FNS has received additional questions from state agencies and other stakeholders, and has responded with a second Question and Answer policy clarification memorandum.
Question and answer document to provide policy clarification on state agency implementation of the final rule: Employment and Training Opportunities in SNAP.
SNAP E&T transforms lives of SNAP participants by connecting them to employment. It can help participants gain
the skills, training, and work experience needed to obtain and maintain regular employment. SNAP E&T includes participant assessments, case management, education and training activities, and supportive services.
This document provides practical guidance related to Civil Rights compliance in the SNAP’s Employment and Training program. It gives general direction on what state agencies must do to comply with federal law and ensure that individuals eligible for and/or participating in SNAP E&T are not discriminated against based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religious creed, disability and political beliefs.
This memo provides policy clarification on the use of SNAP E&T funds to pay for services for individuals who are attending high school. In most cases, it is likely neither legal nor appropriate to use E&T funds to pay for services for individuals are attending high school.
The SNAP E&T pilot projects give Congress, USDA, and states the opportunity to test innovative strategies and approaches that connect low-income households to good paying jobs and thereby reduce their reliance on public assistance.
We are committed to providing opportunities to the families we serve, ensuring that with the program benefits we deliver, we also inspire hope.
The proposed rule would implement the changes made by section 4005 of The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Act) to SNAP pertaining to the Employment and Training program and aspects of the work requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). In general, these changes are related to strengthening the SNAP E&T program, adding workforce partnerships as a way for SNAP participants to meet their work requirements, and modifying the work requirement for ABAWDs.
Letter to state commissioners explaining USDA has been relentless in notifying, educating, and equipping you to engage more SNAP participants as they transition to work. Some of you have been proactive leaders in improving your E&T program. However, not all states have taken action. Today, I call on you to leverage the opportunity afforded to us by the longest economic expansion in U.S. history to get to work on getting people to work.
The SNAP Employment and Training program, administered by all 53 state agencies, helps participants gain the skills, training, or work experience they need to enter, reenter, or remain in the workforce. The program is flexible. This letter explains how state agencies can tailor services and supports to the needs of SNAP participants and the communities in which they live.