How to Fill Out and Submit DC SNAP Work Registration Forms

If you receive SNAP in the District and fall under the Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents rules, the DC SNAP work registration forms you’ll encounter are three documents the Department of Human Services is releasing on April 27, 2026, ahead of a May 1, 2026 enforcement date: the SNAP Work Requirements Screening Form, the SNAP Verification of Employment Form, and the SNAP Medical Report Form. Most people will fill out the Screening Form plus one of the other two, submit through the District Direct portal or app, in person at a service center, by mail, or by fax, and keep a dated copy of everything.

Which Form You Actually Need

The Screening Form is universal. Everyone subject to ABAWD rules completes it at application and at recertification, and DHS uses the answers to decide whether you have to meet the 80-hour monthly work threshold or whether an exemption applies.¹

From there, the second form depends on how you’re meeting the requirement:

If you’re working or participating in a qualifying program for at least 80 hours a month, pair the Screening Form with the SNAP Verification of Employment Form.
If a physical or mental condition prevents you from working, pair the Screening Form with the SNAP Medical Report Form, completed by a qualified health professional.

If you already receive disability benefits from any government or private source, that alone satisfies the medical exemption. Bring documentation of those benefits to your screening and DHS can verify it without a Medical Report Form.

Filling Out the Screening Form

DHS walks you through the Screening Form during your application or recertification, but you’ll move faster if you arrive prepared. Have your DHS case number, Social Security Number, and current household information ready. The questions are designed to flag any ABAWD exemption, so know your household composition (anyone under 18 in the home matters, even if that child isn’t on SNAP), any medical conditions, pregnancy status, veteran status, foster-care history before age 18 if you’re 24 or younger, and your current work status before you sit down with it.²

If you’re claiming good cause for not meeting work requirements in a prior month, be ready to explain why. Federal regulations recognize illness, a household emergency, and lack of available transportation as valid grounds.³ DC’s recertification guidelines add specifics: a physical or mental illness affecting you or a household member you care for, lack of affordable childcare within a reasonable distance, and discrimination by an employer or program all qualify.

Filling Out the Verification of Employment Form

This is the form that proves the hours you’re claiming. You fill in your employer’s name, contact information, and the hours you’ve worked. Your employer or supervisor then signs it to confirm the information is accurate. Pay stubs can serve as supporting evidence, but the signed employer verification is the core document.

Make sure the hours on the form match the pay stubs or records you attach. Mismatched hours are a common reason DHS flags submissions as incomplete, which triggers a short cure window and risks a benefit cut if you miss it.

Self-employment counts toward the 80 hours, but documenting it takes more care because there’s no employer to sign off. Keep logs of hours worked and any records of income or transactions you can attach.

What Hours Can Go on the Form

The 80-hour requirement is more flexible than many people realize. The following all count toward the monthly total:³

Paid employment: wages, salary, commission, full-time, part-time, or gig work.
In-kind work: working in exchange for goods or services rather than cash.
Unpaid or volunteer work, as long as it’s documented.
SNAP Employment and Training or another federal, state, or local workforce program at 80 hours a month.
A combination of paid work, volunteer hours, and program participation that reaches 80 hours.
Workfare assigned by DHS in exchange for your benefits. Workfare hours are based on your benefit allotment amount rather than a flat 80.

Filling Out the Medical Report Form

You don’t fill out the Medical Report Form yourself. A licensed healthcare professional completes it — a doctor, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or social worker — and describes the condition that prevents you from working.² Schedule the appointment well before your recertification deadline. If you wait, provider availability can push you past the date DHS needs the paperwork back.

Confirm the provider includes their credentials and signature. A medical form without those details is one of the common incomplete-submission flags.

How to Submit the Forms

DC offers four submission channels for the completed forms and any supporting documents. Pick whichever fits your situation:

District Direct portal or mobile app. Upload the forms and documents electronically. DHS publishes step-by-step guides for both the web portal and the app, and electronic submission gives you an immediate timestamp as proof of filing.⁴
In person. Bring your paperwork to any DHS service center. The five locations — Anacostia, Fort Davis, Congress Heights, H Street, and Taylor Street — are open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Ask the intake clerk for a date-stamped receipt when you hand in your forms.⁵
Mail. Send completed forms to the Economic Security Administration, Case Record Management Unit, P.O. Box 91560, Washington, DC 20090.⁶
Fax. DHS also accepts faxed submissions. Check your most recent DHS correspondence or the District Direct portal for the current fax number.¹

Whichever method you use, keep copies of everything you submit. If DHS later says they never received a document, your copy and timestamp are what protect you.

After You Submit

DHS reviews your forms and supporting documents to decide whether you’ve met the work requirement or qualify for an exemption. For exemption requests, DC’s guidelines provide for processing within 30 days of receiving all necessary verification. Watch for mail from DHS and check your District Direct account for updates.

If something is missing — an employer signature, hours that don’t match your pay stubs, a Medical Report Form without provider credentials — DHS will send a notice telling you what’s needed and giving you a short window to fix it. Respond immediately. If DHS doesn’t receive the missing information by the deadline on the notice, your benefits will be reduced or terminated automatically.

If DHS Denies Your Exemption or Cuts Your Benefits

You can request a fair hearing. Federal regulations give you 90 days from the date of the adverse action to file.⁷ If you file within the timeframe stated on the notice — before the reduction or termination actually takes effect — your benefits continue at the current level while you wait, unless you waive that right.

File the hearing request through District Direct, at a service center, or by mail to the same P.O. Box 91560 address. Keep a dated copy. Acting early is what prevents a gap in benefits while the dispute plays out.

A Note on Who These Forms Apply To

The three forms exist to administer the ABAWD time limit, which under federal law enacted in 2025 applies to SNAP recipients between ages 18 and 64 who have no dependent child in the household and aren’t otherwise exempt.⁸ If you’re outside that age range, have a child under 18 in your home, are pregnant, are a veteran, are homeless, or are 24 or younger and were in foster care at 18, the Screening Form is where DHS confirms your exemption; you won’t need the Verification of Employment or Medical Report forms on top of it.²

1
Department of Human Services. SNAP Work Requirements
2
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
4
Department of Human Services. District Direct Help
5
Department of Human Services. Find a Service Center Near You
6
Department of Human Services. ESA Frequently Asked Questions
7
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings
8
Congressional Research Service. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Act