STUDENT STATUS

Student

Any person who is aged 18 through 49 inclusive, physically and mentally fit, and enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education.

Student status continues between semesters when the student intends to return to school at the beginning of the next term.

Institution of Higher Education

A business, technical, trade or vocational school that normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment in the curriculum, or a college or university that offers degree programs regardless of whether a high school diploma is required. A college includes a junior, community, two-year or four-year college or university.

Eligible Student

A. To be eligible to participate in SNAP, students must meet at least one to the following criteria:

1. Be employed for a minimum of 20 hours every week and be paid for such employment. (This is actually 20 hours per week, not an average amount.)

2. Be self-employed working a minimum of 20 hours per week and receive weekly earnings at least equal to the Federal minimum wage multiplied by 20 hours.

3. Participate in a State or Federally financed work-study program, during the regular school year.

4. Be responsible for the physical care of a dependent household member under age 6.

5. Be a single parent enrolled in an institution of higher education on

a full-time basis, and be responsible for a dependent child under age 12.

6. Be responsible for the care of a dependent household member who has reached the age of 6 but is under age 12, where it has been determined that adequate child care is not affordable or convenient to enable the individual to attend class AND satisfy the work requirements of number 1 of this section.

7. Receive benefits from the K-TAP program.

8. Be assigned to or placed in an institution of higher education through a program under the Work Incentive Act (WIA), or the Employment and Training Program (ETP), or in compliance with the requirements of another program operated by a State or local government, for the purpose of ETP.

9. Be assigned to or placed in an institution of higher education through, or incompliance with, Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 (TAA).

B. Individuals who reside on campus and possess a meal ticket that provides 50% of daily meals are not eligible for SNAP. Meal tickets have no bearing on the eligibility of students who reside off campus.

C. Students determined ineligible can become eligible for SNAP as soon as one of the criteria listed in “A” above is met.

D. Participants in an on-the-job training program are not considered students during the time they are in training. They may be considered students during the period of time they are only attending classes. However, if they meet the student definition, they must meet one of the criteria in “A” to be eligible for SNAP.

Exceptions to Student Status

The following persons ARE NOT considered students:

·  Persons 17 years of age or younger or 50 years of age or older.

·  Persons physically and mentally disabled.

·  Persons participating in on-the-job training programs are exempt from student criteria during the time they are being trained by the employer.

·  Persons attending school less than half-time as defined by the institution.

·  Persons enrolled full-time in schools and training programs which are not institutions of higher education.

·  Persons attending high school.

·  Refugees enrolled only in English as Second Language (ESL) course(s) at institutions of higher education.

An ineligible student is considered an ineligible (household) member. The remaining household members can participate, if otherwise eligible, whether they are a spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the ineligible student.

Manual References:

Vol. II, Sections 2000, 2300, 2320, 2330

From SNAP Best Practices Handbook

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