ABAWD Exemptions
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This subject includes information about NA Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) exemptions.
Policy
When an NA participant meets an able bodied adult without dependents(ABAWD) exemption, the participant is exempt from the ABAWD(g) work requirements and three-month time limit.
The entire month does not count towards the three-month time limit when an exemption occurs at any time during a benefit month.
NOTE When a participant does not qualify for an ABAWD exemption and is subject to the ABAWD time limit, each month of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Career Advancement Network (SNAP CAN) does not count toward the ABAWD time limit. See ABAWD Time Limit and Work Requirements for complete details on participation requirements.
An NA participant could qualify for more than one ABAWD exemption. FAA applies the ABAWD exemption, which exempts the participant for the longest time.
The following participants are exempt from the ABAWD work requirement and time limit. FAA applies the exemptions in the following order:
1) Age.
Participants are exempt from ABAWD work requirements when they meet one of the following:
●Under age 18.
The participant is exempt through, and including, the month in which they turn 18.
●65 years of age or older.
The participant becomes exempt in the month in which they turn 65.
2) Parents or other budgetary unit members who are responsible for a dependent child under age 14.
NOTE The exemption applies through, and including, the month in which the child turns 14 years old.
3) Medically Certified as Mentally or Physically Unfit for Work.
Participants who are medically certified as mentally or physically unfit for work are exempt from the ABAWD time limit and work requirements. Unfit for work can include anything that affects the ability to work, maintain employment, or restricts the range of employment opportunities, including, and not limited to, any of the following:
●Mental conditions.
Learning disability.
Emotional challenge.
Difficulty handling stressful situations or being around people.
Victim of domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, or stalking.
●Physical conditions.
Recovering from surgery.
Physical limitations due to a disability.
Receipt of temporary or permanent disability benefits from a governmental or private source.
Unfitness for work needs to be medically certified.
When the participant claims they are unfit for work, additional verification is not required when FAA confirms the participant’s claim based on any of the following:
●Documents in the case file(g).
●State Verification Exchange System(g) information.
Participants who are temporarily unfit for work are exempt until renewal unless verification is received that specifies an expected end date for the exemption reason.
4) Pregnancy.
Participants who are pregnant are exempt from ABAWD work requirements in each trimester of the pregnancy. Verification from a medically qualified source is required.
5) Indians, Urban Indians, California Indians, Eskimos, Aleut, or other Alaskan Native as defined by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act(g).
6) Exempt from the NA Work Requirements.
Several NA work requirement exemptions are exemptions from the ABAWD time limit.
All of the following NA work requirement exemptions apply to the ABAWD three-month time limit:
NOTE The NA work requirement exemptions for age and living with a child do not apply to the ABAWD three-month time limit.
7) Geographic
Participants who reside in specific geographic areas are exempt from the ABAWD work requirements due to the unemployment rate.
The geographic exemption is applied when an ABAWD participant does not meet any other exemption and is living in an area that is exempt from the ABAWD time limit.
The geographic exemption is applicable for ABAWD participants living in all of the following areas:
●Yuma County
●Cocopah Reservation
●Hualapai Indian Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land
●Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land
●Salt River Reservation
●San Carlos Reservation
●Pascua Pueblo Yaqui Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land
Discretionary Exemption
Federal regulations allocate the number of discretionary exemptions assigned to a state. The number of discretionary exemptions used by a state cannot exceed 8% of the participants ineligible due to the ABAWD time limit during the previous Federal Fiscal Year. FAA is not currently assigning the ABAWD Discretionary Exemption.
Verification
The participant has the primary responsibility for providing verification. (See Participant Responsibilities – Providing Verification for additional policy.)
When the Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) Time Limit (FAA-1530A) form is used to report a change for ABAWD, verification of the reported change is required before a benefit month is not counted towards the ABAWD time limit.
Examples of acceptable verification for an ABAWD exemption include, and are not limited to, any of the following:
●Indian as defined by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act(g)
Requires documentation that the individual is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community. This includes, and is not limited, any of the following
●Tribal enrollment or membership ID card
●Certification of Indian Blood
●American Indian Card (I-872) issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with the classification code KIC.
●Any other governmental or tribal official document.
●Geographic
Documentation that a participant’s residence is located on Off-Reservation Trust Land. This includes, and is limited to, any of the following:
●Lease agreements from a Tribal Nation.
●Any official document from a Tribal Nation.
●Pregnancy
Proof of pregnancy includes a written statement or collateral contact completed by a medically qualified source(g).
NOTE Collateral contact verification can only be used to clarify documented verification or when the participant is unable to obtain the verification and asks for assistance.
●Unfit for Work
Proof of unfitness for work includes, and is not limited to, any of the following completed by a medically qualified source:
●Insurance or police reports supporting the claim.
●A Verification of Unfitness for Work for Adults (FAA-1533A) form.
●When a completed Verification of Disability (FAA-1249A) form is in a case file(g), FAA may use the FAA-1249A form as verification when FAA received the completed form no more than 30 calendar days before an NA application.
●When a completed Verify Unfit for Work for Adults (A024) notice is in a case file, FAA may use the A024 notice as verification when FAA received the completed notice no more than 30 calendar days before an NA application.
●A written statement or collateral contact. The statement is required to include all of the following:
The projected duration of the condition, circumstance, illness, or disability that impedes the participant’s ability to participate in employment or work.
When the duration of the condition, circumstance, illness, or disability cannot be determined at the present time, an indication of re-examination and reevaluation needs to be included.
NOTE Collateral contact verification can only be used to clarify documented verification or when the participant is unable to obtain the verification and asks for assistance.
●Proof of receipt of temporary or permanent disability benefits from governmental or private sources including, and not limited to, one of the following:
VA disability benefits.
Workers Compensation.
SSI (or pending application for SSI).
State-issued temporary or permanent disability benefits.
Participation in a Vocational Rehabilitation program.
Social Security Disability benefits.
Maternity leave or disability leave pay from an employer.
Legal Authorities
7 CFR 273.24(b)(1)
7 CFR 273.24(b)(2)
7 CFR 273.24(b)(3)
7 CFR 273.24(c)
7 CFR 273.24(g)
FNS Waiver
HR 1
last revised 06/09/2026.