The federal Food and Nutrition Service has granted California’s request for a state-wide waiver of the CalFresh Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit requirements. The ABAWD waiver is effective from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Despite the ABAWD waiver, counties must 1) identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, and inform clients of ABAWD rules; 2) track and report work registrant, ABAWD and Employment and Training data; and 3) apply sanction requirements for work registrants who voluntarily quit a job of 30 hours or more per week, which provides weekly earnings equal to or greater than federal minimum wage times 30, or who, without good cause, reduce the number of hours worked to less than 30. Counties cannot impose a sanction if a CalFresh recipient voluntarily quits a job of less than 30 hours per week.
Individuals who were previously discontinued from CalFresh for failure to meet ABAWD requirements and reapply to CalFresh may be approved for benefits if otherwise eligible. CalFresh Employment and Training and voluntary quit sanctions do not stop when the individual moves to a county with an ABAWD time limit waiver. (ACL 21-67, June 15, 2021.)