Identifying an Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD)

Staff must screen for Work Registration and ABAWD status at application, eligibility review, and when there is a client reported change in the work registration status of a household member.

What’s the difference between an exemption from Work Registration and an exception from ABAWD participation rules?

Work registration exemptions (other than age) also exempt individuals from being considered under ABAWD rules

When someone is determined to be subject to ABAWD rules, we then determine whether they have an exception from participation time limits.

Individuals who qualify for Work Registration Exemptions are not ABAWDs .

Those that are ABAWDs will be reviewed to determine whether they have an exception to the three-month participation time limit.

The current 36-month time limit period began January 1, 2024, and ends December 31, 2026. Another 36-month period will begin January 1, 2027.

An able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) is a person who:

Is 18-64 years old

Is able to work

Isn’t exempt from work requirements under WAC 388-444-0010

Doesn’t have a child under age 14 in the assistance unit

Children in the home

When an Assistance Unit (AU) includes a member under age 14, all adults in the AU are exempt from ABAWD participation regardless of their responsibility to care for the child. Sometimes the child may not be eligible due to immigration status or failure to provide their Social Security number; this doesn’t affect the ABAWD status of the adults in the home. If the child isn’t in the AU, such as in a roommate situation where the adults purchase and prepare separately, the client is an ABAWD.