Are there work requirements if I receive food stamps?
by: Partnership for Legal Access
REQUIREMENTS
v Some unemployed parents getting Food Stamps are required to participate in job search or training activities.
v All unemployed able-bodied persons age 16 through 59 must register for employment services before being certified for Food Stamps.
v You do not have to register for employment services if you are:
Ø under age 16 or age 60 and older,
Ø a regular participant or outpatient in a drug addiction or alcoholic treatment program,
Ø responsible for the care of a dependent child under age 6 or a person with a disability,
Ø physically or mentally unable to work,
Ø a student enrolled in school, including an institution of higher education, or a person participating in a training program,
Ø already registered for employment services under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program,
Ø receiving unemployment compensation benefits or has applied for benefits,
Ø three to nine months pregnant,
Ø employed or self-employed,
Ø lives in a county with an unemployment rate over 10 percent, or
Ø lives in a county in which Food Stamp Employment and Training Services are not available.
v An able bodied adult (age 18 through age 50) who is not working or participating in a specified work program, an average of 20 hours per week, is limited to an initial three months of eligibility in a 36 month period.
v An adult who is not eligible for Food Stamps because they did not fulfill work requirements may become eligible for Food Stamps by:
Ø Qualifying for an exemption from the work requirements, or
Ø Meeting the work requirement.
v If an adult meets the work requirement and is eligible to receive Food Stamps and then stops meeting the work requirement, the adult can qualify for one additional three months period of food stamp eligibility, if the adult meets all other eligibility requirements.
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