Medicaid work rule · Colorado · checked 2026-10-20
Medicaid work requirement in Colorado: what applies to you in 2027
Starting no later than January 2027, most adults 19 to 64 on Medicaid expansion must show 80 hours a month of work, school, volunteering or a work program, or $580 of income, unless the rule does not apply to them. Below is what Colorado has published about how it will check, with a link to each source. Colorado decides; this page only explains.
What Colorado has published
- When it starts
- January 2027: new applications filed on or after 2027-01-01, and current members with a renewal due in or after January 2027. No soft launch published.Sources: 1 2 (Colorado's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- Whether your own word counts in 2027
- Yes, broadly. In 2027 applicants and members may self-attest to earnings, hours worked, or both. Self-attestation may also be used for certain information on medical frailty, student status, volunteer work and work-program participation. Exclusions and exceptions use existing system data plus self-attestation in a three-step process.Sources: 1 2 (Colorado's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How many months it looks back
- Application: 1 calendar month (the month before applying). Renewal: at least 1 calendar month since the last renewal deadline. Colorado chose one month to reduce administrative burden.Sources: 1 2 (Colorado's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How often you renew
- Every 6 months for members subject to work requirements.Sources: 1 2 (Colorado's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How it checks medical frailty
- Existing system data plus self-attestation in a three-step process. No claims-code list or CMS 3-tier adoption published on the pages checked.Sources: 1 2 (Colorado's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
In Colorado's own words
“In 2027, they will be able to self-attest to their earnings, hours worked, or both.”hcpf.colorado.gov
“Current members will need to show at renewal that they met the requirement in at least one calendar month since their last renewal deadline.”hcpf.colorado.gov
“In 2027, for members and applicants subject to work requirements, the state will use existing system data and self-attestation to determine if an individual qualifies for an exclusion or exception based on a three-step process.”hcpf.colorado.gov
Not published yet
Colorado has not said this yet on the pages checked. Ask your Medicaid office, and keep copies of what you send.
- details of the three-step frailty process and any condition list
Sources
Colorado's own Medicaid pages, read on 2026-10-20. The federal rule behind every state is in rules.json, with its own sources.