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State Plan AR FY26 - Original Submission Page of 26 112 Screening Role of Eligibility Workers: Upon receipt of a reverse referral, the EW reviews the client’s SNAP case status and verifies compliance with general SNAP work registration and SNAP E&T eligibility criteria. The EW confirms that the client is not currently exempt from work requirements and meets all criteria for E&T participation according to State and federal policy. The EW determines whether the client is currently active in SNAP and eligible to engage in E&T activities. The EW documents the screening outcome in the case notes, including the determination to approve or deny the referral for participation. If approved, the EW processes the referral to connect the client with the provider or training program identified in the reverse referral. If not eligible, the EW contacts the provider and client to explain the denial and provide guidance on applicable program requirements. Eligibility workers are required to act on all reverse referrals promptly to ensure clients receive timely access to E&T services when appropriate. Are participants informed about participant reimbursements before the individual is referred to E&T by eligibility staff? Yes No How are participants informed about participant reimbursements? During the screening and eligibility determination process, eligibility staff inform potential SNAP E&T participants of their right to receive participant reimbursements. Following referral to a third-party partner, E&T provider staff further discuss participant reimbursements with individuals, including expectations and procedures for submitting reimbursement requests. In the case of mandatory participants, if the costs of participant reimbursements exceed any State agency cap or are not available, describe how the State agency ensures individuals are exempted from mandatory E&T. Under 7 CFR 273.7 (d) (4) , individuals cannot be required to participate in E&T if the necessary support services- such as transportation, childcare, or other reimbursements – are not available. This protects the participants from undue hardship. State agencies regularly monitor the availability of funds for participant reimbursement. Providers have access to the balance on each individual that they work with to view the balance of that person’s reimbursement cap. We also rely on providers to make sure the client can be done with their training in a reasonable amount of time so they do not use their funds prior to finishing their training.