Combining Work and/or Training to meet requirements

The options for meeting work participation requirements are:

Participating in paid employment for 80 hours a month (20 hours a week on average).

Participating in an approved training program for 80 hours a month (20 hours a week average).

Participating in unpaid work for 80 hours a month (20 hours a week average).

Participating in a combination of work and back-to-work activities (listed above) to make a total of 80 hours a month or an average of 20 hours per week; or

Volunteering in Workfare for the calculated required number of hours per month. This activity can’t be combined with options listed above as Workfare is a stand-alone activity.

Increase the number of hours she is working to 80 hours a month

Participate in an approved training program for at least ten hours a week average (to make a total of 80 hours a month in work and training).

Participate in unpaid work for at least ten hours a week on average (to make a total of 80 hours a month in work and training);

OR

Volunteer at a Workfare agency for a specified number of hours per month based on local minimum wage. (If local minimum wage is $18.29/hr. this would only be 5 hours, as $100 / $18.29/hr. = 5.68 or 5 hours rounded down)

Discretionary Exemptions

Every Federal Fiscal Year the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awards an allotment of discretionary exemptions to each state based on caseload. The state has the authority to determine how the exemptions can be used to exempt ABAWD clients from the time limit.

Washington State will use discretionary exemptions to exempt: Mandatory ABAWDs who wouldn’t receive timely termination notice due to LEP translations. ABAWDs participating in the address confidentiality program (ACP) without personal exemptions. ACES will automatically apply the exemption based on address.

ABAWDs who enroll in BFET in the third potential non-qualifying month, prior to the end of the third non-qualifying month , and cannot meet participation requirements in the month of enrollment.

Good Cause for non-participation in a month - WAC 388-444-0050

Good Cause occurs when a client has a reason for why they couldn’t meet participation temporarily. Please see Chapter Basic Food Work Requirements – Good Cause .