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ABAWD ELIGIBILITY

All non-exempt ABAWDs are mandatory participants and must be referred to SNAP E&T services where offered.

Unless exempt from SNAP eligibility time limits or is meeting monthly work requirements, Able-Bodied People Without Dependents (ABAWDs) are eligible for SNAP for only 3 months in any 36-month period. The 36-month period begins the 1st full month SNAP is received. Once started, the 36-month period continues to run uninterrupted, even during times the participant does not receive SNAP or is exempt from the time limit.

The 3 entitled months do not have to be consecutive. Do not count a month if for that month the person meets the 20 hour per week (80 hours per month) work requirement, is exempt from the 3-month time limit, or receives only prorated (partial month) benefits.

The 3-month entitlement limit applies only to adults receiving SNAP.

A person meeting any of the following exemptions is not subject to the 3-month limit:

●	Receiving cash assistance.
●	Under age 18, or age 50 or older.
●	Responsible for the care of a child under age 18 in the SNAP unit. If there are 2 parents in the unit, both are exempt. If there is doubt as to whether non-parents should be given this exemption, determine if the child is under the parental control of the non-parent. An adult who has parental control of the child is entitled to this exemption.
●	Medically certified as pregnant.
●	Exempt from work registration. Code his/her work registration status carefully on the MAXIS STAT/WREG panel. This information is used by MAXIS when sending workers appropriate DAIL messages. It is also used for reporting and funding purposes.
●	Lives in any of the counties or Indian reservations where all participants are exempt from ABAWD provisions. See TEMP Manual TE02.05.68 (ABAWD FSET Exempt Reservations), TE02.05.69 (ABAWD FSET Exempt Counties).
●	People with a statement from a qualified professional which indicates inability to work 20 hours or more per week due to a mental or physical illness, injury or incapacity that is expected to last for a minimum of 30 days.

The county worker must retroactively count (or uncount) an ABAWD’s month of benefits as 1 of the 3 months of entitlement to SNAP benefits if you later learn that your determination of the ABAWD’s exemption status, or whether or not the ABAWD met monthly work requirements, was incorrect. You must make this change in MAXIS.

As long as the participant meets an exemption for some part of the month, he/she is exempt for the entire month.


EARNING ADDITIONAL MONTHS

ABAWDs may "earn" ADDITIONAL MONTHS of eligibility, or avoid using 1 of their 3 entitled months, when they work or participate in work activities an average of 20 hours per week (80 per month). These do not have to be consecutive months. For each month that the participant works or participates in work activities at this level, the participant “earns” a month of SNAP benefits. Countable work or work program activities are:

●	Working in paid employment, including self-employment. This includes use of accrued sick or vacation time, if available.
●	Participating in Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services.
●	Participating in Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) services.
●	Participating in SNAP E&T activities. NOTE: SNAP E&T job search and job search training do not count toward the 20 hour per week/80 hour per month requirement unless the participant is co-enrolled in WIA.
●	Participating in Work Experience. However, instead of averaging 20 hours a week, the required number of hours of participation is the unit's monthly SNAP allotment divided by the federal minimum wage.

An ABAWD who has used up the initial or subsequent 3 months of SNAP eligibility can “earn” an additional month of benefits by working or participating in approved work activities for 80 hours in a calendar month. The ABAWD need not be a current SNAP participant to regain eligibility. (NOTE: SNAP E&T is available only to current SNAP participants.) The hours must be completed before eligibility can be granted. Once the participant has worked the required number of hours, eligibility can be granted back to the beginning of the month or the date of application, whichever is later. Once eligibility is granted, eligibility will continue as long as you prospectively anticipate that the participant will work the required number of hours for the next month. Track work hours per month. The Employment Services Provider (ESP) will track hours of participation in work program activities.

A participant who has lost SNAP eligibility by exhausting their initial 3 months out of 36 months may qualify for a second 3 month period if they have worked or participated in work activities for 80 hours in a month, as described above. If the participant’s job or work activity ends, or if the hours are reduced below 80 hours per month, the participant qualifies for the additional 3-month period of eligibility. This provision does not apply if the participant voluntarily quits the job without good cause.

The second 3-month count starts the 1st day of the 1st full month in which SNAP benefits are provided under this 2nd 3-month eligibility period. A partial month is not a counted month. It runs uninterrupted until the 3-month period is completed, regardless of whether the participant received benefits all 3 of those months. This 2nd 3-month period is only available once in any 36-month period.

The county or the ESP must explain these provisions to ABAWDs during the intake and eligibility determination process.