SNAP Prescreening Guide

SNAP participants who are subject to SNAP General Work Rules are required to:

• Accept any job offer received unless there is a good reason not to.
• Not quit their job, if they have one, or work fewer than 30 hours a week without having a good reason. See Voluntary Quit section for details.
• Tell the SNAP office about their job and how many hours they are working.
• Participate in SNAP E&T work activities, if assigned by the SNAP office or district. Note: SNAP offices are not currently assigning E&T activities.

SNAP participants are not required to follow SNAP general work rules if they are:

• Under age 16 or age 60 and over
• Age 16 or 17 and not the head of the household
• Attending high school, training, or college at least a half-time
  • College students between the ages of 18 and 49 must meet the student eligibility criteria listed in the Eligibility Rules section to receive SNAP.
• Working at least 30 hours a week or earning weekly pay of at least 30 times the hourly federal minimum wage
• A migrant or seasonal farm worker under contract to begin work within the next 30 days
• Meeting TANF work requirements
• Receiving or applying for unemployment benefits
• Participating in a drug or alcohol treatment program
• Taking care of a child under six
• Taking care of an incapacitated person
• Jointly applying for SNAP and SSI and awaiting an SSI eligibility determination
• Physically or mentally unable to work (less documentation is required than for a disability; doctor or other health care provider certification is sufficient)

SNAP offices are required to provide a written notice (LDSS-5193/LDSS-5193A) informing SNAP households about work requirements. If anyone in the household meets any of the above exemptions, they should contact their SNAP office and provide information and documentation about their exemption.

If a SNAP household member is exempt from SNAP general work rules, they are also exempt from voluntary quit and ABAWD rules.

The voluntary quit rule was instituted to prevent people from deliberately reducing their income to get SNAP benefits. The rule disqualifies such people from receiving SNAP benefits for a specified length of time, called a sanction period. This rule often comes into play when someone quits their job for some other reason, such as a decision to relocate, and immediately applies for SNAP.

SNAP offices may ask questions about the reasons for leaving a job during the application process. In these cases, the applicant must show a valid reason for leaving a job to prove good cause and avoid a voluntary quit sanction.

Applicants who were fired for any reason are never assumed to have left their job to obtain SNAP benefits. The NYS Temporary Assistance and SNAP Employment Policy Manual states that “provoked discharge” termination situations, in which employees cause themselves to be fired, are not subject to a voluntary quit disqualification.

Those without a valid reason for quitting their job will likely be subject to a
voluntary quit sanction.

Individuals in the following situations are exempt from voluntary quit sanctions:

• Exempt from the work rules at the time of job quit
• Laid off or fired for any reason
• Worked less than 30 hrs/week prior to quitting, unless the person earned more than $217.50/week gross
• Worked less than 30 hours/week prior to reducing their hours
• Reduced work hours below 30 hours/week but still earns at least $217.50/week gross
• Had been self-employed
• Resigned at the employer’s demand

See the NYS OTDA Employment Policy Manual for specific rules and policies.

Anyone who is:

• Working 30 or more hours/week OR earning at least $217.50/week who quits a job without good cause, or
• Working 30+ hours/week who voluntarily reduces their work hours without good cause, if the person’s earnings fall below $217.50/week

Voluntary quit sanctions begin at the SNAP application date. The look-back period for voluntary quit extends to 30 days prior to application.

• For the first instance, ineligibility applies for a period of at least 30 days
• For the second instance, ineligibility applies for a period of at least 90 days
• For the third and all additional instances, ineligibility applies for a period of at least 180 days.

See 18-ADM-08 for more information on voluntary quit sanction time frames.

The SNAP E&T program helps SNAP households gain skills, training, or work experience that will increase their ability to enter or move ahead in the workforce. Currently, SNAP offices in New York are not assigning E&T activities to SNAP participants who are required to follow general work rules. If a SNAP office reaches out concerning a work activity, the SNAP participant should immediately call the SNAP office listed on their notice.

The following activities and services are available to adults receiving SNAP on a voluntary basis.

• Financial literacy or personal finance instruction, including career advice, credit counseling, using savings/checking accounts, cash management techniques
• Job skills training and educational work activities directly related to employment and training
• Job readiness classes
• Subsidized employment and apprenticeships, including internships, customized training, transitional jobs, on-the-job training as defined under the Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act
• NEW: Educational and or vocational training programs, including but not limited to a two-year post-secondary degree program
• Vocational education

Post-secondary education: any formal learning that takes place after high school or earning a High School Equivalency (HSE). It can include a variety of options, such as colleges, universities, trade schools, vocational schools, and continuing education programs.

The New York State 2023-24 Enacted State Budget included an amendment of social services law to require SNAP offices to approve participation in an educational and/or vocational training program, which includes, but is not limited to, a two-year post-secondary education program as a work activity under E&T rules for both SNAP and TANF participants.

Previously, SNAP offices were authorized to approve employment plans for those seeking to participate in educational and/or vocational training programs. Under the new law, the SNAP office must approve such plans for those seeking to participate in educational and/or vocational training programs. Additionally, the educational and/or vocational program must be necessary for the participant to:

• Obtain their individual employment goal, and
• Achieve a degree or certificate in sustained employment.

Educational and/or vocational training programs under this provision include, but are not limited to:

• Post-secondary credential-bearing programs up to a four-year degree.
• Post-secondary educational providers, including:
  • Community colleges
  • Public, and private colleges
  • Business, technical, trade, or vocational schools

Implementing Post Secondary and/or Vocational Placements
SNAP offices are now encouraged to provide information about, recommend participation in, and make referrals to appropriate and available educational and/or vocational training programs.

OTDA encourages districts to become aware of which education providers offer services in their county and provide information to participants about scholarships, tuition support, and academic advising services for low-income students, adult learners, or workforce development. This includes referrals to:

• One-stop career centers
• On-campus advising services
• Workforce development services

Under voluntary SNAP rules, each district is required to:

1. Coordinate their SNAP E&T components and services with available community resources, including job training and related employment services available through the local WIOA partners.
2. Coordinate with NYS Career Center System partners to align and improve access to local employment, training and supportive services, thus ensuring SNAP recipients benefit from the Career Center System’s full array of services.
3. Inform SNAP applicants and recipients about their work requirements and available employment and training services.

Advising Households of Available E&T Services
At recertification, SNAP offices must advise adult SNAP recipients in households without elderly or disabled members and with no earned income of the availability of employment and training services within the district or region. This is not limited to SNAP E&T and should include E&T opportunities provided by:

• Local career centers
• Community-based organizations
• Local education providers

SNAP offices must, at minimum, provide a list of available employment and training services electronically or in print.

The federal Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit rule places a limit on how long unemployed, non-disabled, childless adults, ages 18 to 54, are eligible to participate in SNAP. Those considered “ABAWDs” may only receive SNAP benefits for a total of three full months in the 36-month period, unless they live in a waived area, meet an exemption, or are already meeting work requirements.

FNS has approved OTDA’s request to waive the ABAWD time limit rule in all areas of the state through February 28, 2025.

SNAP recipients who are newly determined to fall under the ABAWD time limit rule will be sent a notice about this determination. Those letters are not a notice of a requirement to work or take any action. They are merely to let the SNAP recipient know that they fall under the criteria for the ABAWD time limit rules, which are currently suspended.

Learn more

People who commit an Intentional Program Violation (IPV) will be removed from the household’s SNAP case for a period specified by the SNAP office. The duration of the sanction is based on the circumstances of the individual client.