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1 Section 260 Change #02-2025 December 1, 2025 FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES CERTIFICATION ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FNS 260 ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD)

FNS 260 ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD) CHANGE #02-2025 DECEMBER 1, 2025

260.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW OF ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD) TIME LIMITS, WORK REQUIREMENTS, AND EXEMPTIONS Federal law limits the amount of time a time-limited participant, commonly referred to as an able-bodied adult without dependents or ABAWD, can participate in FNS to any three countable months in a 36-month period (the ABAWD time limit) unless the person meets the ABAWD work requirements. An ABAWD is a FNS applicant or recipient, aged 18 to 64, who does not meet the criteria for an exemption from the general SNAP work registration requirements outlined in FNS Manual § 240.03 or the exceptions from the ABAWD time limit, outlined at FNS Manual § 260.01. On July 4, 2025, H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBB) was signed into law. H.R. 1 amended the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) and significantly modified the ABAWD time limit exceptions. Revisions to FNS Manual § 260, effective December 1, 2025, implement the modified exception criteria of H.R. 1. In addition, USDA published final regulations on December 17, 2024, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Program Purpose and Work Requirement Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which implemented provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023. The final rule clarifies procedures for screening for exceptions to the ABAWD time limit and clarifies verification requirements for the exceptions. The final rule is codified at 7 CFR 273.24(k) and 7 CFR 273.24(l). Revisions to FNS Manual § 260, effective December 1, 2025, clarify the ABAWD exceptions screening and verification requirements. Please note that the Act and federal regulations refer to exemptions from the ABAWD time limits as “exceptions.” To conform to North Carolina’s current practice and to avoid confusion, the Department refers to both the work registration exemptions and the ABAWD time limit exceptions as “exemptions” for FNS policy. Given the significant changes to ABAWD policy, FNS Manual § 260.00 summarizes the modified exemption criteria due to H.R. 1 and discusses the screening sequence that eligibility workers must conduct when assessing whether an individual is exempted from the general work registration requirements and the ABAWD time limit.