HR 1 Customer Notices

In September 2026, HFS mailed a notice to Medicaid customers in the ACA population who may be affected by work requirements and six-month redeterminations starting in 2027.

HFS urges customers to update their contact information, to ensure critical notices reach them timely, and to ensure their continued Medicaid eligibility is assessed based on up-to-date information. Customers should watch their mail for important notices from HFS.

The September notice on HR 1 eligibility changes for the ACA Adult population included the following information:

Your Medicaid coverage is not changing right now, but new eligibility requirements will take effect starting in 2027. The information we have shows that your coverage may be affected. Here’s what you need to know.

A new law passed by Congress may affect your Medicaid benefits. 

1. Work requirements: The new federal law requires some people with Medicaid to meet work requirements. Our system shows that you are one of those people. This requirement will start at your first redetermination in 2027.  Unless you are identified as exempt from work requirements, you must meet work requirements to keep your Medicaid coverage.
2. Six-month redeterminations: The new federal law requires that some people with Medicaid will need to redetermine their eligibility every 6 months, instead of every 12 months as it is now. Again, our system shows that this will apply to you. This more frequent redetermination will start in 2027. At these reviews, you will either need to be meeting work requirements or exempt from them to keep your Medicaid coverage. 
3. Please read this whole notice: Although the changes will not affect your Medicaid until your redetermination in 2027, it is important that you read this entire notice so that you understand the requirements and are prepared to comply with the work requirements or request an exemption.

If you are enrolled in Medicaid as an “ACA Adult,” work requirements may apply to you. 

You are currently enrolled as an ACA Adult. This means we think that you are:

• Between 19-64 years old,

• Do not have a child under 18 residing in your home who is related to you, and 

• Are not receiving (or entitled to) Medicare Part A or Part B.

If you do not think you are an ACA Adult based on these criteria, please let us know immediately by calling the ABE Customer Service at 1-800-843-6154/1-866-324-5553 TTY. You may still qualify for other Medicaid coverage in a different eligibility group. 

1. Update your contact information. Make sure HFS has an address where mail always reaches you. If you move, get a new phone number, or change your email address, update that with the state right away by filling out the Medicaid Address Change Form at https://ilhfspartner3.dynamics365portals.us/addressupdate/. 

2. Watch your mail for letters from HFS. We will contact Medicaid customers directly before any change affects coverage.

3. Stay informed. Visit https://hfs.illinois.gov/info/fedresctr.html for the latest updates and review the SNAP factsheet if you also receive food assistance.

4. Create an account in our Manage My Case portal. If you do not have an account in Manage My Case, go to abe.illinois.gov and click on the Manage My Case button to create an account.  If you already have an account, make sure you can log in to your account. Manage My Case will give you access to key information about your Medicaid benefits and allow you to report information to us.

You can be exempted from work requirements if you are: 

• A former foster youth who is under 26 years old

• Pregnant or are receiving benefits after your pregnancy under the Moms & Babies program

• An American Indian/Alaska Native, an American Urban Indian, a California Indian, a member of a recognized tribe, or qualified to receive healthcare through the Indian Health Service (IHS) 

• A parent, guardian, caretaker relative, or family caregiver (paid or unpaid) of a dependent child who is under 14 years old or a person with a disability

• A Veteran with a Veterans’ Administration disability rating of 100%

• A person with special medical needs (“medically frail”), meaning that you have health issues that prevent you from meeting work requirements, like:

Being blind or disabled under Social Security standards 

Having a substance use condition (drug or alcohol)

Having a serious mental health condition

Having a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability that makes it hard for you to perform daily activities 

Having a serious or complex medical condition that requires regular treatment

• Receiving TANF benefits and meeting TANF work requirements

• Participating in a drug addiction or alcohol treatment program 

• An inmate of a public institution (prison or jail) currently or within the last 3 months

The SNAP program also has work requirements for some people, and some of the exemptions are the same for Medicaid.  

• If we can use our information to exempt you from both programs we will. 

• If you have both SNAP and Medicaid and must meet work requirements for both, you can be exempt from Medicaid work requirements if you are meeting work requirements for SNAP, or if you are in a month of your 3-month SNAP grace period.  

We will first use information we already have to attempt to verify if you are exempt from work requirements at your redetermination. If we can verify you meet an exemption, you will not need to take any action to prove that you meet or are exempt from work requirements. If we need more information, we may ask you to provide proof that you meet one of the exemptions above to keep your Medicaid eligibility.

You may also be exempted from work requirements if you are experiencing certain kinds of short-term hardship. These hardships include: 

• Living in a county with a federally declared emergency or with a high unemployment rate. 

HFS will determine this and notify you if you meet this exemption. 

• Being an inpatient in a hospital, rehab facility, intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or inpatient psychiatric hospital. 

You must request this exemption in order to receive it.

• Having to travel outside of your community for an extended period of time for medical services that are not available in your community to treat a serious or complex medical condition.  

You must request this exemption in order to receive it.

If Medicaid work requirements apply to you and you do not qualify for an exemption, you can meet them with any of the following qualifying activities:

• Have monthly income of $580 per month or more; or

• Work at least 80 hours per month (work includes a full-time or part-time job, self-employment, seasonal work, and unpaid work like an internship); or

• Have at least 80 hours of community service (volunteering) per month; or 

• Participate in a work program for at least 80 hours per month (visit snapworkrequirements.illinois.gov to view qualifying work programs); or

• Are in school (high school, GED, or college or trade school) at least half-time; or

• Are a seasonal worker with an average monthly income in the last 6 months that is not less than $580 per month

You can also meet work requirements by doing a combination of work, community service, work programs, or school for a total of at least 80 hours per month.

As with exemptions, we will use information we already have to verify that you meet work requirements when we can. If we need more information, we will let you know what you need to provide us to verify that you are meeting work requirements.

In Illinois, you will only need to meet or be exempt from the work requirement for one month during your “eligibility period”—which means the time from when your Medicaid starts to when it is set to end or be renewed. After your first redetermination in 2027, your case will be reviewed for eligibility every 6 months instead of every 12 months now, so you will need to meet or be exempt from the work requirement for one month during that 6 month period of review. 

f we cannot determine that you are exempt from or that you have met the Medicaid work requirements, we will ask you for more information during your redetermination. You will have 30 days to provide this information. Your benefits will be canceled at the end of your current “eligibility period” if you are not exempt and you have not met the Medicaid work requirements. 

If you do not meet or are not exempt from work requirements and your benefits are canceled, you may be able to get coverage through Get Covered Illinois, but you will not be eligible for the advanced premium subsidies that help with premium costs.

In late 2026, you will be able to go to abe.illinois.gov and click on Check to see if I meet SNAP & Medicaid Work Requirements. This will be a screener where you can answer questions that will help you understand if work requirements apply to you, how to meet them, and how to request an exemption. You will also soon be able to complete a Medicaid Work Requirement – Manage My Work Requirement form and mail the form to the Central Scanning Unit (CSU) P.O. Box 19138, Springfield, IL 62794, fax the form to 1-844-736-3563, or mail or drop off the form at your local Family and Community Resource Center (FCRC). Search online for the IDHS Office locator here for help finding your local FCRC.

We will announce when this part of the website and this form are ready. 

If you have questions now, you can reach us now by calling the ABE Customer Service at 1-800-843-6154/1-866-324-5553 TTY

Remember, work requirements have not started yet, and you do not need to demonstrate compliance to Illinois Medicaid right now. We do recommend that you think about whether you are going to be meeting work requirements or trying to be exempted from them and start to plan now. If you are able to work and are having trouble finding employment, resources for employment and work programs, such as Job Ready IL, can be found at snapworkrequirements.illinois.gov.

Sincerely, 

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services