Student Exemption Criteria

To be eligible to participate in SNAP, a student must meet at least one (1) of the following exemptions: A. Be physically or mentally unfit for employment (including students participating through or in a vocational rehabilitation program). If mental or physical unfitness for employment is claimed and the unfitness is not evident to the local office, verification may be required. Appropriate verification may consist of receipt of temporary or permanent disability benefits or a statement from a physician or licensed psychologist. B. The student is employed for an average of twenty (20) hours per week and is paid for such employment. The student shall be employed an average of twenty (20) hours each week, regardless of wages received. If the student is self-employed, the student shall work an average of twenty (20) hours a week and have earnings after allowable business expenses are deducted equal to at least the federal minimum wage multiplied by twenty (20) hours. The weekly employment of twenty (20) hours may be based on an average number of hours worked per month, so long as the student is employed for eighty (80) hours per month. C. The student is participating in a state or federally financed work-study program. The student shall be approved for a work-study program at the time of application for SNAP. The work-study shall be approved for the school term and the student shall anticipate working during that time. The student qualifies for this exemption the month the school term in which the work-study will occur begins or the month work-study is approved, whichever is later. The exemption will continue until the end of the school term or until it becomes known that the student has refused an assignment. The exemption shall not continue between terms when there is a break of one (1) full month or longer unless the student is participating in work-study during the break. D. The student is responsible for more than half of the physical care of a dependent household member under the age of six (6), or a full-time student who is a single parent with responsibility for the care of a dependent child under age twelve (12). The single parent provision applies in those situations where only one natural, adoptive, or stepparent regardless of marital status is in the same SNAP household as the child. A full-time student in the same SNAP household with a child who is under their parental control may qualify if they do not reside with their spouse. E. The student is responsible for more than half of the physical care of a dependent household member who has reached the age of six (6) but is under the age of twelve (12) where the local office has determined that adequate childcare is not available to enable the individual to attend class and satisfy the requirement of item B or item C, above. F. The student is receiving a Title IV-A TANF cash grant. The student’s needs shall be included in the grant to be eligible under this provision. Family Preservation is not considered a TANF cash grant. G. The student is assigned to or placed in an institution of higher education through a program under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Employment First (EF), a program under Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296), another program for the purpose of employment and training operated by the state or local government (program shall have at least one (1) component equivalent to the SNAP EF Program), or as a result of participating in the JOBS program under Title IV of the Social Security Act. Self-initiated placement during the period the person is enrolled in one of these employment and training programs shall comply with the requirements of the employment and training program in which the person is enrolled. This placement is considered in compliance provided that the Employment and Training program has a component for enrollment in an institution of higher education and that the Employment and Training program accepts the placement. Persons who voluntarily participate in one of these employment and training programs and are placed in an institution of higher education through or in compliance with the requirements of the Employment and Training program shall also qualify for the exemption. H. The student is participating in an on-the-job training program. A person is participating in an on- the-job training program only during the period the person is being trained by an employer.