MEMORANDUM
2006 Memorandums
IM-100      10/20/06

SUBJECT:

COUNTIES WAIVED OR EXEMPTED FROM MEETING THE 18-TO-50-YEAR-OLD WORK REQUIREMENT

FOOD STAMP MANUAL REVISION # 23
1105.035.00
1105.035.02
1105.035.15

DISCUSSION:

Effective November 1, 2006, the counties that are waived or exempt from meeting the 18-to-50 year-old work requirements are changed.  The change affects November 2006 food stamp benefits. 

Missouri received approval to waive 20 additional counties from meeting the 18-to-50-year-old work requirement effective November 2006.  This approval ends March 31, 2007.  The counties that were already waived beginning April 1, 2006 are still waived thru March 31, 2008.  The work requirement is for 18-to-50-year-old able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDS) to work or participate in an approved training program an average of 20 hours per week.      

NOTE: METP activities are not qualified training activities for work requirement.

Waived Counties

The following counties are waived due to an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment for individuals residing in the area.  This is an existing waiver that ends March 31, 2008.

035 Dunklin

072 New Madrid

106 Taney

043 Hickory

078 Pemiscot

107 Texas

047 Iron

090 Reynolds

110 Washington

053 Laclede

101 Shannon

111 Wayne

058 Linn

104 Stone

115 St. Louis City

067 Mississippi

105 Sullivan

 

The following additional counties are waived due to an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment for individuals residing in the area.  This approval is for November 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007. 

007 Bates

037 Gasconade

089 Ray

009 Bollinger

042 Henry

091 Ripley

013 Caldwell

048 Jackson

093 St. Clair

018 Carter

054 Lafayette

094 St. Francois

019 Cass

062 Madison

095 Ste. Genevieve

028 Crawford

066 Miller

114 Wright

033 Dent

071 Morgan

 

FAMIS considers individuals in these counties as waived from the 18-to-50-year-old work requirements.  The eligibility specialist does not have to enter a waiver code and the Training/Work Requirements (FMMR) screen does not appear in the controlled flow.

FMMR Entries

The Training/Work Requirements (FMMR) screen is used to track non-work months in FAMIS.  Remove November 2006, and later months from the FMMR screen if entered as non-work months for individuals who move from a non-waived county to a waived county during these months.

Individuals in a newly waived county do not have to meet work requirement.  Review the Training/Work Requirements (FMMR) screen and remove November 2006 and later months if entered as non-work months.  Entries of months prior to November 2006 remain unless they are prior to December 2003.

When making entries on the FMMR screen, do not enter non-work months for any month in which an individual subject to the 18-to-50-year-old work requirement resides in a waived county or city.  Refer to the Adding and Updating Training/Work Requirement user guide for instructions.  To view the user guide:

Individuals or EUs already rejected for November 2006 due to Work Requirement

If an individual moves to a waived county and has been rejected for November 2006 due to non-work months, review the case to determine if food stamp benefits are due the EU.  If additional benefits are due for November 2006 for an active EU, issue the benefits on WIBCA.

If the EU is rejected for November 2006 due to having used 6 non-work months in 36 months, re-register the application using the original application date.  If the original application date is more than 30 days prior to the current date, use the earliest possible registration date.  The EU is eligible for food stamp benefits no earlier than November 1, 2006.  Complete a WIBCA to issue supplemental benefits.

Example: On December 7, 2006, the worker in a waived county determines Mr. B. was rejected for 6 non-work months.  Mr. B. applied October 20, 2006, and had been residing in a non-waived county.  Mr. B. moved to the waived county on November 1, 2006.  The worker registers the application date as November 7, 2006, as the original application date was more than 30 days in the past, and authorizes benefits.  Since Mr. B. is eligible for food stamp benefits from November 1, 2006, the next day the worker completes a WIBCA budget using November information and enters November 1, 2006 as the prorate date.  The additional benefits are issued from WIBCA.

Non-Exempt Counties

The following counties are no longer exempt from the 18-to-50 year old work requirement.  Eligibility specialists will have to enter the appropriate work requirement code and non-work months on the Training/Work Requirements (FMMR) screen.

001 Adair

034 Douglas

076 Osage

002 Andrew

038 Gentry

077 Ozark

003 Atchison

040 Grundy

079 Perry

004 Audrain

041 Harrison

080 Pettis

005 Barry

044 Holt

081 Phelps

006 Barton

045 Howard

082 Pike

008 Benton

046 Howell

083 Platte

012 Butler

051 Johnson

084 Polk

014 Callaway

052 Knox

085 Pulaski

015 Camden

055 Lawrence

086 Putnam

016 Cape Girardeau

056 Lewis

087 Ralls

017 Carroll

057 Lincoln

088 Randolph

020 Cedar

059 Livingston

097 Saline

021 Chariton

061 Macon

098 Schuyler

022 Christian

063 Maries

099 Scotland

023 Clark

064 Marion

100 Scott

024 Clay

060 McDonald

102 Shelby

025 Clinton

065 Mercer

103 Stoddard

027 Cooper

068 Moniteau

108 Vernon

029 Dade

069 Monroe

109 Warren

030 Dallas

070 Montgomery

112 Webster

031 Daviess

074 Nodaway

113 Worth

032 De Kalb

075 Oregon

 

FAMIS Procedures for Counties no longer Exempt

FAMIS will give an ISD (insufficient data) on the Supercase Eligibility Unit Summary (FM30) screen when an action is taken on a case that is in a county that is no longer exempt/waived from the work requirement.  Eligibility specialists need to review the work requirement code and non-work months on the Training/Work Requirements (FMMR) screen and enter any non-work months starting with November 2006, at all contacts with an ABAWD case. 

To view the ISD (insufficient data) from the Supercase Eligibility Unit Summary (FM30) screen, go to the Technical Eligibility Detail (FMM4) screen.  Press F8=FORWARD to select Work Requirement Eligibility and press F6=DETAILS.  Prompt out to get the DCN of the desired EU member.  Review the work requirement code and non-work months.  Enter additional non-work months or change the work code as applicable.

Review all pending applications to ensure the correct work requirement code and non-work months are entered.  Enter non-work months starting with November 2006 if applicable. 

If the work requirement code was previously entered as 50, “No Longer Identified as an ABAWD”, FAMIS will not consider the EU as having to meet the work requirement.  Eligibility specialists must review cases to determine if the correct work requirement code has been entered.

EXAMPLE: Mr. X is certified for food stamps benefits until January 2007.  A medical re-determination finds that Mr. X no longer meets disabled criteria.  He does not receive any type of disability benefit. 

Mr. X’s eligibility specialist determines that he does not meet any exemption or exclusion for work registration, must comply with work registration, and must meet the work requirement.  The following actions are taken in FAMIS.

Review the non-work months during every action, application, and recertification for benefits.  Eligibility specialists must inform all EUs of the 18-to-50 work requirement.  See the user guide Adding and Updating Training/Work Requirement for instructions on entering, updating, and deleting work requirement codes and non-work months.

18-to-50-year-old Work Requirement Chart

A new chart has been developed which combines the history of waived and exempt counties and is available on the Intranet.  To view the History of Counties Waived or Exempt from the Work Requirement:

Worker Tools

Additional information on Work Requirement policy and FAMIS procedures can be found on the Family Support Division Employee Intranet. The following Food Stamp Manual sections deal with work requirement.

•  1105.035.00 Work Requirement for 18 to 50 Year Olds
•  1105.035.02 Counties Waived from 18 to 50 Year Old Work Requirement
•  1105.035.05 Exemptions to 18 to 50 Year Old Work Requirement
•  1105.035.10 Evaluating Months for 18 to 50 Year Old Work Requirement Compliance
•  1105.035.15 Definition of Work
•  1105.035.20 Determining Hours Worked/Hours in a Training Program
•  1105.035.25 Identifying and Tracking Non-Work Months
•  1105.035.30 Regaining Food Stamp Eligibility
•  1105.035.35 Loss of Employment after Regaining Eligibility.

Also available are the Adding and Updating Training/Work Requirement user guide, 18 To 50 Year Old Work Requirement (page 50) in the Caseworker Reference Guide, and Work Requirement for 18 to 50 Year Olds (page 67) in the Food Stamp On-the-Job Training module.

Food Stamp Manual Revision

Food Stamp Manual sections 1105.035.00 Work Requirement for 18 to 50 Year Olds and 1105.035.02 Counties Waived from 18 to 50 Year Old Work Requirement have been revised.  The revision removes references to exempt counties.  Some counties were previously exempt from the ABAWD work requirement; however no counties are exempt at this time.

Food Stamp Manual section 1105.035.15 Definition of Work has been revised to provide clarification when determining if work hours have been met.

 

NECESSARY ACTION:

JM

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