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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 3000 3502.1 Discretionary Exemptions

3500 The SNAP Requirement to Work (RTW) 3502.1 Discretionary Exemptions SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 FNS provides for each State Agency an allotted number of discretionary exemptions equal to a percentage of the State’s SNAP participation caseload. The State Agency may use these exemptions to extend SNAP eligibility to individuals who are no longer eligible to participate in SNAP due to the three (3) month Able- Bodied Adult RTW time limit. Discretionary exemptions allow certain individuals an opportunity to establish or to re-establish themselves into the community, and may be assigned to the following groups: • Individuals who are currently in Foster Care • Individuals who are in Domestic Violence Shelters Individuals who are currently in Foster Care or Domestic Violence Shelters may be exempt from the RTW until they exit Foster Care or the Domestic Violence Shelter. Discretionary exemptions are granted to one able-bodied adult for one (1) month. The decision to exempt an individual from RTW must be documented in the case record. 3502.3 Assignment of Discretionary Exemptions SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 Section deleted 07/01/2026 and merged with SNAP 3502.1 3503 Able-Bodied Adult Work Requirements SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 Section deleted 07/01/2026 and merged with SNAP 3500 3510 Establishing the RTW Three-Year Compliance Period SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 Section deleted 07/01/2026 and moved to SNAP 3511 3511 Three (3)-Year Compliance Period SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 The three (3)-year RTW compliance period runs continuously regardless of whether the individual participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The state has elected to use a fixed time period of three (3) years. The three (3)-year period started on January 1, 2016, and runs continuously for three (3) years even if there are breaks in the individual’s SNAP participation. At the end of the three (3)-year period, the count is reset, and a new compliance period will begin. EXAMPLE 1: An individual applies for SNAP on January 4, 2025. Their three (3)-year compliance period began on January 1, 2025, and runs continuously through December 31, 2027 (three years). A new three (3)-year compliance period will begin on January 1, 2028.