SR 15-06 Dated 02/15

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

 

FROM OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, DFA:

Terry R. Smith

DFA SIGNATURE DATE:

February 13, 2015

AT (OFFICE):

Division of Family Assistance

TO:

District Office Supervisors

 

SUBJECT:

Exemption from Food Stamp Work Requirements for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) Residing in Certain Towns Served by the Berlin District Office

EFFECTIVE DATE:

February 17, 2015

 

 

SUMMARY

 

This SR releases a change in the exemptions from Food Stamp Program work requirements allowed for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). ABAWDs residing in the towns of Dummer, Errol, Stark, Stratford, and Wentworth’s Location in the Berlin District Office catchment area are exempt from ABAWD work requirements and are not subject to the 3-month cap for receiving Food Stamp benefits if not complying with these requirements.

 

FORMER POLICY

NEW POLICY

ABAWDs throughout the State were subject to Food Stamp Program work requirements, unless the ABAWD was exempt from Food Stamp work requirements for one of the following reasons:

·      Meets one of the Work Registration exemptions listed in the Food Stamp Manual (FSM) 809, EXEMPTIONS FROM FOOD STAMP PROGRAM (FSP) WORK REQUIREMENTS;

·      Is under age 18 or is age 50 or older;

·      Is pregnant; or

·      Is receiving Food Stamps with other people and at least one person is under the age of 18.

Beginning January 22, 2014, based upon emailed guidance from the Berlin District Office Supervisor to staff in that office, ABAWDs residing in the towns of Dummer, Errol, Stark, Clarksville, Wentworth’s Location, Stewartstown, and Randolph were also exempt from ABAWD work requirements and not subject to the 3-month cap for receiving Food Stamp benefits when not meeting those requirements. Permission to exempt residents residing in these locations from ABAWD work requirements was based upon Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) having approved NH’s request for a waiver of the ABAWD work requirements in 7 CFR 273.24.

The existing ABAWD exemption reasons remain unchanged except that the list of towns that are now allowed a blanket ABAWD exemption has changed.

Effective February 17, 2015, ABAWDS residing in the towns of Dummer, Errol, Stark, Stratford, and Wentworth’s Location are exempt from ABAWD work requirements and are not subject to the 3-month cap for receiving Food Stamp benefits if not complying with these work requirements:

·      Individuals living in Clarksville, Stewartstown, and Randolph are no longer included in the exemption; and

·      Individuals residing in Stratford are newly exempted.

 

BACKGROUND

 

DFA SR 12-29 released the restoration of the Food Stamp work requirements for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) effective November 1, 2012, due to USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) rejection of New Hampshire’s waiver request to continue the statewide suspension of the ABAWD 3-month time limit cap. All ABAWDs residing in the catchment area served by the Berlin or Littleton District Offices continued to be exempt from time limits through August 1, 2013, at which time the residents in the catchment areas of these two District Offices also became subject to ABAWD time limits through policy released in DFA SR 13-11.

 

On November 29, 2013 FNS approved New Hampshire’s request to waive ABAWD work requirements and the 3-month time limit cap for ABAWDs not meeting ABAWD work requirements for residents of the towns of Clarksville, Dummer, Errol, Randolph, Stark, Stewartstown, and Wentworth’s Location. Dummer, Errol, Stark, and Wentworth’s Location qualified due to these towns’ unemployment rates exceeding 20 percent above the national average for the 24-month period of July 2011 through June 2013. The towns of Clarksville and Stewartstown qualified based upon having unemployment rates over 10 percent for the recent three-month period of April 2013 through June 2013. The town of Randolph qualified based on having an unemployment rate over 10 percent for the recent three-month period of February 2013 through April 2013. This waiver was effective October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014. New Hampshire’s Food Stamp Manager notified the Berlin District Office Administrative Supervisor to implement the ABAWD exemptions on January 22, 2014 and this information was immediately implemented by the Supervisor.

 

New Hampshire subsequently submitted a request to change the towns included in the waiver to exempt ABAWD work requirements and 3-month time limit cap to ABAWDs residing in the towns of Dummer, Errol, Stark, Stratford, and Wentworth’s Location due to these towns’ unemployment rates exceeding 20 percent above the national average for the 24-month period of May 2012 through April 2014. This waiver request was approved by FNS and is effective through September 30, 2015.

 

POLICY

 

ABAWD Food Stamp recipients residing in the Berlin District Office catchment area towns of Dummer, Errol, Stark, Stratford, and Wentworth’s Location are exempt from meeting ABAWD work requirements. The impacted ABAWDs will not be limited to 3 months of Food Stamp assistance in a 36-month period and can continue to receive Food Stamp benefits without meeting ABAWD work requirements through the end of the waiver period, September 30, 2015.

 

NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

 

District Office staff have been instructed by the Food Stamp Program Specialist to enter “Not Required” on the ABAWD screen in New HEIGHTS to correctly exempt the individuals who reside in the towns identified in this SR.

 

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

 

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

 

Section 245.03  Criteria for Exemption from ABAWD Work Participation

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

The policy released in this SR is effective February 17, 2015. Any ABAWDs whose exemption status is affected by this policy should be informed of any changes in their benefits at their next recertification interview with their Family Services Specialist.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

The Food Stamp Program Work Rules document found at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dfa/foodstamps/index.htm, including Spanish and Nepali translations, has been revised to include the expansion in the ABAWD work exemptions. Eligibility workers must verbally notify clients living in the impacted towns of the ABAWD exemption as appropriate at the next client interaction.

 

TRAINING

 

No special training is planned or needed.

 

DISPOSITION

 

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the revised manual topic released by this SR has been posted to the On-line manuals.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR, and revised On-Line Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at www.dhhs.nh.gov/DFA/publications.htm, effective March 2, 2015. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Food Stamp Manual.

 

DFA/SMC:s