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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT EMPLOYMENT SERVICES OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND VOLUNTARY QUIT/WORK REDUCTION

10/24 VOLUME V, PART VIII, PAGE 4

B. VOLUNTARY QUIT AND WORK REDUCTION (7 CFR 273.7(j))

Individuals who quit a job of 30 hours or more per week or who reduce the work effort so that less than 30 hours per week remain after the reduction are not eligible for SNAP benefits unless the person is exempted from work registration requirements, as outlined in Part VIII.A.1 or unless good cause exists for the quit or reduction. If the person is the head of the household, as defined in Part VI.D, the entire household is ineligible for SNAP benefits. The length of time the individual or household is ineligible will be determined by the number of previous violations for this Part that have been incurred by the individual. The disqualification periods are listed in Part VIII.C.

At application, the BPS must explain the consequences of a household member quitting a job or reducing the number of hours worked without good cause and the consequences of a person joining the household as its head if that individual has voluntarily quit a job or reduced the hours worked. The BPS must assess whether voluntary quit or work reduction applies at application. While households are not required to report job losses or reduction of work hours during the certification period, as per Part XIV.A, the BPS must evaluate voluntary quit or work reduction when it is discovered. If good cause does not exist, the household or individual is disqualified from receiving future benefits, as allowed in this chapter.

The BPS must provide the SNAP Sanction Notice for Noncompliance with a Work Requirement when a case is negatively affected when one voluntarily quits a job or reduced the hours worked without good cause.

1. Exemptions from Voluntary Quit and Work Reduction Provisions

Most persons, who are exempt from the work registration provisions in Part VIII.A.1 at the time of the quit or work reduction, will be exempt from the voluntary quit and work reduction provisions. Voluntary quit and work reduction provisions will apply to TANF recipients and refugees who are exempted from the work registration provisions because of their employment services registration and persons who are exempted because of employment (Part VIII.A.1(c and h)).

For applicants, if the quit or work reduction occurred before the date of application, evaluate work registration on the date of application to determine whether the household is exempt from voluntary quit or work reduction provisions. If the quit or work reduction occurred after the date of application, but before the case was processed, evaluate work registration status on the day of the quit or work reduction to determine whether the household is exempt from voluntary quit or work reduction provisions.

For participating households, evaluate the household member's work registration status on the day of the quit or work reduction to determine whether the household is exempt from voluntary quit or work reduction provisions.

2. Determination of Voluntary Quit or Work Reduction

When a household files an application for participation or when a participating household reports the loss of a source of income or reduced income, the BPS must determine

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