M E M O R A N D U M

IM-37  02/29/00  CO WAIVED FROM MTG THE 18 TO 50 YR OLD WORK REQUIREMNT


SUBJECT:
CO WAIVED FROM MTG THE 18 TO 50 YR OLD WORK REQUIREMENT
 
DISCUSSION:
The 18 to 50 year old food stamp recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents must comply with two work requirements to receive food stamps:
  1.  the Missouri Employment and Training Program; and

  2.  
  3.  work or participate in an approved training program 20 hours per week.
Eighteen to fifty (18 to 50) year olds who do not comply with the 20-hour per week work requirement may receive food stamp benefits 5 months in a 36-month period.  The 20-hour per week work requirement is referred to as the 18 to 50 year old work requirement in our policy.

Recognizing that the 20-hour per week work requirement creates a hardship for individuals who live in areas with high unemployment and without enough approved training slots; Congress allows waiver of this requirement in some areas.  Economic factors qualifying areas of a state for a waiver are:

  1.  the unemployment rate is over 10 percent; or

  2.  
  3.  there are an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment for individuals residing in the area (labor surplus).
Missouri received approval this year to waive the 18 to 50 year old work requirement in 26 counties and St. Louis City.  The waiver applies only to the 18 to 50 year old work requirement.  All 18 to 50 year olds, who are mandatory work registrants, must still meet all Missouri Employment and Training Program (METP) requirements.

Missouri's waiver request of the 18 to 50 year old work requirement is approved effective March 1, 2000, through February 28, 2001, for the following counties:
 
Benton Linn St. Francois
Bollinger Madison Stoddard
Caldwell Miller Stone
Clark Mississippi Taney
Crawford Montgomery Texas
Douglas New Madrid Washington
Dunklin Ozark Wayne
Hickory Pemiscot Wright
Iron Shannon St. Louis City

Counties meeting the waiver criteria and added to the list of counties in which the waiver applies are Benton, Clark, and Montgomery.  NOTE:  Buchanan, Camden, Carter, Laclede and Ripley Counties do not meet the waiver criteria this year.

Since all counties with an unemployment rate over 10% also have an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment, Missouri applied for only a waiver due to an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment for individuals residing in the area (labor surplus).  Waiver code 41 continues to be the only valid entry for waived counties.

Impact on Non-Waived Counties

Effective March 1, 2000, Buchanan, Camden, Carter, Laclede, and Ripley Counties no longer meet the waiver criteria.  Evaluate the continued eligibility of participants subject to the 18 to 50 year old work requirement at recertification.  Evaluate new applicants for the 18 to 50 year old work requirement at application.

A non-work month is a month in which the individual receives food stamps while not meeting the 18 to 50 year old work requirement.  Continue to show the non-work months accumulated while an individual lived in a non-waived county in FTWR.  Any month in which an individual lived in a non-waived county continues to count as a non-work month.  Refer to the table attached to determine the waiver status of waived counties since implementation of the work requirement.

FTWR will not allow a waiver code for Buchanan, Camden, Carter, Laclede and Ripley Counties.

Impact on Newly Waived Counties

Individuals residing in the newly waived counties who were denied food stamp benefits because they did not meet the 18 to 50 year old work requirement are eligible as of March 1, 2000.  At any contact with a household that has a member subject to the 18 to 50 year old work requirement, redetermine the eligibility of that member and take appropriate action.  Take action at recertification to determine if members denied benefits due to the 18 to 50 year old work requirement are now eligible.  Individuals rejected due to not meeting the 18 to 50 year old work requirement can receive food stamps if they meet all other eligibility requirements.

FTWR Entries

Remove March 2000 and later months from FTWR if entered as non-
work months for individuals who resided in a waived county during these months.  When making entries into FTWR, do not enter non-
work months for any month in which an individual subject to the 18 to 50 year old work requirement resided in a waived area.

FTWR will allow waiver code 41 for Benton, Clark, and Montgomery Counties as of March 2000.  Entry of code 41 will allow an individual to receive food stamp benefits even though FTWR shows 5 non-work months.

18 to 50 Year Old Work Requirement Flyer

Attached to the hard copy of this memorandum is a flyer listing this year's newly waived counties.  Make this flyer available to community groups, local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, etc. for distribution to individuals that may be affected by the waiver.

 
NECESSARY ACTION:
  • Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

  •  
  • Provide the flyer to community groups in the area, local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, etc.
  • JKW
    Distribution #3
    (Attachments not available online, hard copy only.)

    [ Memorandum Table of Contents ]