This memo provides guidance on the use of SNAP E&T funds to pay for services for individuals who are attending high school. In most cases, it is likely neither legal nor appropriate to use E&T funds to pay for services for individuals are attending high school. In some instances, however, it is allowed and encouraged to use E&T funds for individuals who are of high school age, such as for individuals aged 16-17 who are subject to SNAP work requirements.
Our team at USDA has been relentless in notifying, educating, and equipping you to engage more SNAP participants as they transition to work. Some of you have been proactive leaders in improving your E&T program. However, not all states have taken action. Today, I call on you to leverage the opportunity afforded to us by the longest economic expansion in U.S. history to get to work on getting people to work.
The SNAP Employment and Training program, administered by all 53 state agencies, helps participants gain the skills, training, or work experience they need to enter, reenter, or remain in the workforce. The program is flexible. State agencies can tailor services and supports to the needs of SNAP participants and the communities in which they live.
This memorandum is pursuant to the President's Executive Order, Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility, which instructed the Department to review regulations and guidance documents to ensure they are consistent with promoting economic opportunity and ensuring the most efficient use of taxpayer funds.
On Oct. 6, 2017, we issued a memo regarding SNAP applicants and households who are sending certification materials to the USDA instead of the appropriate SNAP state agency for processing.
In school year 2013-14, FNS introduced the unified administrative review and a 3-year review cycle. Since then, FNS has received feedback about the difficulties of the shorter review cycle, both for the state agencies conducting the reviews, and for school food authorities preparing for and responding to reviews.
Consistent with USDA's efforts to increase state flexibility within the bounds of the law, FNS is expanding allowable activities for states seeking to use non-merit system personnel in call centers. With FNS approval, states may now use non-merit personnel to provide basic case-specific information that is readily available in the system to a SNAP applicant or participant, such as application or case status, benefit issuance date, and status of submitted verifications.
This memo discusses SNAP applications and other documents being sent by clients to the USDA Office of Civil Rights instead of the appropriate state SNAP office. The memo outlines best practices states can use to make submission instructions clearer for clients.
FNS has received many questions on the interim final rule implementing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Program Monitoring, Oversight and Reporting Measures, published in the Federal Register on March 24, 2016. FNS released one Q&A in response to those questions on July 26, 2016. Since that time, FNS has received additional questions and is issuing this second Q&A to address them.
The attached questions and answers address the SNAP: Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 final rule.