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Docusign Envelope ID: FBF216A0-629D-477B-9404-4CDB7225D850 Page 2 of 3

Enclosure

ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD) WAIVER RESPONSE

1. Request Type: Initial

2. Statutory Citation: Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008

3. Regulatory Citation: 7 CFR 273.24

4. State: California

1. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Region: Western

5. Requirement: Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and regulations at 7 CFR 273.24 provide that no individual shall be eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a member of any household if the individual received program benefits for more than 3 months during any 3-year period in which the individual was subject to but did not comply with the ABAWD work requirement. Section 6(o) and 7 CFR 273.24 also provide that, upon the request of the State agency, the Secretary may waive the applicability of the 3-month ABAWD time limit for any group of individuals in the State if the Secretary makes a determination that the area in which the individuals reside has an unemployment rate of over 10 percent, or for non-contiguous States, has an unemployment rate 1.5 times the national average.

6. Requested Area(s) and Support: The State agency requested to waive the ABAWD time limit in three individual counties from November 3, 2025, to November 2, 2026.

The State agency supported its request based upon three counties having a 12-month average unemployment rate over 10 percent for the 12-month period of July 2024 through June 2025. The average unemployment rate for the requested counties was 10.4 percent or greater during the 12-month period (Table 1).

Table 1: Counties (Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Data, July 2024 – June 2025) County Unemployment Rate Colusa County, CA 13.0% Imperial County, CA 18.7% Tulare County, CA 10.4%