Eligibility and Renewal Questions

Be sure your address, phone number, and email address are up to date. The best way to update your information is online at Michigan.gov/MIBridges. You can also call your local MDHHS office. Visit the MDHHS County Office webpage to find your local office information. If you do not have an online account for MI Bridges to access your Medicaid case or report changes, visit Michigan.gov/mibridges to sign up for a MI Bridges account. You can also locate organizations that can help you by searching for Community Partners.

*If you already have a MI Bridges account, creating new accounts will limit the information you can see. We strongly suggest using your original account if you are the Head of Household. Remember! Head of Households can see case information and report changes to the case information. If you are not Head of Household, you will only be able to see resource information.

Report any changes to your household or income. You can report changes at Michigan.gov/MIBridges. Or, call your local MDHHS office. Visit the MDHHS County Office webpage to find your local office information.

If you get a renewal packet, be sure to fill it out, sign the forms, and send them by the due date with any proof we need. If you do not complete your renewal, you may lose your Medicaid coverage. If we complete a review and you no longer qualify, you can choose to buy healthcare coverage through HealthCare.gov.

Renewal packets will be mailed after the PHE ends. The end date has not been determined at this time.

MDHHS will continue to provide messaging to you through mailed letters, MI Bridges, emails, text messages and social media.

MDHHS is finalizing beneficiary communications, including a beneficiary alert letter, which will be mailed the month before the federal Public Health Emergency declaration ends. This letter is intended to inform beneficiaries of the end of the PHE, the potential impact on their coverage, and describe the resumption of renewal and redetermination actions.

Once the federal PHE declaration ends, MDHHS will begin mailing beneficiary eligibility renewal letters monthly based on the anniversary of their eligibility determination. 

Automatic or passive renewals are completed when MDHHS has enough current information available in the eligibility system that we do not need to contact the beneficiary to request any additional proof. In that instance, the beneficiary will receive a Health Care Coverage notice indicating that their Medicaid coverage will continue.

MDHHS looks for current (within the last 12 months) information within the eligibility system to determine if it has enough to complete an automatic or passive renewal. If all necessary information is already available and the beneficiary appears to still be eligible, the renewal is automatically completed. This generally happens because the beneficiary is receiving services from other assistance programs with the Department (such as SNAP) and has provided updated information for those programs that can be used for the Medicaid determination. 

The eligibility renewal packet does not list the renewal month for the beneficiary. The eligibility renewal packet is mailed the month before the renewal month. When a beneficiary receives an eligibility renewal packet, they can infer from the mail date their renewal month is the following month. 

If the beneficiary is registered within MI Bridges, they can look for their eligibility renewal information there. If they are not registered within MI Bridges and are unable to get registered, then they will need to contact their MDHHS caseworker to request resending the eligibility renewal packet and potentially request an extension to complete the eligibility renewal. If a beneficiary has opted to only receive electronic notification, they will not receive a mailed renewal packet.

Eligibility renewal packets are typically due within 30 days of the mailing of the packet. The due date is printed on the eligibility renewal packet. Beneficiaries should return their completed eligibility renewal packet and all requested information by that due date to ensure that their Medicaid coverage will continue uninterrupted.

The Verification Checklist typically has a due date of 10 days from the date it is mailed.

Beneficiaries that are registered with MI Bridges can choose to complete their eligibility renewal online. Information about renewing online is included on the eligibility renewal packet that is sent out. The eligibility renewal packet can also be faxed to 517-346-9888.

Eligibility renewal packets are mailed with a due date typically 30 days from the date the packet is mailed. If the beneficiary receives the eligibility renewal packet late due to an unforeseen delay from the postal service, which prevents them from completing and returning the packet before the due date, they will need to contact their MDHHS caseworker to request an extension.

If a beneficiary has trouble logging into MI Bridges to complete their eligibility renewal, they can contact the MI Bridges helpline at 1-844-799-9876 (TTY: 833-285-5910) for assistance.

A beneficiary will be evaluated for all Medicaid categories to determine if they are eligible for any services, however, if their income exceeds the income limit for Medicaid, and they do not meet any of the other eligibility criteria for other Medicaid categories, their coverage will be discontinued. If a beneficiary’s coverage is discontinued and they do not have any other comprehensive health coverage, they will be referred to the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace where they will be able to purchase insurance and determine if they qualify for any other premium assistance programs or tax credits. Visit www.healthcare.gov to learn more.

If the renewal packet is not returned, the beneficiary would have Medicaid coverage through the last day of the month of their eligibility renewal.

While there was a brief period during the first year of the Public Health Emergency when other assistance programs also stopped their renewals, all other assistance programs have continued renewing individuals since the summer of 2020. These other assistance programs may be part of the overall renewal if the renewal date aligns with the Medicaid eligibility renewal date. If the beneficiary cannot be automatically or passively renewed for their Medicaid coverage, a beneficiary may receive a single renewal packet requesting that they renew Medicaid, SNAP, or other assistance programs.

Yes. A beneficiary's guardian or other authorized individuals can complete the eligibility renewal packet on behalf of a beneficiary. 

Yes, once the Public Health Emergency ends, all individuals will go through the eligibility renewal process. If a beneficiary's income is determined in a certain range to place them into a Medicaid deductible, that Medicaid deductible eligibility status will begin again. 

The process for renewing incarcerated individuals will follow the same process as it did before the Public Health Emergency. The eligibility renewal packet will be sent to any authorized individuals the beneficiary has on file. If there is no authorized individual on file, the eligibility renewal packet is sent to the address at which the beneficiary resides, which would be the prison or jail.