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

outdoor or makeshift locations; vehicles; RV-type structures without active utilities or sewer or septic hookups; or other places not designed for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations for human beings. This includes environments without access to toilets or where basic hygiene or stable sleep cannot be maintained. When the individual’s housing situation, as described, creates barriers that prevent working 20 hours per week, they are determined to be an individual obviously physically or mentally unfit for employment for purposes of the ABAWD exemption based on eligibility worker’s discretion. d. Domestic Violence and obvious unfitness. Survivors of recent acts of domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, or stalking that have impacted their physical or mental health and currently interferes with their ability to maintain work, are determined to be obviously physically or mentally unfit for employment for purposes of the ABAWD exemption based on eligibility worker’s discretion. e. If the individual is obviously unfit, succinctly document in the case record the basis for the determination (what made unfitness obvious). f. No medical verification is required when unfitness is obvious. When unfitness is obvious, workers must not request medical documentation. Requiring verification when unfitness is obvious creates an unnecessary barrier to benefits. 3. Not obviously unfit – medical statement is required. If an individual's unfitness for employment is not obvious to the eligibility worker after thorough screening, and the individual has indicated that they are unfit to work, the individual may establish physical or mental unfitness by providing a statement from appropriate medical personnel. a. Acceptable sources for medical statement: i. Federal regulations provide that a statement from any of the following sources is acceptable: (a) Physician (b) Physician's Assistant (c) Nurse