Utah Medicaid has put two changes in a letter to members: a monthly activity test and a review of eligibility every six months, both starting January 1, 2027. The letter is aimed at adults in the state’s Adult Expansion and Targeted Adult Medicaid programs, and the test is 80 hours a month of qualifying activity or earnings of at least $580 a month.
The state’s message in its July 2026 member letter is that nothing needs to be done today. Members will get more information and a renewal letter before any action is required. Utah published the letter in English and Spanish, and it is dated July 2026.
Two programs are named, and only adults 19 to 64 are in the rule
The letter explains the federal law known as H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, and says it applies to adults in Adult Expansion Medicaid and in Targeted Adult Medicaid, usually shortened to TAM. Utah Medicaid’s requirement page narrows the group to ages 19 to 64 and says the changes do not start until January 1, 2027.
The six-month reviews reach the same two groups. According to the state’s page on eligibility reviews, members of other Medicaid programs keep their current renewal schedule, so a neighbor on a different program may not be on the new clock.
That is the line a member has to find first: which program the card belongs to. Anyone unsure can call Utah Medicaid at 1-866-435-7414 for eligibility questions or 1-866-608-9422 for other questions, or start with the state’s H.R. 1 overview, which says the changes will mostly affect adults covered through Medicaid Expansion. The same page warns that some people will lose coverage if they do not meet the new requirements, and that members can lose benefits by not returning forms or missing deadlines.
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What counts toward the monthly test
Utah lists six ways to meet the test: working a job, training for a job, going to school at least half-time, volunteering, earning at least $580 a month, or showing why a person cannot work or volunteer. A combination of activities that adds up to 80 hours also counts.
The $580 figure is not Utah’s own invention. Under the federal rule, adults can meet the test by earning 80 times the federal minimum wage, which CMS lists as $580 a month in 2026. That federal standard reaches 43 states plus Washington, D.C., applies to adults 19 to 64 who are not pregnant and not enrolled in Medicare, and lets each state set how many compliant months it will ask to see. Utah’s answer, at least one qualifying month since the last review, matches the minimum the federal rule describes for existing enrollees.
Who is excluded, and what else can satisfy the rule
The state’s exclusion list covers adults who are pregnant or receiving postpartum Medicaid, in foster care or were previously, American Indian or Alaska Native, or a parent, guardian or caregiver for a child 13 or younger or for a person with a disability. Veterans with a 100% disability, people who are medically frail or have special needs, and people subject to SNAP or TANF work rules are excluded too, along with people who are currently incarcerated or in a drug or alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program.
A second set of exceptions can satisfy the rule for the period since a member’s last approval or renewal. Those include Medicare Part A or Part B enrollment, receipt of SSI, coverage under another Medicaid program, and hardships such as a hospital or nursing home stay, extended travel for medical care that is not available locally, or living in a county with a declared emergency or very high unemployment.
The letter adds that members receiving other benefits, such as Social Security or SSI, may be covered, and that Utah Medicaid will first check its own records. Members who already show work, school or other qualifying benefits there may not have to send paperwork.
How the six-month cycle changes the paperwork
Under the new schedule, members must show every six months that they still qualify, instead of once a year. The requirement page says proof of the activities may be needed during each of those reviews.
The look-back is short. New members are judged on the month before they apply, and current members are judged on the time since their last renewal or approval, with at least one qualifying month needed in that period. American Indian and Alaska Native members keep a review once every 12 months.
Utah’s pages do not yet say how proof is submitted or what documents are accepted. The letter points members to the myCase portal for keeping contact information current, and it notes that mail about the review may also come from the Department of Workforce Services.
Is the Utah Medicaid 80-hour test already on the household calendar?
Utah has told members to expect a renewal letter before they have to act, and it has not published how proof gets submitted. Members who wait for the letter without knowing whether they are excluded may spend the response window sorting out their category instead of their paperwork.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the new Medicaid work requirement and who is exempt. Its Part 6 walks through the Medicaid work rule and the 90-day rescue after coverage is dropped, and it includes a Utah state pack among 51.
Get the Utah Medicaid work-rule exclusions checklist →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
