income and family size.
- An approved meal application may qualify your family for benefits from local, state and federal agencies.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or - email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.
La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.
Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027s.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:
(1) correo:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
o
(2) fax:
(833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442;
o
(3) correo electrónico:
program.intake@usda.gov
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.
