This ABAWD presentation addresses the major points of the ABAWD screening process for SNAP benefits in the State of Wyoming.

1. ABAWDS
May 2012

2. GOALS
• Federal: To increase nutrition.
• Program: To provide all the benefits the
assistance unit is entitled to and to provide the
benefits timely and accurately.
• Training: To provide information and tools so
the federal and program goals can be met.

3. The ABAWD provision had previously
been suspended as part of the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act
(ARRA) of 2009.
This provision is reinstated as of
October 1, 2012.

4. Why are we training on ABAWDS now?
You will need to look at your client’s now as
they are applying and recertifying to see if they
are an ABAWD and to see if you need to apply
the provision to them starting October 1st.

5. Course Outline
• Who is an ABAWD?
• Why identify ABAWDS?
• What are the ABAWD exemptions?
• What are the ABAWD work requirements?
• How are ABAWDS identified and tracked?
• How are ABAWDS notified of their
requirements, etc?
• What is the maximum length of an ABAWD
certification period?

6. Who is an ABAWD?
An ABAWD is a SNAP applicant or recipient
who is:
• An able-bodied adult between the ages
of 18 and 50
• without dependent children in the
assistance unit

7. WHY IDENTIFY ABAWDS?
Federal Regulations limit SNAP benefits received by
ABAWDS to:
• 3 months in a 36 month period if mandatory and not
meeting the work requirements.
• 3 consecutive extended months if mandatory, has met
the work requirements but is no longer meeting the
work requirements.
• unlimited months if meeting the work requirements.

8. DON’T COUNT TOWARD TIME LIMIT:
• A prorated month; or
• A month when benefits were issued but not
received.

9. WHAT ARE THE ABAWD EXEMPTIONS?
• pregnant
• caretaker of an incapacitated individual
• participant in a drug/alcohol treatment program
• student enrolled at least half time
• employed at least 20 hours per week
• receiving unemployment benefits

10. WHAT ARE THE ABAWD WORK
REQUIREMENTS?
To receive unlimited months of SNAP benefits
the ABAWD must be:
• working 20 or more hours per week, averaged
monthly, or
• participating in and complying with the
requirements of WIA/JTPA or TAA for 20 or
more hours per week

11. How is a client eligible for the 3 consecutive
extended months?
• Used his/her first three months of
benefits, AND
• be a mandatory ABAWD, AND
• have for a 30 day period worked 80 or more
hours, OR participated and cooperated with the
requirements of WIA/JTPA of TAA training for
80 hours or more.

12. The three months of ABAWD benefits a client
can receive starts as of October 1, 2012. Any
previous ABAWD months a client had prior to
October 1, 2012 are to be disregarded and all
clients will start with a clean slate.

13. HOW ARE ABAWDS IDENTIFIED AND
TRACKED ON EPICS?
• WORW screen
• ABTR screen

14. The WORW screen in EPICS is designed to
record the work registration and ABAWD status
for each individual in a SNAP assistance unit.

16. The WORW screen is where you track work registration and
ABAWD information for SNAP.
(i) Under the exempt columns you indicate “Y” or “N” if a
client must work register. If a client must work register you
put in the date the DFS301 was received.
(ii) Under the ABAWD section of WORW you indicate:
a. If a client is an ABAWD (“Y” or “N”),
b. If a client is exempt from having that month of benefits
count towards the ABAWD limit (“Y” or “N”) and
c. Indicate if a countable month is one of the 3 months
(F) or one of the extended 3 months (X) or if the month
does not count at all.

17. The ABTR screen in EPICS tracks the type
of benefits when the individual received
benefits, benefits received out-of-state and
the 36-month time frame. ABTR also tracks
extended months of benefits.

19. The ABAWD Tracking Screen on EPICS (ABTR) will display the ABAWD
information for every month a client was an ABAWD, and “IN” in the
participation field on SEPA and the client’s case was paid a SNAP benefit.
The screen can be viewed by entering a non-blank character in the
unlabeled column immediately after the ABAWD fields on the WORW
screen.
(i) The client’s name and case number is displayed at the top of the screen.
(ii) In the second row the ABTR screen indicates the count of Free and
Extended months the client has received in the three year period beginning
with the benefit month. This month initially defaults to the benefit month
WORW was displayed for, but the user may change it to see the three year
count as of any benefit month.
(iii) ABTR always displays all paid benefit months which exist in the
history file for the client. Those benefit months in the three year period are
denoted by a white plus sign (“+”) in front of the benefit month. The
asterisk (“*”) is the sign for an out of state payment.

20. How ABAWD’s have changed since April 2009
• An ABAWD must be given a minimum of a
four month certification period.
• An ABAWD must be sent an F313 and F314
notice at the beginning of their second ABAWD
month.
• Depending on if a client responds to the F313
and F314 or how they respond, benefits will
end at the end of the 3rd ABAWD
month, benefits may be reduced or benefits may
be extended.

21. ABAWD PROCESS
Upon verifying that a client is in fact an
ABAWD that is not exempt, the following
steps need to be taken:
• A client must be sent an F109 notifying the
client of his/her ABAWD status.

22. • The WORW and ABTR screens must be updated to
correctly track the client’s ABAWD status.
• An alert must be set on the PAAL screen to identify
that a client must be sent an F313 and F314 notice at
the start of the second ABAWD month.
• At the start of the second ABAWD month send the
F313 and F314.
• If a client does not respond or return the F314 form by
the 15th of the third ABAWD month the case is to be
closed or benefits reduced.

23. • If the client returns the F314 form it needs to
be reviewed to see if client is eligible to
continue receiving benefits after the third
ABAWD month or if benefits should end.
• If a client is not entitled to benefits after the
third ABAWD month the appropriate notice
needs to be sent (closure or reduction of
benefits).

24. To help with the tracking of ABAWD’s every
month you will be emailed an ABAWD list.
This report is driven by data that is on the
WORW screen. You will need to review it to
see if any of your clients appear on the report
and to make sure their case is being worked
correctly.

25. The case narrative is essential on ABAWD
cases so that it can be determined who is an
ABAWD and what action(s) have been taken.

26. Under Simplified Reporting the reporting
requirements specific to an ABAWD are if a
household contains an ABAWD who is
working and his/her hours decrease to less than
20 hours per week on average this must be
reported by the 10th day of the following
month.

27. If we have a client who comes to Wyoming do
we need to check to see if they used ABAWD
months in another state?
YES
You will need to contact the state the client came
from to verify if they used ABAWD months
there or not. 46 states or geographic areas
received trigger notices to waive the ABAWD
provision.

28. QUESTIONS?