Update SNAP ABAWD work requirements for HR1 (P.L. 119-21) with missing exemptions and CA delay

[hua7450]

Summary

Updates SNAP ABAWD work requirements to reflect P.L. 119-21 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), adds missing non-age work registration exemptions per 7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3)(D), and properly handles California's delayed HR1 adoption (ACL 25-93) via a centralized state routing variable.

Closes #7446 is tracked as a follow-up (HI/AK delayed adoption parameters).

Regulatory Authority

• P.L. 119-21, Section 10102(a) — ABAWD modifications
• 7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3) — ABAWD exemptions
• 7 CFR 273.24 — ABAWD time limits
• 7 CFR 273.7(b)(1) — Work registration exemptions
• California ACL 25-93 — CA delays HR1 to June 1, 2026
• FNS ABAWD Exceptions Implementation Memo — HR1 exception changes
• FNS ABAWD Waivers Implementation Memo — HI/AK waiver authority
• PRWORA (P.L. 104-193), Section 824 — Original ABAWD provisions (1997-03-01)
• FRA 2023 (P.L. 118-5), Section 311 — Age phase-in (50→51→53→55)

Changes

Federal parameter updates

• Corrected effective dates to 2025-07-04 (P.L. 119-21 enactment date)
• Backdated ABAWD age exemption to 1997-03-01 (PRWORA effective date) with full FRA 2023 phase-in history:
  • 1997-03-01: 50 (original, ages 18-49 subject)
  • 2023-09-01: 51 (FRA phase 1, "over 51")
  • 2023-10-01: 53 (FRA phase 2, "over 53")
  • 2024-10-01: 55 (FRA phase 3, "over 55")
  • 2025-07-04: 65 (HR1/OBBB, "over 65")
• Dependent age threshold backdated to 1997-03-01 (unchanged value of 18 until HR1 → 14)

HI/AK exemption removed

• Removed blanket state exemption logic (is_exempt_state) from meets_snap_abawd_work_requirements formula
• Both HI and AK are implementing ABAWD (effective Nov 1, 2025):
  • Hawaii DHS FAQ confirms implementation
  • Alaska DHS OBBBA Impacts confirms implementation
• exempt_states.yaml parameter retained with updated description documenting preferential waiver authority per 7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(4)(A)(ii) and 2015(o)(7)
• HI/AK delayed adoption parameters (effective 2025-11-01) tracked in Add HI/AK delayed ABAWD adoption parameters (Nov 2025) #7446

New variable: is_snap_abawd_hr1_in_effect

Centralizes state-level HR1 adoption routing using select(). States that delay HR1 adoption (currently CA) have their own hr1_in_effect parameter; all other states use the federal in_effect parameter.

New variable: is_snap_work_registration_exempt_non_age

Implements 7 CFR 273.7(b)(1) non-age exemptions used by ABAWD exemption (D):

• (ii) Physically/mentally unfit (is_disabled)
• (iv) Caring for dependent child under 6 or incapacitated person
• (v) Receiving unemployment compensation
• (viii) Enrolled at least half-time in school/training/higher ed

Intentionally omitted (documented in code):

• (iii) Subject to TANF work requirements — requires TANF enrollment input
• (vi) Drug/alcohol treatment participant — requires treatment program input
• (vii) Working 30+ hrs/week — handled separately in ABAWD work activity check

Not implemented (documented in code)

• (F)-(G) Native American/Indian exemptions per IHCIA definitions — requires tribal membership input variable

Refactored meets_snap_abawd_work_requirements

• Uses is_snap_abawd_hr1_in_effect for pre/post HR1 branching
• Structure follows 7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3) letter by letter: (A) age, (B) disability, (C) parent, (D) work reg exempt, (E) pregnant
• Pre-HR1 snapshot uses parameters("2025-06-01") (last month before effective date)

Deleted

• ca_meets_snap_abawd_work_requirements.py and its tests (functionality merged into federal variable via is_snap_abawd_hr1_in_effect routing)

Behavioral Impact

• Adding three ABAWD exemptions (child under 6, student, UI recipient) is a correct behavioral change — these exist in law but were missing
• Removing HI/AK blanket exemption is a correct behavioral change — both states are implementing ABAWD
• Backdating age parameters and adding FRA phase-in is a correct behavioral change for historical simulations

Test plan

• 56 tests pass (policyengine-core test .../work_requirements -c policyengine_us -v)
• Broader SNAP tests pass
• Microsimulation test passes

Tests organized by statutory provision:

• Pre-HR1 (7 CFR 273.24(c)): age boundaries (17/18, 54/55), disabled, work hours (19/20), parent with child under 18, pregnant, incapacitated caregiver, homeless, veteran
• Post-HR1 (7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3)): age boundaries (64/65), ages 55-64 no longer exempt, disabled, parent with child under 14 (boundary at 15), new work-reg-exempt paths (student, UI, child under 6), removed exemptions (homeless/veteran)
• CA delayed adoption (ACL 25-93): age 55 still exempt, homeless/veteran still exempt, parent with child under 18, non-exempt fails
• HR1 routing (is_snap_abawd_hr1_in_effect): TX post/pre-HR1, CA pre/post-adoption

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 100.00%. Comparing base (f073b57) to head (c739c92).
⚠️ Report is 96 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff            @@
##              main     #7415   +/-   ##
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  Coverage   100.00%   100.00%           
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  Files            4         4           
  Lines           76        79    +3     
  Branches         1         0    -1     
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+ Hits            76        79    +3     

Flag	Coverage Δ
unittests	100.00% <100.00%> (ø)

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[PavelMakarchuk]

SNAP ABAWD Parameter Audit — PR #7415

Sources

• Law: P.L. 119-21, Section 10102(a) (signed July 4, 2025)
• FNS Memo: ABAWD Exceptions Implementation Memorandum (Oct 3, 2025)
• CA ACL: ACL No. 25-93 (Dec 31, 2025)
• Hawaii DHS: ABAWD FAQ (Oct 16, 2025)
• Scope: PR changes only

---

🔴 Critical

1. HI/AK exempt_states parameter may be incorrect

The PR treats Hawaii and Alaska as categorically exempt from ABAWD (exempt_states.yaml adds [HI, AK] effective 2025-07-01). However, the law does not create a blanket exemption — it provides:

• A preferential waiver pathway (150% of national unemployment rate vs 10% for other states)
• A temporary good faith exemption authority (through Dec 31, 2028), which requires states to apply and the Secretary to approve

Hawaii's own DHS FAQ (updated Oct 16, 2025) confirms it is implementing the expanded ABAWD rules, estimating ~16,000 individuals aged 55-64 and ~10,000 households with children 14+ will be affected. Alaska had a pre-OBBB FY 2025 area waiver (approved Sept 2024), but Hawaii did not appear on the FY 2025 waiver list.

This parameter should be re-evaluated — treating these states as blanket-exempt contradicts both the statutory framework and Hawaii's own implementation materials.

---

🟡 Should Address

2. Effective date 2025-07-01 vs 2025-07-04

All 4 federal parameter files use 2025-07-01. The FNS memo explicitly states: "These changes were effective upon enactment, July 4, 2025." The PR's own working_references.md also says the correct date is July 4, 2025. While monthly granularity makes this functionally equivalent for most simulations, consider using 2025-07-04 for accuracy (or document why July 1 was chosen).

3. Hardcoded "2025-06-01" in two variables

Both meets_snap_abawd_work_requirements.py and meets_snap_work_requirements.py use parameters("2025-06-01") to snapshot pre-HR1 values. If the federal effective date is updated (e.g., to 2025-07-04), this hardcoded date must be updated in two separate files with no programmatic link. Consider adding a comment explaining the relationship, or defining the pre-HR1 snapshot date in a single location.

4. Native American/Indian exemption not implemented

HR1 added new ABAWD exemptions under 7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3)(F)-(G) for Indians, Urban Indians, and California Indians per IHCIA definitions. CA ACL 25-93 (pp. 5-7) also details this. This requires a new person-level input variable for tribal membership status — should be tracked as a follow-up issue.

---

✅ Confirmed Correct

Parameter	Repo Value	Regulatory Source	Status
Age threshold (exempted)	55 → 65	7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3)(A): "under 18, or over 65"	✅
Dependent child age	18 → 14	7 U.S.C. 2015(o)(3)(C): "under 14 years of age"	✅
Homeless/veteran removal	in_effect: false → true	FNS memo: "removes exceptions for homeless individuals, veterans"	✅
CA delay date	2026-06-01	ACL 25-93 p.3: "effective June 1, 2026"	✅
CA #page=3 citation	Correct page	Page 3 contains the operative date language	✅

✅ Code Quality

Check	Verdict
select() state routing in is_snap_abawd_hr1_in_effect	Correct — vectorized boolean arrays handled properly
where() vectorization (3 uses)	Correct — element-wise operations verified
YEAR/MONTH period compatibility	Correct — auto-conversion for is_disabled, is_snap_higher_ed_student, unemployment_compensation
Age 60-64 bug fix	Correct and important — replacing meets_snap_general_work_requirements with is_snap_work_registration_exempt_non_age prevents age-based general work reg exemption from creating a backdoor ABAWD exemption for ages 60-64. Per FNS memo: "Individuals aged 60 or older remain exempt from the general work requirements" but are NOT automatically ABAWD-exempt.

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🟢 Suggestions

• Add comments in is_snap_work_registration_exempt_non_age.py explaining why 7 CFR 273.7(b)(1) exemptions (iii), (vi), (vii) are intentionally omitted
• The sources/working_references.md (390 lines) is helpful context but may not belong in the repo long-term
• The ca_meets_snap_abawd_work_requirements deletion is mentioned in the changelog but not in the diff — clarify if it was deleted in a prior commit

Pre-existing Issues (not from this PR)

• Foster youth exemption (FRA 2023) was never implemented; HR1 removes it
• is_parent is narrower than statutory "responsible for care" (misses grandparents, siblings, etc.)
• FRA 2023 age phase-in dates (50/52/54) not captured; HR1 supersedes them

Test Coverage: 47 tests ✅

Comprehensive coverage across pre/post HR1 periods, all statutory exemption categories (A)-(E), removed exemptions, CA delayed adoption, and age boundaries.

---

Validation Summary

Check	Result
Regulatory Accuracy	1 critical (HI/AK), 1 should-address (effective date)
Reference Quality	References correct; #page=3 verified
Code Patterns	All vectorization correct; age 60-64 fix is important improvement
Test Coverage	47 tests; comprehensive