Texas Form H1808, the Agreement to Follow SNAP Work Rules, is the one-page form you sign to end a SNAP work-rule sanction and get your benefits restored. Texas Health and Human Services sends it to you with your sanction notice (Form TF0001) after finding you out of compliance, and signing it is a required step before your case can be reopened once the penalty period ends.1Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1808 – Agreement to Follow SNAP Work Rules You do not sign it at application or renewal; it exists only to re-establish compliance after a sanction.
Why You Received Form H1808
HHSC sends Form H1808 after sanctioning you for one of the common SNAP work-rule violations: quitting a job of 30 or more hours a week without good cause, cutting your hours below that threshold, refusing a suitable job offer, failing to register for work when asked, or missing a required Employment and Training activity.2Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules The sanction notice tells you the penalty period; the form is how you commit, in writing, to following the rules going forward so your case can resume afterward.
How to Fill Out the Form
The form is short. If you did not receive it with your notice, you can download it from the HHSC website or pick one up at a local benefits office.1Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1808 – Agreement to Follow SNAP Work Rules It asks for four things:
- Your name, meaning the person who was sanctioned.
- Your SNAP EDG (eligibility determination group) number, which appears on your sanction notice and other SNAP correspondence. It is not your Social Security number.
- The date you sign.
- Your signature, confirming you have read the overview of SNAP work rules printed on the form and agree to follow them.
Read the work-rule overview before signing. Your signature is a legal commitment, and if you are sanctioned again later, the next penalty period will be longer.
Where to Submit It
Return the signed form to HHSC through any of the standard benefits-document channels:3Texas Health and Human Services. Benefits Application Next Steps
- Online: upload a photo or scan through your Your Texas Benefits account at yourtexasbenefits.com.
- In person at your local HHSC benefits office.
- By mail to HHSC, P.O. Box 149027, Austin, TX 78714-9027.
- By fax to 877-447-2839.
Keep a copy of the signed form and any upload confirmation. If your case status has not updated after a reasonable period, call 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 to check on it.4Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Food Benefits
When Your Benefits Will Resume
Signing Form H1808 does not shorten the sanction. Texas applies a minimum disqualification period that runs regardless of when you sign:5Texas Health and Human Services. A-1840, Noncooperation with ESP
- First violation: one month, or until you cooperate, whichever is longer.
- Second violation: three months, or until you cooperate, whichever is longer.
- Third or later violation: six months, or until you cooperate, whichever is longer.
You can sign and submit the form during the last month of your penalty period, and benefits can restart on the first day of the following month.5Texas Health and Human Services. A-1840, Noncooperation with ESP Submitting earlier does not speed anything up, but it also does no harm; HHSC holds the form until the minimum period expires.
One important wrinkle: if the sanctioned person was the primary wage earner, the whole household’s SNAP case is denied, not just that individual’s share. The household must file a new application to re-establish eligibility, though they can file it during the last month of the penalty period.6Texas Health and Human Services. A-1850, Voluntary Quit In every other case, benefits should return to your Lone Star Card without a new application once the caseworker ends the disqualification.5Texas Health and Human Services. A-1840, Noncooperation with ESP
What You Are Agreeing to Follow
By signing, you commit to the general SNAP work rules that apply to recipients ages 16 to 59 who are able to work. In practical terms, that means registering for work through the state when asked, accepting a suitable job offer, not quitting a job of 30 or more hours a week or cutting below that threshold without good cause, attending every scheduled Employment and Training activity if you’ve been assigned to the program, and responding to agency requests about your employment status.2Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules7eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions
A separate time limit applies to Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ages 18 to 64 with no household member under 14), who must meet an 80-hour monthly work or program threshold to keep benefits beyond three months in a three-year window.2Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules That is a different regime from the sanction Form H1808 addresses, but if the ABAWD rules apply to you, they continue to apply after you sign.
If You Think the Sanction Was Wrong
Before signing anything, consider whether the sanction should have been imposed at all. Two questions matter.
First, are you exempt from the work rules? The rules do not apply to recipients who are under 16 or over 59, physically or mentally unable to work, caring for a child under 6 or for someone who cannot care for themselves, already meeting TANF work requirements, enrolled at least half-time in school or training, in a drug or alcohol treatment program, or receiving or applying for unemployment compensation.2Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules If one of these applies, give your caseworker documentation (a medical statement, school enrollment verification, proof of a treatment program). A confirmed exemption can end the sanction without you signing Form H1808.
Second, did you have good cause? Federal regulations treat good cause as circumstances beyond your control, including employer discrimination, unsafe or unpaid working conditions, wages below the applicable minimum, your own or a household member’s illness or emergency, loss of child care for children ages 6 through 11, lack of reasonable transportation, or leaving to accept a new job or enroll at least half-time in school or training.7eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions Documentation makes or breaks a good-cause claim; gather what you have before you talk to your caseworker.
If you disagree with the sanction, you can request a fair hearing by contacting your local HHSC office in writing, by phone, or by returning the appeal section of your notice.7eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions If you request the hearing before the sanction’s effective date, benefits may continue at your current level until a hearing officer decides. Once that effective date passes, benefits typically stop during the hearing process, so acting quickly matters.8eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings Requesting a hearing does not prevent you from also signing Form H1808 as a backup, so that if the appeal fails your case can still reopen through the normal process.
Alternative for Voluntary Quit Sanctions
If your sanction was for voluntarily quitting a job, you have a second route besides Form H1808: you can end the sanction by getting a new comparable job. Texas treats a job as comparable if it offers equal or higher pay and hours, or if it has fewer hours or lower pay but demonstrably better advancement opportunities.6Texas Health and Human Services. A-1850, Voluntary Quit Report the new job to your caseworker with pay and hours documentation.