2527 Definitions - The following definitions help to clarify this provision:


  1. ABAWD - The following persons age 18 through 49, able-bodied and with no dependents are considered ABAWD's:
     
    ABAWDs are subject to the food assistance program work requirements of 3100. An ABAWD not meeting the work requirement is to be referred to Food Assistance E&T Program to meet the work-related requirements. The program is voluntary for ABAWDs, but requires a mandatory referral. An ABAWD working 20 or more hours per week, but less than 30 is also considered mandatory for work-related requirements. ABAWDs working 30 or more hours a week are considered exempt from meeting the work-related requirements. The system determines mandatory or exempt status. See the KEES User Manual for further information on system processing.

    Work Registrant -

    Persons ages 16-59, unless exempt (3220) from Food Assistance Work Requirements (3100). Persons who are Work Registrants are not always an ABAWD. Work Registrants must register for work (at application, recertification or when an exemption is lost), take a suitable job if offered, or volunteer to participate in an employment and training program. If employed, Work Registrants are prohibited from voluntarily quitting a job of 30+ hours per week or reducing work hours to less than 30 hours per week without good cause (unless the weekly wages continue to exceed the Federal Minimum wage multiplied by 30 hours).

    Work Registrants must be provided the Food Assistance Work Registration, Appendix item E-26. The worker must explain verbally and in writing what the work requirements are. Once the E-26 is explained and hard copy is given to, they are considered to be Work Registered. The E-26 box must be completed on the Interview Template under Verification List.

  2. Non-ABAWD's - Are all persons exempt from meeting the ABAWD criteria as listed in 2521. Non-ABAWD's may or may not be exempt from meeting the work-related requirements of 3100 and should be coded appropriately by the system.

2528 Status Changes


If a change in situation makes a non-ABAWD (or an ABAWD meeting the work requirement) an ABAWD, the individual gets 3 months of food assistance without meeting the work requirement IF they have not already used the 3 months in the first 36-month period. The change in status from a non-ABAWD (or an ABAWD meeting the work requirement) to an ABAWD is effective with the month following the month the change is reported. For example, Jane Doe is getting TANF and food assistance for herself and 10-year-old child. The child leaves the home in May to live with his father. The TANF case closes the end of May. Jane is 37 and able-bodied. Beginning in June she is now an ABAWD and can get 3 more months of food assistance without meeting the ABAWD work requirement (if she has not already received 3 months as an ABAWD). If the child later returns to the home, or she becomes unfit for employment, she becomes a non-ABAWD and can get food assistance without meeting the ABAWD work requirement.

Changes from ABAWD to non-ABAWD status are effective the month the change is reported. Using the above example, if the child returns to Jane's home in August, she has responsibility for a dependent child in that month and the change to being a non-ABAWD is effective retroactively for August.

NOTE: Since the household containing the ABAWD is subject to simplified reporting per 9122, the household is not required to report new income of the ABAWD unless it is over the 130% reporting threshold for the household size. Therefore, if the household reports at the time the ABAWD is being removed from the case that the ABAWD obtained employment or otherwise met the ABAWD criteria of 2520 between the time of certification and the end of the three-month time limit, the months when the person met the ABAWD criteria will NOT be counted toward the 3-month time limit.

Example: A case is certified on January 5 for a mother and her 20-year-old able-bodied child. The 20-year-old is an ABAWD not meeting the work requirements. The three ABAWD months are February - April. The child is set to be removed effective for the May benefit month. After the notice is sent notifying the mother the child is being removed, she reports that the child obtained employment the first of February and was working 25-30 hours a week. The child is still employed. Since the child met and continues to meet the work requirement, the months of February-April are no longer considered ABAWD months. If the child later loses employment, he would be entitled to participate for the three of 36 ABAWD months.

 

NOTE: After case closure, ABAWDs who can provide documentation that work requirements or an exemption were being met during the 3 countable ABAWD months should retro-actively have countable ABAWD months removed.

 

EXAMPLE: An ABAWD's countable months are January-March. The case closes 3/31/2018. The client reapplies for Food Assistance on 6/1/2018 and provides documentation that they were meeting the work requirement in January and March. January and March would then be removed as countable ABAWD months.