SNAP E&T Essential Cost Principles:

· SNAP E&T expenses must be directly related to an approved activity that the participant is enrolled in and receiving case management services for, at the agency seeking reimbursement.

· Costs must be reasonable and necessary. A cost is REASONABLE if, in its nature and amount, it does not exceed that which a prudent person would pay under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur this cost. NECESSARY costs are incurred to carry out essential functions, cannot be avoided without adversely affecting program operation, and do not duplicate existing efforts.

The ESP must arrange for or provide support services needed to enable participants to participate in SNAP E&T, within the limit of available funds. For a list of allowed and disallowed costs, see Guidance on Costs and Reimbursements (PDF).

For more information, see the USDA SNAP E&T Policy and Guidance page.

Transportation costs for participants to engage in SNAP E&T activities are reimbursable. Transportation costs would not be reimbursable if they are associated with a participant's job, unless the participant is engaged in Job Retention services, or the job is part of their SNAP E&T activity (such as when a participant is engaged in On-the-Job Training).

The following guidelines should be used to assess whether a participant’s expense is an approvable cost:

· Participant expense must be reasonable and necessary for participation in a SNAP E&T program activity.

· Support Services cannot be used for the primary purpose of assisting a TLR to verify an exemption from the time limit or to help navigate any function of eligibility.

· Payment for the expense may not be available through another government program or available at no cost to the participant through private sources such as charitable donations.

· The expense cannot be for a participant’s regular employment, unless the participant is engaged in Job Retention.

Documentation of support services must be on file and listed in Workforce One under Support Services. When recording support services, enter the justification and the activity the support service is directly related to. If the rationale of the support services is questionable, case note why it was determined to be reasonable and necessary. Providers are encouraged to contact state SNAP E&T staff to request review of unusual costs.