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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 04/2020

ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS

0011.24

Opportunity Act (WIOA). See 0028.03.03 (Employment Services/SNAP E&T Required Components).

SNAP recipients subject to the time limit and work provisions can decide if they want to participate in SNAP Employment and Training services to help meet those requirements. Not all counties offer SNAP E&T services. ABAWDs are referred to SNAP E&T when SNAP eligibility is determined or when the participant’s exemption from ABAWD provisions ends. However, participation is voluntary.

Work and allowable work activities must be verified in order for the month to not count towards the 3-month time limit. If an ABAWD is working with SNAP E&T, the E&T provider can confirm participation in work activities. If the ABAWD is not working with SNAP E&T, they must provide verification that they have already completed the activity to not count the month. Once the ABAWD provides verification that they have met the work requirements, uncount the month. If it is determined the client will prospectively meet the work requirement, additional verification to uncount future months is not needed.

NOTE: When an ABAWD meets work requirements, this is not the same as meeting an exemption. They are still subject to the work requirements and time limits.

ABAWDs must report when their work or work related activity hours fall below 20 hours per week, averaged 80 hours per month. This is a reporting requirement for all reporting types. See 0007.03.01 (Monthly Reporting - Uncle Harry FS), 0007.03.02 (Six- Month Reporting).

You must retroactively count (or uncount) an ABAWD’s month of benefits as 1 of the 3 counted months of SNAP benefits if you later learn that your determination of the ABAWD’s exemption status, or whether or not the ABAWD met monthly work requirements, was incorrect. You must make this change in MAXIS. See TE02.05.70 (Coding the WREG Panel for SNAP) for system instructions. As long as the client meets an exemption for some part of the month, he/she is exempt for the entire month.

Once an ABAWD uses all 3 counted months during the rolling 36 month period, unless they meet an exemption or a way to regain eligibility listed below, they are ineligible for SNAP. However, their income may still count for the additional unit members receiving SNAP. See 0016.39 (Income of Ineligible Able-Bodied Adults).

EARNING ADDITIONAL MONTHS

Able-bodied adults may "earn" ADDITIONAL MONTHS of eligibility, or avoid using 1 of their 3 counted months, when they work or participate in work activities an average of 20 hours per week (80 per month). These do not have to be consecutive months. For each month that the person works or participates in work activities at this level, the person "earns" a month of SNAP benefits.

ABAWD ELIGIBILITY AFTER THE 3 MONTHS - SECOND 3-MONTH PERIOD

If the ABAWD lost eligibility due to using his/her 3 months and has been closed for over 30 days, they will need to re-apply to be eligible for any of the provisions below.

An ABAWD who has lost SNAP eligibility by exhausting their initial 3 months out of 36 months may qualify for a second 3-month period if they have worked or participated in work activities for 80 hours during any 30 consecutive days, as described above under EARNING ADDITIONAL MONTHS. If the person’s job or work activity ends, or if the hours are reduced below 80 hours per month, the person qualifies for the second 3-month period of eligibility. This provision does not apply if the person voluntarily quits the job without good cause. See 0028.30.09 (Refusing or Terminating Employment).

The new 3-month count starts the 1st day of the 1st full month in which SNAP benefits are provided under this second 3-month eligibility period. A partial month is not a counted month. The second 3-month period runs for 3 consecutive countable months regardless of whether or not the participant receives benefits in all 3 months. This second 3-month period is only available once in any 36-month period.

ABAWD ELIGIBILITY – REGAINING ELIGIBILITY

An ABAWD who has used up the initial or second 3 months of SNAP eligibility can regain eligibility when during any 30 consecutive days the person has met work or work related activity requirements as described above. The hours must be completed before eligibility can be granted.