Page 23

NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance- TA and SNAP Employment Policy Manual Section 385.3 - Page 23 Rev. 4/2025 WTRK31 screen which is available through the Employment Tracking Inquiry (Selection 17 in WMS), FS ABAWD Tracking, may be used to identify tracked months in other districts in New York State. If the SNAP applicant is subject to the ABAWD requirements, and has received SNAP benefits in another state during the current 36-month fixed period, the district must: • obtain from the SNAP applicant the name of the State(s) in which each person on the SNAP application has applied for, is receiving, or has received SNAP benefits; • use the National Directory of Human Services (available in Centraport) and follow the directions for contacting each State that the ABAWD indicated they have received SNAP benefits in to verify if the individual has countable ABAWD months in that State; and • process an override in the Welfare Management System (WMS) using WTRK43 – FS ABAWD OVERRIDE INPUT screen (selection R) on the Employment Tracking Inquiry, (accessed via the Time Limit Tracking Menu, Upstate WMS Menu Selection 17/NYC WMS Menu Selection 11) for individuals with countable ABAWD months in another State. Districts adding a countable ABAWD month in WMS should use an override reason code “S” (Out of State) (see Section 385.16 of this manual for the list of ABAWD override reason codes). When determining countable months in another State, districts must recognize that different states can have different trackers (i.e., fixed clock vs. rolling clock), or tracking start dates, which may make reconciling the number of countable months that would follow an ABAWD from one state to another complex. Since New York State is using a fixed 36-month period, districts must only consider countable months from another State that fall within the New York State 36- month period. Waivers/Exclusions Some districts or areas within a district may be eligible for a waiver from the ABAWD requirement based on their rate of unemployment or their designation as a labor surplus area consistent with the requirements of 7 CFR 273.24(f). Information regarding eligibility for a waiver is provided to districts on an annual basis, subject to USDA review and approval of the waiver request submitted by OTDA. ABAWD waivers are granted for a period of 12 months following the federal fiscal year which runs from October 1 to September 30. Districts and areas within a district with an ABAWD waiver approved by USDA are listed on the OTDA website at: http://otda.ny.gov/programs/snap/qanda.asp. Districts approved to waive the ABAWD requirement for a jurisdictional area, but not the balance of the district, must enter an ABAWD code “W” on WMS (or myWorkspace) for ABAWDs who live in a jurisdictional area with an approved ABAWD waiver. Use of this ABAWD code is necessary to ensure that ABAWDs who reside in a waived jurisdictional area are removed from the ABAWD selection process that is used by OTDA to identify which ABAWDs are trackable for each calendar month. Districts must evaluate an individual’s ABAWD status and update the ABAWD status code on WMS/myWorkspace accordingly at application, recertification, and at any time when a change in address or other change that may impact an individual’s ABAWD status is reported and documented.