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NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance- TA and SNAP Employment Policy Manual Section 385.3 - Page 7 Rev. 4/2025 Part B – Department Policy Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Work Registration As a condition of eligibility for SNAP, certain household members must meet general work requirements. However, many household members are exempt from these work requirements for reasons such as age; fitness for work; childcare responsibilities; because they are already employed; or, because they are in school. The district is responsible for determining work registration status (exempt or non-exempt) for each individual who applies for SNAP. Given that a household member is at risk of losing SNAP benefits if they do not comply with SNAP work requirements it is extremely important that districts accurately determine whether a household member is exempt from the general SNAP work requirements. Eligibility workers must determine whether an individual meets one of the Federal exemptions from the work requirements at application, recertification, and if appropriate, when changes in the household's circumstances are reported. It is critical that eligibility workers understand these exemptions and that processes are in place to ensure that individuals are properly screened. The eligibility worker must explore whether the individual meets an exemption rather than place the burden solely on the individual to self-report. The interview is the most important tool for identifying whether an individual meets an exemption. When the interview is conducted over the phone rather than in person, identifying exemptions can be more challenging, so it is critical that eligibility workers have resources and follow appropriate processes to ensure applicants and recipients are properly screened. OTDA has developed the LDSS-5062A SNAP Employability Code/ABAWD Status Screening and Code Assignment Desk Guide as a tool to assist districts in determining the appropriate SNAP employability and Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) status codes for each SNAP applicant and recipient. The district should review work registration status if appropriate when changes in the household's circumstances are reported and at recertification. For SNAP purposes, an individual who claims to be exempt from work registration but does not cooperate with the work registration process (e.g., fails to submit requested documentation) becomes a work registrant (non-exempt). Districts should carefully review work registration exemptions included in 18 NYCRR 385.3 (a)(1) and be aware that not all non-exempt Temporary Assistance (TA) recipients are required to work register for SNAP. For example, an individual responsible for the care of a dependent child under six or an individual required to register for work as part of the unemployment insurance compensation process is exempt from SNAP work registration, but not necessarily exempt from TA work requirements.