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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    On this page:

    Preparing for Medicaid Changes
    Medicaid Work Requirements & Six Month Renewals
    Other Medicaid Changes

    Preparing for Medicaid Changes

    Update your address: Log in to COMPASS at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS or the myCOMPASS PA mobile app to check and update your address and other contact information.

    Report address changes to the US Postal Service. If you updated your address in COMPASS, you also need to report address changes to the US Postal Service to ensure you receive mail from us. Visit USPS.com/move to update your address.

    Sign up for texts and emails from DHS. Visit dhs.pa.gov/text to sign up for texts and emails to get even faster notifications about your benefits.

    SNAP recipients subject to a SNAP work requirement who also receive Medicaid are excluded from the Medicaid work requirement. This applies to the following groups:

    • People who have already shown they are meeting the SNAP work requirement; and
    • People who are not meeting the SNAP work requirement but are receiving their three months of time-limited SNAP benefits.

    Text messages from PA DHS will come from the PA DHS 69217 number and recorded phone calls will come from the PA DHS 1-877-839-4782 number.

    PA DHS will never ask you to provide personal information about you or your benefits over text message.

    Find more information about HR1 changes by calling the HR1 FAQ Line at 1-877-883-6383.

    Call the PA DHS HelpLine at 1-800-692-7462 (1-800-451-5886 TDD for individuals with hearing impairments).

    Medicaid Work Requirements & Six Month Renewals 

    If you currently are on Medicaid, PA DHS will send you information by mail, phone call, or text if the work requirements apply to you or someone in your household. You will also be asked about work requirements during your renewal.

    If you are applying for Medicaid, PA DHS will check if the work requirements apply to you during your application. If you need to meet the work requirements, that will be checked during your application. 

    The work requirements may apply to you. Not everyone needs to meet work requirements, and some Pennsylvanians may be exempt. 

    If you apply for Medicaid after January 1, 2027, there will be questions about work requirements and exemptions in your Medicaid application. You will need to report on meeting work requirements or an exemption in the month before the month you apply. 

    If you don’t report that you are meeting work requirements or an exemption, you may not be eligible for Medicaid coverage.

    Check the list of exemptions on dhs.pa.gov/medicaidchanges. If any of these situations apply to you, report your exemption to your local county assistance office and provide information about your exemption. You need to report your exemption at your next renewal or you will be required to show you meet the work requirement to remain eligible.

    If you are already receiving Medicaid, there will be questions about work requirements and exemptions starting with your first renewal in 2027. You will need to report on meeting work requirements or an exemption in at least one of the months since your last renewal.

    If you don’t report that you are meeting work requirements or an exemption, you may lose Medicaid coverage. 

    Your Medicaid coverage will not end without notice. PA DHS will always send you a notice if your coverage changes for any reason. Make sure you respond to notices you receive from PA DHS, especially if those notices ask you for information like whether you are working, in school, volunteering, or participating in a job training program. 

    You can find your next renewal date on COMPASS or the MyCOMPASS PA mobile app.

    Starting in January 2027, some adults will have to renew their Medicaid every six months instead of every year. This may apply to you if you are 19 to 64 years old. If this new rule applies to you, you will switch to six-month renewals after completing your first renewal that occurs in 2027.

    If you apply for Medicaid after January 1, 2027, your first renewal will be six months after your benefits start. 

    You must renew to keep getting Medicaid.

    You can report work or an exemption on your Medicaid application or renewal form.

    You can also submit documents with these forms through COMPASS or the myCOMPASS PA mobile app or call the Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 (215-560-7226 in Philadelphia).

    For a new application, if you do not meet an exemption, you will need to provide information to show you met the work requirement for the month before the month you applied. For example, if you apply in March, you need to show you met the work requirement in February.

    For a renewal, if you do not meet an exemption, you will need to provide information to show that you are meeting the work requirement in at least one month since your last renewal.

    1. Paid work must always be verified, so you need to provide information to PA DHS showing that you received payment, such as a pay stub.
    2. In 2027, most other work activities and exemptions can be verified by answering questions (self-attestation) on your application or renewal. This means you can self-report that you are meeting these requirements or meet an exemption.
    3. In 2028, you will be required to provide information at application and renewal to show you are meeting the work requirements or an exemption.

    Yes, you can reapply for Medicaid at any time.

    If your Medicaid benefits were denied or closed for not reporting or meeting a work requirement or an exemption and your circumstances change, you will need to show that you met the work requirement or exemption in the month before the month you apply.

    A few examples of a change in circumstances include:

    • You start working, going to school or a work program, or volunteering for 80 hours a month, or
    • You start meeting an exemption.

    Work requirements are checked during your renewal. If you lose your job, you will continue to have Medicaid coverage as long as you are still otherwise eligible.

    Other Medicaid Changes

    Some noncitizens may no longer receive Medicaid as of October 1, 2026, including refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, trafficking or domestic violence victims, those with deportation withheld, or those granted conditional entry who are over 21 and not pregnant or postpartum.

    We will review your status before October 1, 2026. If you are no longer eligible, we will send you a notice and your Medicaid will end on October 1, 2026. Most other noncitizens will still need to wait five years before they can get Medicaid unless they have an emergency medical condition.