Changes coming to SC’s SNAP program for ‘able-bodied’ adults

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC/WIS) - The South Carolina Department of Social Services says people 18 to 49 who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may be affected by changes the federal government has made.

The changes concern requirements for those who are classified as “able-bodied adults without dependents.” Starting Sept. 1, those who meet the definition of able-bodied adults under federal guidelines will be limited to benefits for three months within a 36-month period unless the recipient meets certain criteria or is exempt.

Administrators said the change comes after the federal Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted. That law includes a gradual increase in the age of SNAP recipients subject to the ABAWD time limit and provides additional exceptions for homeless people, veterans, and those who aged out of foster care.

The ABAWD work requirement and time limit do not apply to those who are:

• Under 18 years of age or over 53 years of age
• Medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment;
• Living in a SNAP household with a child
• Pregnant
• Veterans
• Homeless
• 24 years of age or younger and aged out of foster care

In order to fulfill the work requirement, ABAWD must work 20 hours per week or an average of 80 hours monthly and qualifying work may be in exchange for money, in-kind, or unpaid at an established volunteer site.

ABAWDs who exhaust their three months of benefits and do not comply with the work requirement lose their benefits for the remainder of the 36-month time period, a release states.

An ABAWD can regain eligibility during that 36-month time period by meeting the work requirement for 30 days, after which they remain eligible to receive SNAP for as long as they continue to meet work requirements.

As of August, approximately 29,000 SNAP recipients in South Carolina are designated as ABAWDs.

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