PLEASE NOTE: The information in this training is accurate as of March 25, 2026. Benefit programs are undergoing significant and ongoing shifts. Here are a few resources where you can verify the information provided in this training:
- https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ABAWDprograms
- https://www.dshs.wa.gov/esa/basic-food-work-requirements/abawds-able-bodied-adults-without-dependen…
- https://www.dshs.wa.gov/workfare#Workfare_worksites
- https://www.dshs.wa.gov/esa/community-services-offices/workfare
We invite you to watch and share this training on Navigating SNAP: Program Basics and the New HR1 requirements with your colleagues and communities who will be impacted by new limits to accessibility. The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness is proud to present this in partnership with attorneys and public benefits experts from Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance (BLA) team.
In this training, BLA staff go over program basics (who can access programs and how to apply), explain what is changing, and how the communities you support will be impacted. You will also learn how to access BLA services for appeals on decisions and case consultation.
The HR1 changes to the SNAP program are now the largest changes to eligibility since the 1996 Federal Welfare Reform Act. We know the most vulnerable will be disproportionately impacted by these changes, including people experiencing homelessness and people living with disabilities. We bring this information to the frontlines to help you advocate for and support the folks you work with. Please share this information and check our website for future training opportunities concerning SNAP benefits and other vital programs for communities impacted by HR1.
For information and action about the harmful effects of H.R. 1 in terms of SNAP, please bookmark this page from FRAC: SNAP Cuts Mitigation Hub: Responding to H.R. 1 – Food Research & Action Center
Thank you to Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance team for presenting this informative training.
Q: Do ABAWD requirements apply to being 18-21 and a student enrolled in high school?
A: Students ages 18–21 who are enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school are exempt from ABAWD work requirements. Students ages 18–21 who are enrolled at least half-time in a college or university must meet special student eligibility rules to qualify for Basic Food. In most cases, this means they must average 20 hours of work per week, participate in a work-study program, or be unable to work due to a physical or mental condition.
Q: If an asylum seeker worked but was laid off, can they apply for unemployment benefits and reapply for benefits?
A: Unfortunately, being on unemployment benefits no longer automatically exempts them from having to meet the ABAWD requirements. But if they met the work/volunteer requirements, they could reapply for FAP benefits.
Q: Does having a child in home under the age of 14 count for parents with shared custody?
A: Yes. As long as both parents have shared custody, they should both be able to claim the child and the exemption. However, only for the months they have shared custody. For example, if one parent has the child for 6 months, and the other parent for the next 6 months, each parent can only have the exemption for the 6 months the child is there. But if each parent has them 2 weeks per month, they can both get the exemption for each month.
Q: Do work requirements apply to people under the age of 18?
A: You are exempt from work requirements until your 18th birthday. Once you are 18, you have to meet the work requirements unless you meet another exemption.
Q: What happens if a person receiving benefits is given more time to provide verification but never provides it? Does the person and/or family have to pay back?
A: Possibly. If they are found to have been given benefits they are not eligible for, then yes, an Overpayment (OP) can be assessed.
Q: With the new ABAWD requirements, is it all or nothing, or does not meeting the requirements just mean less money being distributed to the individuals/families?
A: It is all or nothing.
Take Action
Urge Congress to Reject the House Ag Committee Farm Bill, Restore Critical SNAP Funding
On March 5, 2026, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee. This bill fails to:
- Reverse any of the $187 billion SNAP cut.
- Restore the federal administrative cost-share to 50 percent.
- Eliminate punitive benefit cost-sharing tied to error rates.
- Protect state budgets and local economies from unfunded mandates.
Learn more about this bill from the Food Action & Research Center (FRAC) here. The House must NOT move forward with the flawed House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill. Write your congresspeople today and personalize this letter from FRAC with your experience with SNAP. Personal stories help lawmakers see the real impact of these policy changes on REAL people.
Join our next General Membership Meeting
Our next meeting is Thursday, April 16 from 9-10:30 a.m. over Zoom. Please join us to learn, share skills and resources, and build solidarity.