These rules apply if you receive Food Stamps and you
DO NOT receive FIP (Family Independence Program)
cash assistance. Different rules apply if you receive FIP. If you receive FIP and have a question about the work rules, seek legal advice. Find your local legal aid office under the "Find a Lawyer" tab on MI.LawHelp.org.
THE RULES:
If you already have a job, you may NOT:
- Quit a job of 30 hours or more per week
- Reduce your hours at work to below 30 hours per week, unless you would still earn at least $155 per week after reducing your hours
- Get fired for misconduct or for missing work
If you don’t have a job, you may NOT:
- Refuse a job offer
- Refuse to provide information about whether you are available to work
- Refuse to follow the rules for getting Unemployment Compensation
Some people are exempt from the Food Stamp work rules. You are not required to follow the Food Stamp work rules if you are:
- Under age 16
- Age 60 or older
- Disabled or incapacitated due to injury, or physical or mental illness
- Parenting a child under age 6
- In the 6th through 9th month of pregnancy, or in the 1st through 5th month and having medical complications
- Age 16 or 17 and not the major wage earner or head of your household
- Age 16 or 17 and living with your parent or an adult acting as your parent
- Providing care for a disabled member of your household
- Participating in a substance abuse treatment or rehabilitation program
- Applying for or receiving Unemployment Compensation
- Attending school, college or a training program at least half time
What if I can't follow the rules?
Sometimes things can happen that may prevent you from following the rules. "Good cause" is a good reason, according to DHS, for not following a work rule. If you have good cause for not following a rule, then DHS should not stop or cut your Food Stamps.
You have good cause if:
- You have an illness or injury that keeps you from working
- A family member’s illness or injury requires your in-home care
- Adequate, affordable, appropriate childcare is not available within reasonable distance from your home or work
- Transportation is not available at a reasonable cost
- An unplanned event or factor prevents or interferes with your ability to follow the rules
- Commuting time is more than 2 hours a day (or 3 including time to childcare provider)
- You are physically or mentally unable to perform the job
- You quit your job to take a comparable job
- You must move because of another household member’s job or school
- The job interferes with your education or training that is at least half time
- The job is not “suitable,” such as a job that involves:
- Illegal activity
- Illegal discrimination against you
- Pay of less than minimum wage
- Unreasonable risk to your health and safety
- Work without getting paid on time
- Other unreasonable work demands
Remember: Many of these good cause reasons do not apply if you receive cash assistance benefits from DHS at the same time you receive Food Stamps. If you receive cash assistance, and have a question about the work rules, seek legal advice.
What if I don’t follow the rules?
If you don’t follow the rules, and you are not exempt from the rules or do not have "good cause" for breaking the rules, DHS will deny you Food Stamps for a period of time.
If you are already receiving Food Stamps and you break the work rules for the first time, you will be disqualified for 1 month or until you follow the rules again, whichever is longer.
If you are already receiving Food Stamps and you break the work rules for the second time, you will be disqualified for 6 months or until you follow the rules again, whichever is longer.
If you are still applying for Food Stamps, DHS can deny your application if you did one of the following in the past 30 days:
- Quit a job
- Reduced your hours at work to less than 30 hours per week
Information Not Legal Advice. This web site has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation.