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SNAP E&T services may begin as early as the date Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility is approved. SNAP E&T services must include an employability assessment and Employment Plan (EP). The assessment and EP must be done in collaboration with the participant. This is also an opportunity to explain the expectations of the program, describe available services, and, if applicable, explain how participation in the program can help time-limited recipients earn additional months of benefits.

Employability Assessment

The purpose of an Employability Assessment is to collect and evaluate information to identify a participant’s employment goals, barriers, and support service needs. The information collected from this assessment is the basis for the EP. The assessment must be completed prior to placement in an activity, and as often as necessary throughout the participant’s engagement in the program. The assessment should consider:

●	The participant's literacy level (see NOTE below).
●	The participant's ability to communicate in the English language.
●	The participant’s education and employment history.
●	The estimated length of time it will take the participant to obtain employment.
●	The participant's employment-related skills and abilities, barriers to employment, steps necessary to overcome the participant's barriers to employment and any special services needed to meet the participant’s needs.

The State does not require that a particular form be used for recording the results of the assessment. Employment Service Providers (ESPs) may develop and utilize their own forms for this purpose or may record relevant information in a standard location in the case notes.

NOTE: Literacy testing may be routinely included as part of the assessment, but is not required. The ESP should use available information about the participant (for example, how applications and other forms are completed, the participant’s speech, participant disclosure, reports from other sources) to determine the participant’s literacy and reading capabilities. The participant’s literacy capabilities should be explored if a problem is perceived. The ESP should record each participant’s perceived and tested literacy and reading capability in the case record.

Participant-Specific Activities: The following items should be addressed and provided for in the EP if they apply to the participant:

●	Referral as necessary to available accredited remedial training programs designed to address barriers to employment. This may include recommendation to participate in:

-	English as a Second Language (ESL) skills programs.
-	Literacy training programs.
-	Adult Basic Education (ABE) or secondary education programs.
-	Other remedial or skill enhancement programs.

Employment Plan (EP)

The EP is a written plan specifying in detail the services to be provided to a participant, the expectations of the program and any possible consequence of not complying, such as exit from the program, inability to earn additional months of food benefits, or lack of support from the ESP. An EP must be based on the employability assessment conducted with the participant. The participant must sign and receive a copy of the EP. Development of an EP is required only once in any 12 consecutive months, but must accurately reflect the activities of the participant at any given time.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Plan (DHS-6020) (PDF), or similar, is expected to be used, at minimum, for all time-limited participants.

For participants that are not subject to the work and time limit provisions, at minimum, an alternative form must contain the following:

●	A specific employment objective that the participant is working toward.
●	The specific services to be provided that will lead to that objective.
●	Information about the consequences of failing to comply with the EP.
●	The name and telephone number of their contact person.

For time-limited participants who wish to meet the work requirement through participation in the program, the plan of services must address the need to work or participate in work activities for at least 80 hours per month in order to earn additional months of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Supervised Job Search and Job Search Training are not countable activities unless they make up less than 50% of the required 80 hours per month, or the time-limited participant is co-enrolled in Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, or a program of employment and training for veterans operated by the Department of Labor or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The ESP is responsible for co-enrolling a participant.

Intermediate Steps: When developing a participant’s EP, it is important to break each employment goal into intermediary steps with specific, easily measured activities which will move the participant along the path toward employment and self-sufficiency. The clearer these intermediary steps are to both the participant and ESP, the less likely it is that there will be disputes about satisfactory progress.

Maximum Participation: The EP must be designed so that the participant is not obligated to participate in SNAP E&T activities more than 120 hours per month. It also should not place any requirement on a participant that interferes with employment.