9092 Simplified Food Stamp Program – Work For Your Welfare

DSS was approved by Food and Nutrition Service, under the United States Department of Agriculture, to operate a Simplified Food Stamp Program (SFSP). The SFSP permits a state to substitute certain TANF and RCA rules and procedures for food stamp rules. Delaware’s SFSP component is the Work For Your Welfare program rules. Households in which all members, or one or more members, receive TANF or RCA may participate in the SFSP. Non- Public Assistance (NPA) households will not participate in the SFSP. The SFSP will follow all the regular food stamp rules for determining eligibility and certifying households. Under the SFSP, the changes in the food stamps rules that will affect Work For Your Welfare TANF or RCA households who receive food stamps are: ·replacing food stamp Work For Your Welfare penalties with the TANF or RCA Workfare program requirements and penalties, and ·replacing food stamp work exemptions with TANF or RCA exemptions. The three TANF or RCA work exemptions are: a) A single, custodial parent caring for a child under 12 months of age; or b) An individual determined unemployable by a health care professional; or c) A parent caring for a disabled family member in the home who does not attend school full time. The SFSP allows Delaware to require single, custodial parents who are receiving TANF or RCA and caring for children age 12 months and older to participate in Work For Your Welfare. The SFSP also allows Delaware to use the food stamp allotment along with the TANF or RCA grant to determine the number of hours of Work For Your Welfare participation. DELAWARE’S WORK FOR YOUR WELFARE PROGRAM Work for Your Welfare is defined as a work experience program in which participants work to earn their benefits. Those in Workfare must participate for a predetermined number of hours each week. Required Hours of Participation: One-parent households will be required to work the maximum participation hours of 30 hours per week. Two-parent households will be required to work the maximum participation hours of 35 hours per week. If the household receives subsidized childcare assistance, the maximum participation hours increase to 55 hours per week. Determine the required hours of work experience participation: 1. The pre-sanctioned TANF grant is divided by the current state minimum wage, and the result is rounded down. 2. The food stamp allotment is divided by the current state minimum wage, and the result is rounded down. 3. The two results (#1 and #2), added together, are the maximum monthly number of hours for which the family/household is required to participate in work experience. The family/household may have to participate in other activities to the maximum hours of participation. 4. The monthly number of hours (#3) is divided by 4.33 to get a weekly number of hours, rounded down. 5. Compare the weekly number of hours (#4) to the maximum required for a one or two-parent household. Use the lesser number for the weekly number of hours. 6. The weekly number of hours (#5) is divided by 5 to get the daily participation requirement, rounded down. (This step is needed to give the Contractor and Client an idea of how to schedule the work on a daily basis to assure that the Client is able to meet the required work experience hours of participation.) Work For Your Welfare If the participant does not meet the required number of work experience hours, the penalty will be the closure of the entire TANF case for a minimum of one month and a mandatory four consecutive weeks of participation. SUMMARY OF THE SIMPLIFIED FOOD STAMP PROGRAM: The simplified food stamp program increases the age at which a child exempts a single, custodial parent from work requirements in Work for Your Welfare to under 12 months. ·If the participant does not meet the required number of work experience hours, the penalty will be the closure of the entire TANF case for a minimum of one month and a mandatory four consecutive weeks of participation. ·When a TANF case closes, the food stamp sanction will remain in place for one year or until the individual no longer is considered a mandatory Employment and Training participant. 10 DE Reg. 1704 (05/01/07)