Medicaid work rule · Wisconsin · checked 2026-10-20
Medicaid work requirement in Wisconsin: 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 Wisconsin has published about how it will check, with a link to each source. Wisconsin decides; this page only explains.
Who it covers in Wisconsin
Wisconsin did not expand Medicaid. The requirement applies to the BadgerCare Plus 'childless adult' group, covered under the section 1115 BadgerCare waiver up to 100% FPL: ages 19-64, not pregnant, no dependent child under 19 at home. DHS estimates about 200,000 of about 800,000 BadgerCare Plus members. Parents whose child lives with them at least 40% of the time are not subject.
What Wisconsin has published
- When it starts
- New applicants: 2027-01-01. Most current members: renewals beginning March 2027. Member letters went out Aug-Sep 2026.Source: 1 (Wisconsin's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- Whether your own word counts in 2027
- Serious or complex medical condition: yes. Applicants are asked at application with no further action needed; current members are checked against data first and asked to self-attest at renewal if needed. No provider forms. Self-attestation for work, volunteer, income or student status is not explicitly published ('Members may need to report they are compliant').Source: 1 (Wisconsin's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How many months it looks back
- Application: the month before the application month. Renewal: 1 month since last approval, 'in most cases the last 12 months'.Source: 1 (Wisconsin's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How often you renew
- The agency describes an annual renewal check: 'we'll check annually at renewal'. A 6-month renewal is not stated for this group.Source: 1 (Wisconsin's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
- How it checks medical frailty
- Automatic exemptions for an SSA disability determination and for enrollment in long-term care (Family Care, IRIS, PACE). Multiple data sources including claims data. Self-attestation of a serious or complex medical condition at application or renewal. No condition list or CMS tiers are published.Source: 1 (Wisconsin's own pages, listed below) · checked 2026-10-20
In Wisconsin's own words
“No. We will check for compliance or an exemption when someone first applies and then we'll check annually at renewal.”dhs.wisconsin.gov
“At application, we’ll ask if they have a serious or complex medical condition. No further action is needed by the applicant.”dhs.wisconsin.gov
“Most current members: March 2027.”dhs.wisconsin.gov
Not published yet
Wisconsin 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
- Whether 6-month renewals will ever apply to the group
- Frailty condition list
- CMS tier adoption
Sources
Wisconsin's own Medicaid pages, read on 2026-10-20. The federal rule behind every state is in rules.json, with its own sources.