(WHTM) – Changes are coming for those who receive Medicaid – also known as Medical Assistance in Pennsylvania – starting next year.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services says some adults aged 19 to 64 will need to have their eligibility checked by completing a renewal every six months instead of every year.

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Some of those adults who do not have a dependent child under 14-years-old must also show that they’re meeting work and community engagement requirements. This also includes going to school at least part-time or participating in a work training program.

You may also meet these requirements if your monthly income is at least $580 a month.

Requirements will be reviewed during the application or renewal of benefits, and Medicaid recipients will lose benefits if they do not meet these work and community engagement rules.

Recipients who are exempt from the new rules include parents/caretakers of children under 14 or of an individual with a disability, pregnant or postpartum women, those currently or formerly in foster care, veterans with a VA-determined total disability, those in treatment for alcohol or substance use disorder, medically frail individuals, residents incarcerated in the last 90 days, those with special medical needs, and Native American/American Indian, or Alaskan natives.

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Those who receive benefits will begin receiving communications from the state regarding these changes. Recipients can expect to receive mail, calls, and text messages regarding the eligibility requirements.

Participants with a COMPASS account should update their address and sign up for alerts from the Department of Human Services to ensure they receive notification of benefit changes.

The changes are due to rules implemented in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

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