Ignoring a renewal packet can end your Michigan Medicaid coverage even if you still qualify. Federal law (42 CFR 435.916) requires the state to attempt an automatic renewal from data it already holds before it ever asks you for paperwork, but when a packet does reach you, it has to come back on time. This guide explains how the Michigan Medicaid recertification and renewal cycle works, what to do when your packet arrives, and the 90-day window to recover if you miss the deadline.

Renew online through MI Bridges, or by phone, mail, or at a local Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) office.

The Michigan Medicaid recertification and renewal cycle begins where your initial approval leaves off. Eligibility for the Medicaid program is set once at application, but under 42 CFR 435.916 it is redetermined at least every 12 months thereafter, and a missed renewal can end coverage even for someone who still qualifies.

In This Guide

The Michigan Medicaid recertification and renewal cycle

Under 42 CFR 435.916, MDHHS, Michigan's single state Medicaid agency, must redetermine eligibility at least once every 12 months. For aged, blind, disabled, long-term-care and Medicare Savings Program beneficiaries that is a minimum, not a ceiling: MDHHS may redetermine sooner. Your renewal month is set when you are initially approved and stays the same calendar month every year going forward. One change is on the horizon: the ACA expansion-adult population moves to a 6-month renewal cycle for renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027, covered in the post-2026 section below.

Renewal cycles split into two procedural paths depending on eligibility category:

  • MAGI populations (children, pregnant applicants, parent caretakers, and the income-based adult group): renewed using Modified Adjusted Gross Income methodology, verified through Social Security Administration earnings, Internal Revenue Service tax data, and wage records; there is no asset test.
  • Non-MAGI populations (Aged, Blind, and Disabled, Long-Term Care, MI Choice waiver participants, Medicare Savings Programs, and medically needy): renewed under a framework that includes an asset test. MDHHS must still attempt an ex parte renewal, but because federal law requires the state to verify assets at renewal through an Asset Verification System (Section 1940 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1396w), these renewals clear automatically far less often and usually require bank statements, retirement-account and life-insurance documentation, and a signed asset-verification authorization.

Michigan runs the physical-health side of Medicaid through managed care: most beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicaid Health Plan under the state's Comprehensive Health Care Program. Being in a health plan does not change your renewal, which MDHHS eligibility staff handle.

Ex parte Michigan Medicaid renewal: the federal mandate

The single most important federal rule in modern Medicaid renewal is the ex parte default at 42 CFR 435.916. Before MDHHS asks a beneficiary for any information at renewal, it must make a redetermination of eligibility without requiring information from the individual whenever it can do so from reliable information already in the individual's account or otherwise available to the agency, including electronic data sources. Only when the agency cannot renew on that basis may it request information from the enrollee.

In Michigan, ex parte renewal pulls from Social Security Administration earnings, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income records, Internal Revenue Service tax filings, state wage records, Medicare entitlement data, and other benefit-program case data the agency already holds. If those sources confirm that the beneficiary remains within the income threshold for their eligibility category and that household composition and other categorical requirements have not changed, the renewal is processed automatically, and the beneficiary receives a notice that coverage continues for another 12 months and no action is required.

When ex parte fails, MDHHS has to come back to the beneficiary for what is missing. If your eligibility is based on MAGI, federal law requires MDHHS to send a renewal form containing the information the agency already has and to give you at least 30 days from the date of the renewal form to respond, provide any missing information, and sign the form. The clock runs from the date printed on the form, not the day it arrives. If you qualify on the basis of age, disability, long-term services and supports, a Medicare Savings Program, or another non-MAGI pathway, federal rules let Michigan follow that same procedure, including the 90-day reconsideration below, but do not require it, so ask MDHHS what applies to you. Ex parte most often does not clear when there is an asset test to satisfy (ABD, LTC, and MI Choice renewals require documentation that automated data rarely produces, so the agency requests it), when income is volatile or self-employed and does not appear in wage databases, when household composition changed, or when reported income sits close to the eligibility cutoff.

When status verification stalls. If you declare U.S. citizenship, U.S. national status, or a satisfactory immigration status and the agency cannot promptly verify it from data sources, 42 CFR 435.956 requires a reasonable opportunity period to produce documentation, ending at the earlier of verification or 90 days after the notice. During it the agency may not delay, deny, reduce, or terminate benefits for someone it otherwise finds eligible, and it may not cap how many such periods you receive.

How to renew Michigan Medicaid: your channels

Under 42 CFR 435.916, a renewal form may be submitted through any of the modes of application the agency offers, and the agency may not require an in-person interview to renew. In Michigan, a request for assistance (including a renewal) may be made in person, by mail, by telephone, or online, and a MI Bridges online submission is treated the same as the paper MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application.

Channel Method Notes
Online MI Bridges, MDHHS's benefits portal Fastest, document upload supported, view case status, recommended
Phone Your local MDHHS office Telephonic renewal accepted; find your office at michigan.gov/mdhhs
Mail Return the signed renewal packet to your local MDHHS office Address is printed on your packet; allow processing time after receipt
In person Any local MDHHS office Walk in to submit documents or complete the renewal

From your MI Bridges account you can view your case, update your contact information, upload documents, complete a renewal, and check the status of any pending action. If you created a MI Bridges account when you applied, use it; if not, you can create one and connect it to your case using your name, date of birth, and case or beneficiary ID from any MDHHS notice or your mihealth card. Once you submit, MDHHS must certify approval or denial within its standard-of-promptness clock of 45 days for most Medicaid cases (90 days when disability is an eligibility factor).

The 90-day Michigan Medicaid reconsideration window

If your coverage closed because you missed the renewal paperwork, you usually do not have to start over.

Under 42 CFR 435.916, if a beneficiary loses Medicaid for failure to return the renewal form or necessary information (a procedural termination, not an eligibility-based one), the agency must reconsider eligibility and treat the late-returned form as the renewal if the beneficiary submits it within 90 days of the termination, without requiring a new application. If the reconsideration finds the beneficiary still eligible, coverage is restored; whether that restoration reaches back to the termination date is state-dependent. Federal law requires that reconsideration for MAGI-based coverage; on the age, disability, long-term-care, and Medicare Savings Program pathways it is a state option, so ask MDHHS whether it applies to you.

This means: if your renewal closed on 6/30 because you did not return the form, you have until about 9/28 (90 days later) to submit the missing paperwork. The 90-day clock starts on the termination date, not the date of the notice, so read your closure notice carefully.

To activate the reconsideration, submit the renewal form through any channel above. If you no longer have the form, log in to MI Bridges or contact your local office to request a new packet, and note the closure date prominently so the case is routed correctly.

Children's 12-month continuous eligibility

Section 5112 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 amended the Social Security Act to require every state to give children under age 19 enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP 12 months of continuous eligibility from the date of enrollment, effective January 1, 2024.

Once a child is enrolled, coverage is locked in for 12 months regardless of changes in family income. If a parent loses Medicaid mid-year because household income rose above the threshold, the children stay covered until the next annual renewal. Limited exceptions allow mid-year termination: the child turns 19, moves out of Michigan, dies, the family voluntarily disenrolls, or there is fraud or intentional program violation.

Pregnant applicants and 12-month postpartum coverage

Michigan covers pregnant Medicaid enrollees for a full 12 months after the end of pregnancy under the permanent state option created by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Coverage continues through the end of the month in which the 12th postpartum month falls, regardless of income, and the annual renewal cycle resumes after that. Pregnant applicants also get an expedited decision: MDHHS must act within 15 days.

Long-term care and MI Choice waiver renewals: two reviews

If you receive Medicaid long-term care (a nursing facility or the MI Choice Waiver), the renewal has two independent components, and both must stay current.

Financial redetermination

Conducted by MDHHS on the annual 12-month cycle, this review includes the asset test that federal law requires the state to run at renewal through the Asset Verification System. It reviews income (Social Security, pensions, annuities), assets (bank accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, real property), and your signed asset-verification authorization. Michigan's 2026 LTC financial standards frame this review:

  • Income limit (Michigan LTC Medicaid, 2026): $2,982 per month for a single applicant (300% of the SSI federal benefit rate).
  • Asset limit: $9,950 for a single applicant in the LTC and MI Choice categories, effective January 1, 2026, well above the $2,000 limit that still applies to other (non-LTC) categories.
  • Community Spouse Resource Allowance (Michigan, 2026): a non-applicant spouse keeps up to $162,660 of the couple's countable assets.
  • Patient allowance: a nursing-facility resident keeps a $60 personal-needs allowance ($90 for a veteran on an Improved Pension); the rest of countable income goes to the facility as the patient-pay amount.

A 60-month asset transfer look-back applies to these categories, so at renewal MDHHS may review recent transfers as well as current assets.

Level of care reassessment

Conducted separately from the financial review, this confirms you still meet the nursing-facility level of care that qualifies you for institutional Medicaid or the MI Choice waiver. For waiver participants, the reassessment is handled through the regional MI Choice waiver agency; for nursing-facility residents, through the facility's assessment process. A beneficiary can pass the financial redetermination and fail the level-of-care reassessment, or the reverse. If the level of care is no longer met, LTC Medicaid ends, but the beneficiary may continue on standard ABD Medicaid for non-LTC coverage if otherwise eligible.

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, your Medicaid is renewed at least annually through MDHHS, and your Medicare entitlement continues without an annual renewal (though Medicare Savings Program eligibility is reassessed at least as often on the non-MAGI cycle, where ex parte works well because Social Security and SSDI income is in federal data).

Michigan's integrated dual-eligible program changed at the start of 2026. MI Health Link, the state's capitated Medicare-Medicaid demonstration, ended December 31, 2025, and was succeeded on January 1, 2026 by MI Coordinated Health (MICH), a Highly Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan program that launched in select counties in 2026 and expands statewide in 2027. Current MI Health Link enrollees can move into MI Coordinated Health with no break in coverage. This is a plan-enrollment change, not a change to your Medicaid renewal cycle, but if you were in MI Health Link, confirm your new plan enrollment when your annual renewal comes up.

Returned mail and keeping your address current

The federal rules that once required an agency to search for a new address before acting on mail that comes back as undeliverable were removed from the Code of Federal Regulations effective July 31, 2026. Federal law now says only that an agency may act without advance notice when mail returns with no forwarding address and your whereabouts are unknown, and that coverage must be reinstated if your whereabouts become known while you are still eligible. Michigan may still have its own returned-mail procedures, so contact MDHHS if you think your renewal packet went to an old address.

The Medicaid Health Plans awarded the current Comprehensive Health Care Program contracts (effective October 1, 2024) are Aetna Better Health of Michigan, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan, HAP CareSource, McLaren Health Plan, Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Molina Healthcare of Michigan, Priority Health Choice, United Healthcare Community Plan, and, in the Upper Peninsula, Upper Peninsula Health Plan. Keeping your address current is now the most effective protection you have: update it in MI Bridges, with your local MDHHS office, and with your health plan as soon as you move, and file a USPS change-of-address form.

Procedural vs eligibility-based termination

Whether you get the 90-day window turns on why the case closed.

Termination type Definition Reconsideration available?
Procedural Failure to return the renewal form, missing signature, no documentation provided, or no response to a request for information Yes; 90 days from the termination date
Eligibility-based MDHHS determined you no longer meet income, assets, residency, or another categorical requirement No; file a new application or appeal

Fair hearing rights through MOAHR

If your renewal is denied or coverage is terminated, you have a federal right to a fair hearing under Section 1902(a)(3) of the Social Security Act and 42 CFR 431.220. Federal law caps the request window at 90 days from the date the notice of action is mailed. That 90 days is a ceiling on what a state may allow, not a minimum you are entitled to: a shorter state deadline is fully enforceable, so always go by the date printed on your own notice. Michigan allows the full 90 days: a client (or authorized hearing representative) has 90 calendar days from the date of the written notice of case action to request a hearing.

Michigan Medicaid fair hearings are held by the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules (MOAHR), a Type 1 agency within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs; its Benefit Services Division adjudicates MDHHS-related Medicaid actions. File form DCH-0018 to contest an eligibility action (a decision to deny, reduce, or terminate benefits), or form MDHHS-5617 for an action taken by a managed-care organization; a toll-free line for Medicaid beneficiaries is 1-800-648-3397. If you are enrolled in a Medicaid Health Plan, a behavioral-health prepaid inpatient health plan, or a MI Choice waiver agency, you must first complete that organization's internal appeal before requesting a MOAHR state fair hearing.

Keeping benefits during the appeal. For Medicaid specifically, MDHHS must maintain your benefits during the appeal only if you request the hearing before the effective date of the adverse action (for a termination effective 1/1, the request must be filed by 12/31). If the action is later sustained, federal rules permit the agency to recoup the cost of services furnished solely because benefits continued, so weigh that exposure if you have ongoing high-cost care.

What changes after 2026: the move to 6-month renewals

Section 71107 of the 2025 federal budget-reconciliation law (Public Law 119-21) requires states to redetermine eligibility once every 6 months, rather than every 12 months, for the ACA expansion-adult population (adults who qualify on income alone under the expansion group), for renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027. The statute's one exemption is narrow: an Indian or Urban Indian, a California Indian, or anyone otherwise determined eligible as an Indian for the Indian Health Service. The law's separate work-requirement exemptions do not excuse you from the 6-month renewal. If you qualify through the income-based adult group, plan for two renewals a year once the change takes effect; if you qualify on age, disability, or another basis, you stay annual. Check Michigan Medicaid eligibility and income limits to confirm which category you fall in.

The same 2025 law also shortens retroactive eligibility for applications filed on or after January 1, 2027, to two months before the application month for most enrollees (one month for the expansion group), down from the long-standing three-month default.

Common Michigan Medicaid recertification mistakes

  1. Ignoring the renewal packet because the envelope looks like junk mail. Pull anything from MDHHS or MI Bridges out of the mail pile and open it immediately.
  2. Updating your address with Social Security or your health plan but not with MDHHS. MDHHS does not auto-sync every address change.
  3. Not knowing the 90-day reconsideration window exists. Beneficiaries who lose coverage for procedural reasons have 90 days to return the paperwork and have their renewal reconsidered without a new application, rather than reapplying from scratch.
  4. Missing the asset-verification signature for ABD, LTC, or MI Choice. Without your authorization MDHHS cannot run the required asset check, and the renewal stalls.
  5. Requesting a fair hearing too late to keep benefits. For Medicaid, benefits continue during the appeal only if you request the hearing before the adverse action's effective date.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often do I have to renew Michigan Medicaid?

At least once every 12 months for most beneficiaries. Your renewal month is the same each year and is tied to your initial approval date. Under 42 CFR 435.916 that 12 months is a minimum, not a cap, for aged, blind, disabled and long-term-care beneficiaries, who may be reviewed sooner. One change is coming: the ACA expansion-adult population moves to a 6-month cycle for renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027.

What happens if I miss my Michigan Medicaid renewal deadline?

Your coverage closes at the end of your renewal month. If the closure was procedural, you have a 90-day reconsideration window to submit the renewal and have it reconsidered without a new application; if you are found still eligible, coverage is restored. If you miss the 90-day window, you must file a new application through MI Bridges.

Where do I submit my Michigan Medicaid renewal?

The fastest method is online through MI Bridges, where you can upload documents and check your case status. You can also renew by phone, by mail to your local MDHHS office (address on the packet), or in person at any local MDHHS office. A MI Bridges submission is treated the same as the paper MDHHS-1171 application.

My child is on Medicaid. If my income rises mid-year, does my child lose coverage?

No. Under federal continuous eligibility, mandatory since January 1, 2024, children under 19 have 12 months of continuous coverage from enrollment. Even if your income rises above the threshold, your child keeps Medicaid until the next annual renewal. Exceptions: aging out at 19, moving out of Michigan, death, voluntary disenrollment, or fraud.

Can I appeal if my renewal is denied?

Yes. Michigan gives you 90 calendar days from the date the notice of case action is mailed to request a hearing, which is the deadline that governs your case. Michigan Medicaid hearings are held by the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules (MOAHR); file form DCH-0018 for an eligibility action. If you are in a Medicaid Health Plan or MI Choice waiver agency, exhaust that plan's internal appeal first. To keep benefits during the appeal, request the hearing before the action's effective date.

Michigan Medicaid renewal: where to get help

To complete your annual renewal, or to recover coverage lost in the past 90 days through the reconsideration window, start with MI Bridges and your local MDHHS office; log in to check your case status and upload anything MDHHS requested. Brevy's guides to Michigan Medicaid eligibility and income limits, how to apply, and the Michigan Medicaid hub cover the broader picture.

Learn More

MedicaidMichigan Medicaid appeals and fair hearingsHow to appeal a Michigan Medicaid denial, reduction, or termination, keep your benefits during the appeal, and request a MOAHR fair hearing. MedicaidMichigan Medicaid eligibility and income limitsMichigan Medicaid income limits for 2026: Healthy Michigan Plan adults at 138% FPL, the long-term-care income cap and asset limit, and the over-income pathway. MedicaidHow to apply for Michigan MedicaidA complete, step-by-step guide to applying for Michigan Medicaid in 2026: MI Bridges, MDHHS-1171, documents you need, timelines, and how to appeal a denial. MedicaidHow to choose a Michigan Medicaid health planCompare Michigan's nine Medicaid Health Plans for 2026: what makes each distinct, how MHP and MI Coordinated Health differ, and how to switch via MI ENROLLS. MedicaidMI Coordinated Health (MICH) for Medicare-Medicaid dualsMI Coordinated Health (MICH) is Michigan's 2026 integrated Medicare-Medicaid plan for full-benefit duals. Who qualifies, the 2026 counties, and how to enroll. MedicaidMichigan Medicare Savings ProgramsMichigan Medicare Savings Programs for 2026: QMB, SLMB, and QI income limits, what each covers, how to apply through MI Bridges, and Extra Help connection.

Find personalized help navigating Michigan Medicaid renewal at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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