Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs)
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996 (PRWORA) limits the receipt of food stamps to 3 months in a 3-year
period for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who are not
working, participating in, and complying with the requirements of a work
program for 20 hours or more each week, or a workfare program.
Individuals are exempt from this provision if they are:
|
under 18 or 50 years of age or older, |
|
responsible for the care of a child
or incapacitated household member, |
|
medically certified as physically or
mentally unfit for employment, pregnant, or |
|
already exempt from the work requirements
of the Food Stamp Act. |
States may request a waiver of this provision for people in areas with
an unemployment rate above 10 percent or for those in an area with insufficient
jobs. States also have authority to exempt individuals using the
15% exemption authorized by the Balanced Budget Act.
States frequently assign persons subject to the ABAWD restrictions to
their Employment and Training (E&T) Program. While participating
in this program, ABAWDs are exempt from the ABAWD restrictions. For
information on the E&T program, go to the
Employment & Training page.
More information about ABAWDs
Back to the Top
|
|