Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs)
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996 (PRWORA) limits the receipt of SNAP benefits 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
|
SNAP - ABAWD Statewide Waivers - New
Criteria for Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits Trigger
(Jan. 8, 2009) |
|
FY 2009 Labor Surplus Area List |
|
FY 2008 Labor Surplus Area List |
|
FY 2007 Labor Surplus Area List |
|
FY 2006 Labor Surplus Area List |
|
2-Year Approval of Waivers of
the Work Requirements for ABAWDS (Feb. 3, 2006) |
|
FY 2006 Allocations of the 15 Percent Exemptions for ABAWDS |
|
FY 2005
Allocations of 15% Exemptions for ABAWDs and Reporting Guidance
-- Updated State Report Information |
|
Waiver Requests
- Section 824 of PRWORA (ABAWDs) (.pdf) Gives
the status of states' requests to waive the new food stamp work
requirements for ABAWDs. |
|
ABAWD Waivers –
New
Method for Calculating Average Unemployment Rates
(April 22, 2004) |
|
FY 2004 ABAWD Waiver Request Guidelines
(Mar. 11, 2004) |
|
Adjusted Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 15
Percent ABAWD Exemptions (Feb. 17, 2004) |
|
Fiscal Year 2004 Allocations of 15
Percent Exemptions fof ABAWDS (Nov. 26, 2003) |
|
Guidance for States on Use of Discretionary Food Stamp Program
Time Limit Exemptions (Feb. 9, 1998) |
|
Guidance for States Seeking Waivers for Food Stamp Limits
(Dec. 3, 1996) |
|
Transmittal Letter to Regional Administrators on Guidance to Time
Limited Food Stamp Benefits (Dec. 3, 1996) |
|
Sample Letter for Regional Administrators to Send Welfare Commissioners
on Guidance (Dec. 1, 1996) |
Last modified:
01/09/2009
|
|