Appendix B: Discretionary Exemptions

Effective September 1, 2024: 

Discretionary exemptions will be used to exempt the following;

• Exempting the following ABAWDs who meet state employment and training exemption criteria:
• Full-time VISTA Volunteer (Title I DVSA) (ETP Status 06)
• Expected to return to work within 60 days (ETP Status 15)
• Travel time is two or more hours round-trip from an employment/education training site (ETP Status 19)
• Receiving expedited SNAP only and meets no exemption code (ETP Status 23)
• For September 2024 – May 2025, exempting all ABAWDs who are not eligible for any other exemption and who are not meeting the work requirement in:
• Adams County;
• Centre County;
• Chester County;
• Lancaster County excluding the City of Lancaster;
• Lebanon County excluding the City of Lebanon;
• Montgomery County excluding the Municipality of Norristown;
• York County excluding the City of York, York Township, and Springettsbury Township
• Municipalities – Cranberry Township (Butler County), and Hampden Township (Cumberland County)

NOTE: ABAWDs in these counties will continue to be automatically assigned eligibility status code “EW” by eCIS and will not be subject to the time limit. Headquarters will report the number of discretionary exemptions used to exempt ABAWDs in these counties to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

Updated September 30, 2024; Replacing April 18, 2024