Medicaid work rule · Washington · checked 2026-10-20
Medicaid work requirement in Washington: 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 Washington has published about how it will check, with a link to each source. Washington decides; this page only explains.
What Washington has published
- When it starts
- 2027-01-01 (Apple Health for Adults). No soft launch is published.Sources: 1 2 (Washington's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- Whether your own word counts in 2027
- Medical frailty: yes, accepted without additional proof through 2027; verification starts January 2028. Self-attestation for work hours, volunteering, income or student status is not explicitly published on the member page. Two short-term hardships (out-of-community medical travel, inpatient stays) must be requested by the member.Sources: 1 2 (Washington's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How many months it looks back
- Application: the month before the application month (current-month exclusions: the application month or the month before). Renewal: any one month during the certification period.Sources: 1 2 (Washington's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How often you renew
- 6 months from 2027-01-01 (American Indian and Alaska Native members: 12 months).Sources: 1 2 (Washington's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How it checks medical frailty
- Published diagnosis and condition code list: www.hca.wa.gov . Residents of Rainier School, Fircrest, Lakeland Village and Yakima Valley School are frail. Self-attestation through 2027; from 2028, data sources first, then proof. CMS tiers are not mentioned.Sources: 1 2 (Washington's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
In Washington's own words
“We will accept self-attestation of an individual’s medically frail status without requiring additional proof through 2027. Verification requirements of medically frail go into effect January 2028.”hca.wa.gov
“If you are enrolled in Apple Health for Adults, you will be required to renew your coverage every 6 months instead of 12 months.”hca.wa.gov
Not published yet
Washington has not said this yet on the pages checked. Ask your Medicaid office, and keep copies of what you send.
- Self-attestation for activities and income in 2027
- CMS tier adoption
Sources
Washington's own Medicaid pages, read on 2026-10-20. The federal rule behind every state is in rules.json, with its own sources.