On Dec. 5, 2019, the FNS final rule, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, will publish in the Federal Register. The rule revises the conditions under which FNS would waive, when requested by states, the able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) time limit in areas that have an unemployment rate of over 10 percent or a lack of sufficient jobs. In addition, the rule limits the carryover of unused ABAWD discretionary exemptions.
In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published a final rule entitled “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents”. This action supports the Agency’s commitment to promoting employment by applying a common-sense policy to SNAP’s work-related program standards for able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).
These questions and answers are in response to changes made by Section 4005 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, enacted on Dec. 20, 2018, to the SNAP Employment and Training program and certain Able-bodied Adults without Dependents work policies.
This proposed rule seeks to amend the regulatory standards by which USDA evaluates state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program agency requests to waive the time limit and to end the unlimited carryover of able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) percentage exemptions. FNS seeks to reopen the comment period on April 8, 2019, for a period of 3 days ending April 10, 2019.