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# Basic Food in Washington: applying, renewing and checking work rules
- URL: https://justabouts.com/basic-food-washington-applying-renewing-work-rules-guide/
- Published: 2026-11-05T21:40:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-05T21:40:26.000Z
- Description: How to apply for grocery help, check exemptions and work requirements, complete a review and reach DSHS in Snohomish and Island counties.
- Author: Justabouts
- Tags: Snohomish County, Camano Island, Help & Resources

Keeping groceries in the house can take enough planning without having to untangle a benefits letter. If you receive Washington’s Basic Food assistance, or think your household might qualify, a few checks can help you understand the application, keep a renewal moving and find out which work rules actually apply to you.

Basic Food is Washington’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Eligibility and the amount depend on your household’s circumstances. These food-assistance rules are separate from Apple Health’s health-coverage rules.

## Start here if you need grocery help

You can [apply through Washington Connection](https://www.washingtonconnection.org/?ref=justabouts.com), call DSHS at [877-501-2233](tel:18775012233), or visit a Community Services Office. Basic Food applications require an interview. DSHS encourages people who think they may qualify to apply and complete that interview.

Have information about your income, household and expenses available. DSHS will explain what proof it needs. Its [verification guide](https://dshs.wa.gov/family-food-and-housing-services/food-assistance/basic-food-benefits/what-verification?ref=justabouts.com) lists identity, income, shelter costs and other items that may matter. Ask for help if a requested document is difficult to obtain.

If money and food are running short, describe that when you apply. DSHS must screen every application for [expedited service](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/expedited-service-basic-food?ref=justabouts.com); you do not need to request a separate screening. Households meeting its criteria must be interviewed and receive benefits within seven calendar days of filing. Approval depends on your circumstances.

## Who needs to check the 80-hour rule?

Under [DSHS’s current guidance](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/family-food-and-housing-services/food-assistance/able-bodied-adults-without-dependents?ref=justabouts.com), the additional work rule generally concerns adults ages **18 through 64** who can work, have no qualifying exemption and have no child under 14 in their Basic Food household. DSHS calls this group able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWDs.

A person subject to that rule generally receives no more than three full months of benefits without meeting participation requirements or an exception during a 36-month period. Partial benefit months do not count, and the counted months need not be consecutive. Washington’s [current period runs from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2026](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/abawds-able-bodied-adults-without-dependents?ref=justabouts.com); a new period begins Jan. 1, 2027\. Ask DSHS which months, if any, have been counted in your case.

DSHS says no geographic areas in Washington have an ABAWD waiver as of February 2026\. Personal exemptions still matter throughout Snohomish and Island counties.

## Ask about exemptions before arranging activities

Under [DSHS guidance](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/abawds-able-bodied-adults-without-dependents?ref=justabouts.com), people age **65 or older**, pregnant people and adults in the same Basic Food assistance unit as a child under 14 are excepted from the ABAWD rule. A child sharing your address but belonging to a separate food household does not create that exception. Explain who buys and prepares food together.

Other exemptions can involve a physical or mental health condition that prevents you from working at least 80 hours a month, receiving disability benefits, caring for someone who is incapacitated, unemployment benefits or a pending unemployment application, qualifying half-time study, or regular participation in a substance-use treatment and rehabilitation program. Higher-education students have additional Basic Food eligibility rules.

If health limits your ability to work, ask DSHS to screen you for the applicable [medical exception](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-444-0035&ref=justabouts.com) and explain what supporting information it needs in your case. Receiving Social Security disability benefits is not the only route to an exception.

American Indian and Alaska Native applicants should ask about the ABAWD exception under the federal definitions. DSHS says it applies statewide, including away from tribal lands. Ask what information is needed for your circumstances.

Veteran status, homelessness and having aged out of foster care no longer provide their former standalone exceptions. A person in any of those situations may qualify for another exemption. Adults ages 60–64 should also ask: their exemption from general work registration does not automatically exempt them from the separate ABAWD time limit.

## Paid work is one way to meet the requirement

[Washington’s rule](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-444-0030&ref=justabouts.com) allows an average of 80 hours a month of paid work, qualifying in-kind work, verified unpaid work or a combination. Approved employment and training activities can also count. Before relying on a class or volunteer placement, ask DSHS whether it qualifies and how to document the hours.

Another option is [Workfare](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/family-food-and-housing-services/food-assistance/able-bodied-adults-without-dependents/workfare-people-designated-abled-bodied-adults-without-dependents-or-abawds?ref=justabouts.com), supervised volunteering with a contracted provider. Its monthly hours are calculated by dividing your household’s food benefit by the applicable local minimum wage and rounding down to a whole hour. Ask DSHS for your required hours and how to enroll at a contracted site before relying on Workfare to meet the rule. Workfare is a standalone option, so its hours cannot be combined with other activities to meet the requirement. Submit provider-verified hours to DSHS each month, keep a copy and check your notice for reporting instructions.

## Read your own review letter carefully

DSHS must screen for applicable exceptions before counting months against the time limit. Its [current manual](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/abawds-able-bodied-adults-without-dependents?ref=justabouts.com) requires screening at application, recertification and when a reported change affects ABAWD status. The agency must explain applicable work requirements orally and in writing. If you already have a work-requirement notice, keep following its instructions while asking about any correction or exemption.

Keep the dates on your own notice in view. DSHS has [mid-certification and eligibility reviews](https://dshs.wa.gov/family-food-and-housing-services/food-assistance/basic-food-benefits/eligibility-reviews-and-mid-certification-reviews?ref=justabouts.com). Mid-certification reviews do not require an interview. Most food-assistance eligibility reviews do, but your letter explains whether yours requires one. Washington Connection lets you submit reviews and report changes. Follow your letter’s instructions and keep confirmation of what you submit.

If a notice seems wrong, contact DSHS promptly and check its hearing instructions. Ask specifically about any deadline for requesting a hearing and continued benefits. Continued benefits can become repayable if the decision goes against you, and they have limits, including when a food-benefit certification period ends.

## Where to get help locally

The same DSHS number, **877-501-2233**, serves both counties. Interview services are listed for **8 a.m.–2 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays**. General office hours extend to 5 p.m. Check the [office directory](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/office-locations?ref=justabouts.com) before travelling.

- [Smokey Point:](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/location/smokey-point-community-services-office?ref=justabouts.com) 3704 172nd St. NE, Suite P, Arlington.
- [Everett:](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/location/everett-community-services-office?ref=justabouts.com) 840 N. Broadway, Suite 200.
- [Oak Harbor:](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/location/oak-harbor-community-services-office?ref=justabouts.com) 275 SE Pioneer Way, Suite 201.

If immigration status affects eligibility, ask DSHS to check each household member and the separate [state-funded Food Assistance Program](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/family-food-and-housing-services/food-assistance/state-food-assistance-program?ref=justabouts.com). One person’s ineligibility does not necessarily end help for everyone else.

*Information checked Nov. 5, 2026, using DSHS program guidance and its [Nov. 2 ABAWD manual](https://www.dshs.wa.gov/abawds-able-bodied-adults-without-dependents?ref=justabouts.com), Washington rules and [USDA’s June 2026 implementation guidance](https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/guidance-documents/fns.snap-obbbTimeLimitQAs1.pdf?ref=justabouts.com). See [ABAWD exemptions](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-444-0035&ref=justabouts.com), [work-registration exemptions](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-444-0010&ref=justabouts.com) and [continued-benefit rules](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-458-0040&ref=justabouts.com).*