I. RTW Waivers Effective August 1, 2002

Effective August 1, 2002, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has granted the State permission to waive the Food Stamp Program Requirement to Work (RTW) in the following counties:

These waivers are effective until further notice.

II. Waiver Application

The RTW waivers apply to individual recipients who actually live in an area covered by a waiver. This statement remains true no matter which county a household selects as its service county under the alternate service provisions in [FSC 1301] – 1304. When a food stamp household actually lives in an area not covered by a waiver, the RTW will apply. However, if a food stamp household actually lives in an area covered by a waiver, the RTW will not apply. When a food stamp household physically moves into an area covered by an RTW waiver, household members will no longer be subject to the RTW.

III. Counties Where The RTW Waiver Is Being Continued

The RTW waiver will continue without interruption in the following areas:

No special actions are required in these counties.

IV. Counties Where An RTW Waiver Is Effective June 1, 2001

Effective August 1, 2002, the RTW waiver will apply either for the first time or after a break of one year in the following counties and cities:

These counties will no longer be required to apply exemptions to individuals who would have other wise been disqualified for failure to comply with the RTW or to submit a report of exemptions to the Food Stamp Section.

V. Counties Where An RTW Waiver No Longer Applies

Until August 1, 2002, an RTW waiver applied in the following counties. Effective August 1, 2002, this waiver has ended.

These counties must resume applying RTW exemptions and submitting a monthly report of exemptions as explained in item VI below.

6. Actions Required In Counties Where No RTW Waiver Applies

Unless a county is listed in item I of this directive as a county where an RTW waiver applies, the county must apply RTW exemptions as explained below and must report these exemptions to the Food Stamp Section.

FNS grants each state a certain number of RTW exemptions to be applied in areas not covered by a RTW waiver. The State of Arkansas has chosen to apply these exemptions across the board to all individuals who are subject to the RTW and reside in an area not covered by a RTW waiver.

In counties with no RTW waiver, whenever an application, quarterly report or reported change is processed, the worker must determine if any household member would be subject to sanction because of the RTW. (See [FSC 3500].) If so, that individual will be granted an exemption from the RTW requirement for a twelve-month period beginning with the month the exemption was granted. The decision to exempt an individual from the RTW and the month in which the exemption will end must documented in the case record.

Exemptions will not be granted to:

• Individuals who are the parents of a minor child,
• Individuals who are disabled,
• Individuals who are younger than age 18 or older than age 49,
• Individuals who are exempt from the work registration requirements, or
• Individuals who are otherwise in compliance with the RTW because they are working at least 20 hours per week or participating in a job training program as specified in FSC 3500.

Counties must track each food stamp recipient granted a personal exemption from the RTW so that we can maintain an accurate record of these exemptions. The county may track this information manually or by using a PC based system. Any system devised should track, at a minimum, the name and social security number (SSN) of the exempted individual and the date of the exemption.

At the first quarterly report or recertification, whichever comes first, following the end of the 12-month exemption period, the worker will review the exempted individual’s RTW status. If the individual is still subject to the RTW but has not complied with the RTW, another exemption will be granted to that individual.

Each month, the county must submit to the Food Stamp Section, Central Office, a report of the total number of personal RTW exemptions granted during the month. (It is not necessary to submit the names and SSNs of exempted individuals.) The report should be submitted by the 10^th of each month for the prior calendar month. The report may be mailed or faxed to the Manager of the Food Stamp Program. The slot number for the Food Stamp Section is S335. The fax number in the Food Stamp Section is (501) 682-1469. The Manager’s e-mail address is Georgia.Gilkey@mail.state.ar.us.