Missouri Signs Off on Work Requirements for Mo HealthNet Recipients

The Missouri Family Support Division, in a letter to Missouri HealthNet recipients dated July 24th, and which did not arrive in Sheridan until last week, announced that some adult recipients of MO HealthNet coverage will need to meet community engagement requirements starting January 1st, 2027. Adults who need to meet community engagement requirements will have their eligibility reviewed every six months instead of every 12 months. 

Eligible activities include the following:

--Paid or unpaid work;

--Going to school or job training;

--Taking part in an approved work program;

--Volunteering with a community service program with a public or nonprofit organization.

To meet the requirement, recipients must complete at least 80 hours of approved activities each month. A combination of approved activities may be used to meet the requirements.

If you need to meet the requirements, the Family Support Division will first use information already available to verify that you meet the requirements. You meet the requirements if you or your household have an income of $580 or more each month during your six-month renewal period. If not, then to meet community engagement activities, you need to complete at least 80 hours of approved activities.

If the Family Support Division cannot verify that you meet requirements, you need to report how you met community engagement activities. Reporting will be available through the existing process. Starting January 1st, the Family Support Division will update renewal forms so you can report community engagement activities.

If the Family Support Division needs more information, they will contact you through the existing renewal process and explain:

--What information is needed;

--How to send it;

--When it is due.

Examples of documents that may be requested include:

--Pay Stubs;

--School or training records;

--Volunteer records;

--Other proof of community engagement activities.

If the Department of Social Services cannot confirm that you meet community engagement requirements or that you do not need to meet them, you will receive another notice. That notice will explain:

--What information is missing;

--What steps you can take;

--How much time you have to respond;

--Your rights and options.

If you do not respond or do not meet the requirements, your MO HealthNet coverage could end.

Losing Mo HealthNet could affect whether you qualify for financial help paying for health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you lose your Mo HealthNet coverage because you do not meet the community engagement requirements, you will not be eligible to receive advanced payments of the premium tax credit or the premium tax credit used to pay for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The following people are exempt from the requirements:

--People who are pregnant or who recently had a pregnancy;

--Medicare recipients;

--Veterans with temporary or permanent disabilities or compensation as 100% from the Department of Veterans Affairs;

--People who are medically frail, such as people who are blind or have a disability, have a substance use disorder (unless they have been in stable recovery for five or more years), have a serious mental health condition, have a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability that significantly impairs their ability to perform one or more activities of daily living, or who have a serious or complex medical condition;

--Participants in a drug or alcohol addiction treatment or rehabilitation program;

--People who care for a child age 13 or younger;

--People who care for a person with a disability;

--A former foster youth under 26;

--Members of federally recognized Tribal communities;

--People who meet Temporary Assistance work requirements;

--In a household that gets SNAP and is subject to SNAP work requirements;

--People in jail, prison, or were recently released;

--Qualify for another exemption under federal or state rules.

If the Family Support Division cannot verify that you are exempt from community engagement requirements, you will need to report how you are exempt from community engagement requirements to the Family Support Division. Starting January 1st, 2027 the Family Support Division will update renewal forms so you can report an exemption.