602-1 I.       VOLUNTARY JOB QUIT AND REDUCTION OF WORK HOURS

Adult household members subject to the work requirements will be disqualified if they voluntarily and without good cause:

• Quit a job of 30 hours a week or more;
• Reduce their work hours from 30 hours a week or more to less than 30 hours per week and, after the reduction in hours, the job provides weekly earnings less than the federal minimum hourly wage times 30 hours.  See MS 600-2 for current federal minimum hourly wage information.
• Quit a job of less than 30 hours a week that provided weekly earnings at least equivalent to the federal minimum hourly wage times 30 hours.  See MS 600-2 for current federal minimum hourly wage information.

Note:  

Termination of self-employment or subsistence hunting/fishing is not considered a job quit.

1. Persons Exempt from Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours Provision

1. Persons who quit their job or reduced their work hours at least 60 days prior to the date of application.
2. Persons who voluntarily quit employment that was less than 30 hours per week and provided weekly earnings less than the federal minimum hourly wage times 30 hours.  See MS 600-2 for current federal minimum hourly wage information.
3. Persons who voluntarily quit their job or reduced their work hours, but good cause had been determined as stated at MS 602-1M.

4. Persons exempt from the basic work requirements on the day they quit their job or reduced their work hours as stated at MS 602-1G, except those persons exempt due to employment or subsistence hunting/fishing.

5. Persons who resigned at the demand of the employer.
6. Persons whose employer reduced the work hours.
7. Persons who quit a job but cured the violation by securing a job of at least 30 hours or a job providing weekly earnings at least equivalent to the federal minimum hourly wage times 30 hours then lost the new job through no fault of their own.  See MS 600-2 for current federal minimum hourly wage information.

2. Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours Procedures

Applicant Households:  Determine if a household member required to register for work voluntarily quits a job without good cause or reduces work hours to less than 30 hours a week within 60 days prior to application.  Determine if the quit or reduction of hours was for good cause.

Participating Households:  When a voluntary quit or a reduction of work hours is reported or discovered after the household is certified, determine if the quit or reduction of hours was for good cause.

   Good cause is defined at MS 602-1M.
 

The household must provide verification of the reason for the quit or reduction of work hours when information appears questionable.  If the cause cannot be verified, such as when the resignation is due to discriminatory practices or unreasonable demands by the employer, the household member will not be disqualified.

If the voluntary quit or reduction of work hours was not for good cause, the household member is disqualified.  Voluntary quits and reductions in work hours are considered not complying with a work requirement.  Work requirement noncompliance disqualifies the household member for one month (or 30 days) for the first violation, three months (or 90 days) for the second violation, and six months (or 180 days) for the third and subsequent violation.
 

Applicant Households: The disqualification period begins the date of quit, and lasts through the 30/90/180 days of the penalty.  The disqualified household member is added back into the case the first month following the end of the disqualification period.

Examples:

•Three-person household applies on 7/2.  A household member quit his job on 6/14.  The household is certified 7/2.  The member is disqualified from 6/14 to 7/14, and added into the case effective 8/1.

• Two-person household applies on 7/16.  A household member quit his job on 6/14.  The member is disqualified from 6/14 to 7/14.  The household member is included in the SNAP household, and the case is certified effective 7/16.

• One-person household applies 6/16.  The person quit his job 6/15, and is disqualified from 6/15 to 7/15.  He is not eligible in June, and will not be eligible on 7/1.  Deny the application.  A new application is needed if he wants benefits after 7/15.

• One-person household applies 6/4.  The person quit his job 5/21 and is disqualified from 5/21 through 6/20.  He is not eligible for June during the disqualification period.  Deny the application.  A new application is needed if he wants benefits after 6/20.

• One-person household applies 5/19. The caseworker finds out during the interview on 5/24 that the person quit his job 5/21. Client is otherwise eligible for benefits and is approved. Following adverse action, the client's penalty would begin 7/1 and last 30 days for first job quit.

Participating Households: If the caseworker discovers a job quit, the information should be documented in a CANOCase Notes.  Since this is not a reportable change, no action is taken until the household recertifies.  When the household recertifies, the caseworker should review the job quit to see if a penalty should be imposed.  If there is no good cause, the penalty begins the first day of the new certification period.  How the penalty is imposed depends on when the recertification is received.

If a participating household voluntarily reports a job quit and it is determined that good cause does not exist, the penalty begins the first of the month after notice of adverse action.

Note:

When expedite SNAP benefits are issued, the household is considered a participating household and we would follow the participating household policy when applying job quit penalties.  

Example - Job Quit for Timely Recert

Joe and his girlfriend were previously certified for June through November.  He is still a FSFood Stamp recipient when he submits their recertification on November 14.  On November 25, the caseworker discovers Joe quit his job in August.  He does not have good cause.  Since this is his first job quit, there is a one month penalty.  December benefits are issued for a one person household only.  Joe is added back to the case for January benefits.

Example - Job Quit over 60 Days ago for Late Recert

Matt and his girlfriend were previously certified for June through November.  He submits their recertification on December 14.  Because the recertification is late, they are now considered applicants. On December 24 the caseworker discovers Matt quit his job in August without good cause.  Since the job quit was more than 60 days before the application was submitted, there is no job quit penalty.

Example - Job Quit less than 60 Days Ago for Late Recert

Francine and her boyfriend were previously certified for June through November.  She submits their recertification on December 14. Because the recertification is late, they are now considered applicants. On December 24 the caseworker discovers Francine quit her job on November 12.  She does not have good cause.  Since the job quit was less than 60 days before the application was submitted and Francine does not have good cause, there is a job quit penalty.  Since this is her second job quit, she must be disqualified for 90 days. We do not go back and do overpayments, but the job quit penalty begins the date of quit.  Francine is penalized November 12 through February 9.  The caseworker sets an alert to add Francine back into the case beginning March 1.

3. Restoring Benefits

A job quit penalty can be deleted if the household member is again meeting the work requirements or has been determined exempt from the work requirements before the penalty has started.

A job quit penalty can be ended early if the household member has been determined to be exempt from the basic work requirements after the penalty started.  Work exemptions are explained in SNAP MS 602-1G.  

Example 1 - Deleting a Voluntary Quit or Reduction of Work Penalty:    

John Peter quits a 30 hour per week job on October 10th and the caseworker imposes a voluntary quit penalty effective November 1st.

John Peter reports that he started another job equal to the job he quit on October 15th.  The caseworker verifies on October 25th that John Peter's new job qualifies him for a work exemption.

Since John Peter obtained a new job that gives him 30 hours a week or more before the penalty started, the penalty that would have started on November 1st is deleted.

Example 2 - Ending a Voluntary Quit or Reduction of Work Penalty:

Christian Jacobson quits a 32 hour per week job on November 2nd and the caseworker imposes a job quit penalty effective December 1st.  This is his second job quit penalty.

Christian Jacobson reports that he started another job equal to the job he quit on December 5th.  The caseworker verifies on December 6th that Christian Jacobson's new job qualifies him for a work exemption.

Since Christian Jacobson obtained a new job that gives him 30 hours a week or more after the penalty had already started, the penalty should be ended December 31st and he is added back into the household January 1st.