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2 <br /> J <br /> o"NGE COUNTY <br /> DEPARTMENT OF <br /> SOCIAL SERVICES <br /> 113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 1 919.245.2800 <br /> The FNS program has long had work requirements for a group identified as Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents <br /> (ABAWDs). HR 1 expanded those requirements and removed several previous exemptions. <br /> General work requirements include: <br /> • Registering for work, or <br /> • Not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing your work hours below 30 a week without a good reason, or <br /> • Voluntarily participating in FNS Employment and Training(More than a Job,NC) and taking a suitable job if <br /> offered. <br /> Recipients can be exempt for these general work requirements if they are: <br /> • Already working at least 30 hours a week or earning at least$217.50 in pre-tax income per week, or <br /> • Taking care of a child under age 6 or an incapacitated person, or <br /> • Receiving TANF, or <br /> • Receiving or applied for unemployment, or <br /> • Studying in school or a training program at least half-time(but college students are subject to other eligibility <br /> rules), or <br /> • Have a physical or mental disability that prevents you from working(including pregnancy), or <br /> • Participating regularly in an alcohol or drug treatment program. <br /> If an individual is not working 30 hours per week and falls under the category for an ABAWD,they must meet the <br /> following work requirements to continue receiving FNS benefits: <br /> • Work at least 80 hours a month(work can be paid or unpaid,volunteer, or for goods or services (something other <br /> than money), or <br /> • Participate in a work program at least 80 hours a month, or <br /> • Participate in a combination of work and work program hours for a total of at least 80 hours a month. <br /> A work program includes FNS Employment&Training(More than a Job,NC),the TANF work program, and the <br /> Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act(WIOA)work program, all of which Orange County Department of Social <br /> Services currently runs. <br /> Prior to the new legislation,the category for ABAWDs included adults age 18-54. Exempt populations included persons <br /> experiencing homelessness,veterans,those living with children under age 18, and young adults who had aged out of <br /> foster care. <br /> The changes to the law will go into effect in the next two months. States must begin tracking this three-month time limit <br /> for people newly subject to this requirement when they are approved or recertified for benefits. The USDA guidance is not <br /> Orange County Government I www.orangecountync.gov 1 919.732.8181 <br />