Upcoming Changes to Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWD) Requirements for SNAP Recipients

Under the current federal food stamp regulations, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for recipients between the ages of 18 and 49 who are designated as Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents, or “ABAWD”, is limited to three months in a 36-month period unless the individual meets ABAWD work requirements or is considered exempt. 

Rules for ABAWDs are changing as a result of the newly enacted federal Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, which includes a gradual increase in the age of SNAP recipients subject to the ABAWD time limit and provides additional exceptions for homeless individuals, veterans, and individuals who aged out of foster care. 

Effective September 1, 2023, DSS will begin screening for the new ABAWD exceptions and applying the ABAWD time limit to individuals between the ages of 18 and 50.

SNAP recipients ages 51 and 52 will be subject to the ABAWD requirements beginning October 1, 2023.

The ABAWD work requirement and time limit does not apply to individuals who are:

·         under 18 years of age or over 53 years of age;

·         medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment;

·         living in a SNAP household with a minor;

·         pregnant;

·         veterans;

·         homeless; and

·         24 years of age or younger and aged out of foster care.

To fulfil the work requirement, ABAWDs must work 20 hours per week or an average of 80 hours monthly.  Qualifying work may be in exchange for money, in-kind, or unpaid at an established volunteer site.

ABAWDs who exhaust their three months of benefits and do not comply with the work requirement lose their benefits for the remainder of the 36-month time period.  An ABAWD can regain eligibility during this time period by meeting the work requirement for 30 days, after which they remain eligible to receive SNAP for as long as they continue to meet work requirements.

As of August 15, 2023, approximately 29,000 SNAP recipients in South Carolina are designated as ABAWDs.

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