Welcome message to the 2020 SNAP E&T National Forum
This notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection for the extension, without change, of a currently approved collection for the SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) Program Activity Report and state requests for additional funding only.
This notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new collection for (1) describing states' approaches to SNAP E&T case management, (2) providing a comprehensive picture of states' approaches to SNAP E&T participant assessment, (3) documenting states' approaches to offering participant reimbursements and other supports, and (4) describing states' responses to the new case management requirement.
FNS is extending the public comment period on the proposed rule titled, “Employment and Training Opportunities in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”, which was published in the Federal Register on March 17, 2020. This action extends the deadline for receipt of public comments to give the public additional time to review the proposed rule.
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.
Our team at 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.
Section 4022 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 authorized and funded the SNAP E&T pilots, which enabled the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and states to expand SNAP E&T programs and test innovative strategies to connect SNAP participants with good-paying jobs, thereby increasing their incomes and reducing the need for nutrition assistance benefits. This is the fifth annual report to Congress.
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. State agencies can tailor services and supports to the needs of SNAP participants and the communities in which they live.