SNAP recipients who are work registrants are subject to three requirements known as the general work requirements.
Work registrants must:
· accept employment, if offered;
· not voluntarily quit a job they currently hold;
· not voluntarily reduce work hours at a job they currently hold.
These requirements apply to all work registrants unless they have good cause (see: section 535.61) or the job is not suitable (see: section 535.7).
Failure to Accept a Job Offer
Pennsylvania operates a voluntary SNAP E&T program, meaning SNAP recipients are not required to meet a job application requirement or otherwise perform job search. However, if an individual receives a bona fide offer of employment, they may not reject the job offer due to personal choice unless they can establish good cause or an exemption.
An individual is not considered to have rejected a bona fide offer when the job offer was for less than 30 hours per week of employment and the individual would have received average pay of less than 30 times the hourly minimum wage per week.
Voluntary Job Quit
A voluntary quit is the termination of employment, without good cause, due to personal choice. A voluntary quit does not include:
· quitting a job at which the individual worked less than 30 hours per week and received pay of less than 30 times the hourly federal minimum wage per week;
· terminating self-employment;
· resigning from a job at the request of the employer or being fired
Any federal, state, or local government employee who participates in a strike and is dismissed because of the participation is considered to have voluntarily quit the job without good cause.
Voluntary Reduction of Work Hours
Reducing work effort is voluntarily reducing the number of hours an individual works if, after the reduction, the person is working less than 30 hours per week and earning wages less than the Federal minimum wage multiplied by 30 hours. An individual is not considered to have voluntarily reduced work effort if the individual’s work hours were cut by the employer (e.g. as part of a “dynamic scheduling” arrangement).
When to Review for Voluntary Quit or Reduction of Hours
The CAO will determine whether a household member voluntarily quit a job or reduced work effort:
· An applicant household reports a loss of or reduction in earned income in the 30 days prior to application by any household member who is a work registrant after the loss or reduction; or
· A recipient household reports the loss or reduction of earned income by any member who is a work registrant after the loss or reduction; or
· When a source of earned income is lost by a household member who is a work registrant after the date of application but before the household is certified.
535.51 Verification of Job Quit or Reduction of Hours
The CAO will only verify questionable information. Acceptable sources of verification include a previous employer, employee association, union representative and grievance committee or organization.
Verification is primarily the responsibility of the household and may be obtained by collateral contact with a person chosen by the household if documentation is not available.
NOTE: The CAO will not deny SNAP benefits or fail to process expedited or ongoing benefits timely because of lack of verification if the circumstances cannot be verified. The case record narrative shall be documented to reflect the attempts made to obtain verification.
Reissued May 19, 2021, replacing December 22, 2010