Division of County Operations

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has granted the State permission to waive the Food Stamp Program Requirement to Work (RTW) in counties that have been identified as labor surplus areas by the Department of Labor (DOL).

RTW Waivers Effective January 1, 1999

These waivers are effective until further notice.

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. If a household member is currently disqualified for failure to comply with the RTW, the disqualification will be ended. However, no benefits will be restored and/or supplemented due to the lifting of the disqualification following the move.

Counties Where The RTW Waiver Is Being Continued

No special actions are required in these counties.

Counties Where An RTW Waiver Is Effective January 1, 1999

Effective January 1, 1999, the RTW waiver will apply either for the first time or after a break of one year in the following counties:

Ashley Perry

Lincoln Poinsett

Newton Sharp

In these counties, each case must be reviewed at the next application approval, quarterly report, or reported change to determine if any household member is currently disqualified for failure to comply with the RTW. (Disqualifications that occurred prior to May 19, 1998, may still be in effect.) If a current household member is disqualified, the member will be added back to the household.

When a member who was disqualified is added back to the food stamp case, the worker must determine if benefits were lost after January 1, 1999, due to the imposition of a RTW sanction. If yes, benefits may be restored and/or supplemented to compensate for any loss occurring in January 1999, or later due to a RTW disqualification. See FSC 13000 – 13360 for instructions on authorizing supplemental and restored benefits.

Counties Where No RTW Waiver Applies

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. If so, that individual will be granted an exemption from the RTW requirement. The decision to exempt an individual from the RTW 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.

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 e mailed or faxed to Quranner Cotledge, Manager, Food Stamp Program. The fax number in the Food Stamp Section is (501) 682-1469.

Inquiries to: [Betty Helmbeck], Food Stamp Section, (501) 682-8284