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Title 7: SNAP Page 27 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter C: Nonfinancial Eligibility Work Registration Revised June 20, 2025 Exemptions from Work Registration Exemptions from Work Registration Legal reference: 7 CFR 273.7(b), 441 IAC 65.28(2)(a-h) Policy: A person is exempt from mandatory work registration if the person is: Under age 16. Aged 16 or 17 and is not the head of the household. The head of household is the person that shows on ABC as the case name. Aged 60 years or older. Physically or mentally unfit for work. The person’s condition can be either temporary or permanent. If the person’s disability is not readily apparent, you may ask for verification. Verification can include proof such as: • A statement from a licensed health care professional, or • Proof that the person is receiving temporary or permanent disability benefits from the government or a private source. A FIP recipient or a refugee receiving Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA). Caring for a dependent child under age six or an incapacitated person. The person must agree to register for work as part of the next scheduled recertification after the child’s sixth birthday, unless another exemption applies. The child or incapacitated person doesn’t have to be in the client’s SNAP household or live with the client for the client to be eligible for this exemption. However, the client cannot be exempt for caring for a child under six or an incapacitated person as part of their job (their work hours or earnings may qualify them for an exemption; see below). More than one person cannot claim responsibility for the care of the same child. If there are two or more children in a household, each adult can claim the responsibility for the care of different children. For example, in a household with two adults and two children, both adults can be exempt if they each claim responsibility for the care of a different child. Receiving job insurance benefits (JIB) or registered for work as part of the JIB application process (unemployment compensation). NOTE: This exemption does not apply to union members who are laid off and expect to be recalled, because they are not required to register for work when they apply for JIB. Once they start to receive JIB benefits, union members are exempt from work registration. Working for pay at least 30 hours per week or receiving gross weekly earnings at least equal to the federal minimum wage multiplied by 30 hours. Effective July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour.