SNAP -- Excluding $25 Unemployment Compensation Payments from Income and Resources

USDA recently issued guidance that the $25 additional UI payment as a result of the "Worker, Home ownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009" is not countable income. Attached is a copy of the USDA Policy Memo.

Background (based on USDA guidance): Section 2002 of the "Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act" gave States the option of increasing their Unemployment Compensation payments by $25 a week. USDA issued guidance on March 18, 2009 stating that a State SNAP agency must count this $25 weekly amount as income in determining eligibility and benefits. On November 6,2009 President Obama signed the Worker, Home ownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Section 8 of that Act requires SNAP to exclude these $25 payments from all calculations of resources and income. SNAP regulations at 7 CFR 273.9(c)(I0) prevent any income excluded by any other Federal statute from consideration as income for the purposes of determining benefits and eligibility for SNAP. Therefore, State agencies must exclude this $25 weekly amount in the calculation of gross and net income.