How we verify state ABAWD waiver status

Every waiver-status claim on this site is read from a primary or authoritative source — USDA FNS guidance, the 2025–2026 court order on terminated waivers, or a state SNAP agency — and recorded with the URL we read it from and the date we read it. We do not generate state waiver status from memory, and we do not carry over claims we can’t point to a source for.

Primary sources first

USDA FNS and the state SNAP agency are the load-bearing citations. Policy aggregators and advocacy organizations are used only to cross-check completeness — never as the primary citation for a state’s waiver status. You can see the full citation list, with last-verified dates, on the Sources page.

Honest about the unknown

Where we cannot confirm a state’s current waiver from a primary source, we mark it “verify with your agency”rather than guess. A state shown as “no waiver” means we found no statewide waiver; a narrow high-unemployment area waiver may still exist, so we point you to the agency to confirm.

What OBBBA changed (July 2025)

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed the federal ABAWD rules:

• Raised the age band subject to the time limit — from up to 54 to up to 64 (exempt at 65 or older).
• Lowered the dependent-child caregiver exemption from a child under 18 to a child under 14.
• Eliminated the temporary 2023 exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth (through age 24).
• Repealed the “insufficient jobs” basis for area waivers, limiting them largely to areas with unemployment over 10%. Many statewide waivers ended as a result.

Refresh cadence

Waiver status is time-sensitive. A 2025 court order reinstated terminated waivers only through their original expiration dates, so the picture changes quarter to quarter. We re-check after each USDA quarterly publication and record what changed on the changelog.

A note on libraries

The state grid is a hand-built, dependency-free tile cartogram rather than a geographic SVG or a third-party table library. It keeps the page light, gives uniform tap targets, and avoids implying geographic precision we don’t have.

Professional review

Professional review in progress. This site is informational and is not legal or benefits advice; eligibility depends on individual circumstances. Always confirm with your state SNAP agency or a legal-aid clinic before acting.