Work Requirements

Most members will not need to send in extra paperwork. Medicaid will check information the state already has. This includes information such as your employment and Social Security records. If Medicaid needs more information, you will get a notice in the mail.

For 2027 renewals, LDH will mail this notice about six months before the renewal period starts. If your renewal is due in January 2027, you were mailed a letter in May 2026 from LDH. Members who are not affected or do not need to meet the rule were not sent this notice.

Renewal packets will be mailed later, in November 2026. The renewal packet will include instructions about the new requirements and any forms you need to complete.

If you do not meet the new community engagement requirements and do not qualify for an exemption, you may lose your Medicaid coverage. You will have to demonstrate you have met the requirements or that you have an exemption.

• For new 2027 applications: Medicaid will check that activities have been completed the month before someone applies.
• For 2027 renewals: Medicaid will check that members meet requirements for at least one month in the last six months before their renewal begins.

Retroactive coverage helps pay for medical bills for services received before the official date that a member was covered by Louisiana Medicaid. Currently Medicaid provides this coverage for members up to three months before they apply. Starting October 1, 2026:

• Most adults ages 19 to 64 will have one month of possible retroactive coverage eligibility.
• Children, adults 65 and older, and people with disabilities will have up to two months of possible retroactive coverage eligibility.

Medically frail individuals are those with medical conditions that make it significantly difficult to comply with community engagement requirements. This includes individuals who are blind or disabled; have disabling mental disorders; substance use disorder; serious or complex medical conditions; or a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability that significantly impairs their ability to perform one or more activities of daily living.

Caretaker relative and family caregiver are both trusted adults who provide important daily care to a child or person with a disability. They have different definitions:

• Caretaker relative is a person related to a dependent child or a person with a disability by blood, adoption, or marriage with whom the child or disabled person is living, and who assumes primary responsibility for the care of the child or the disabled person. A caretaker relative is one of the following: parent, grandparent, sibling (brother or sister), brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepparent, stepsibling, aunt, uncle, first cousin, niece, or nephew.
• Family caregiver is an adult family member or other individual who has a significant relationship with, and who provides care within a broad range of assistance to, a dependent child or a person with a disability.