When Do Medi-Cal Six-Month Renewals Start? What Counties Will Do in 2027

Updated November 4, 2026, based on the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as of that date.

Medi-Cal's six-month renewals start with renewals due in March 2027. A member renewing in March 2027 renews again in September 2027 and March 2028. Members with renewals due in January or February 2027 stay on a 12-month cycle until their first renewal in 2028.

The work and community engagement requirement applies to Medi-Cal applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027. Current members are checked at their next scheduled renewal, starting with renewals in March 2027. Both changes come from H.R. 1 and apply to the same group: adults ages 19 through 64 in the New Adult Group. For the federal rules behind them, see our guide to the federal changes.

When each change starts in California

• Six-month renewals: renewals due in March 2027 and later, per the Department of Health Care Services' All County Welfare Directors Letter (ACWDL) 26-14, dated August 27, 2026.
• Work requirement for applicants: applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027, per ACWDL 25-30 on work and community engagement.
• Work requirement for current members: assessed at the next scheduled renewal in March 2027 or after.
• Shorter retroactive coverage: effective January 1, 2027, per the DHCS H.R. 1 implementation plan.

March is the start because California treats a renewal as initiated two months before the renewal month. That window covers the ex parte check, the renewal packet, and the 60 days members have to send information back. CMS applies the six-month rule to renewals initiated on or after January 1, 2027, and a March renewal is the first to start in January.

How California will renew expansion adults

DHCS chose CMS Option 2, which moves members to the six-month schedule at their next scheduled renewal. The change covers aid codes M1, M2, 1C, 1J and 1M, plus the Medi-Cal Inmate Eligibility Program's adult codes. Children, Non-MAGI adults, pregnant and postpartum members, and American Indian and Alaska Native members stay on 12-month renewals. Counties accept self-attestation of American Indian or Alaska Native status and must not ask for proof.

Each six-month renewal works like an annual one. The implementation plan says DHCS will apply its existing annual renewal policies to the six-month cycle, including ex parte review of the information already on file. Members the county can't renew from data get a form. DHCS plans a streamlined form and online platform for that group, and is updating the Notices of Action and MC 216 renewal form with the new timeframes.

How California will check work requirements

Members need 80 hours a month of work, community service, a work program, or a mix of these; half-time enrollment in school; or monthly income of at least 80 times the federal minimum wage ($580). The look-back rules in ACWDL 25-30 differ by event:

• At application: the county checks the calendar month immediately before the month the eligibility determination is made.
• At renewal: the county checks every month since the last determination. One qualifying month is enough, and the months don't have to be consecutive.

Counties check data first. DHCS will add exemption sources to ex parte review, including "claims data, members eligible to a waiver" and enrollment in other DHCS benefits or programs. Compliance is individual, so an applicant can't count a partner's work hours.

If the county can't confirm compliance or an exemption, it sends a Notice of Noncompliance, and the person has 30 calendar days to send proof. Members can report by phone, mail, in person or online, and DHCS is changing the application and renewal flows in the CalHEERS consumer portal and BenefitsCal to collect it.

Exemptions in the implementation plan include caregivers of a child 13 or younger or of a disabled person, Medicare enrollees, people meeting CalFresh or TANF work rules, people in drug or alcohol treatment, people released from incarceration in the past 90 days, and medically frail members. DHCS also says it will apply short-term hardship exemptions automatically where it can.

What changes for providers and health centers

Retroactive coverage gets shorter on January 1, 2027. New Adult Group members get one month before the application month, and everyone else gets two, down from three. Patients who apply after a visit have less time to get it covered.

The implementation plan's "Role of Providers" section asks providers to be "prepared to assist patients who may need support gathering documentation for exemptions from work requirements." DHCS says it will send providers bulletins, trainings and web updates, and it is considering placing trained navigators in clinics.

Patients may already have heard from DHCS. Per DHCS's outreach notice, MEDIL I 26-25, text messages started in February 2026, staggered by renewal month, and letters went to New Adult Group members in late August 2026. Counties include the letter with application materials from October 1 through December 31, 2026.

With renewals twice a year, coverage can lapse between visits, so checking status before each appointment matters more. Our guide to Medi-Cal eligibility verification covers the options.

What California hasn't decided yet

ACWDL 25-30 is labeled preliminary guidance "subject to change based on developing federal policy guidance and state legislative changes." It lists topics awaiting CMS guidance: the definition of "medically frail," standards for self-attestation, acceptable verification, criteria for exemptions and work activities, and accelerated enrollment. DHCS says future letters will cover them.

DHCS lists other items as still to come:

• The 90-day cure period: ACWDL 26-14 says DHCS "will provide further clarification in a future ACWDL."
• Exemption timing at application: the implementation plan says DHCS is seeking CMS guidance on it.
• Change-in-circumstance rules: DHCS will release a quick reference guide before implementation.

Two DHCS documents give different start dates. ACWDL 25-30 makes the work requirement effective January 1, 2027 for applications, while the member letter in MEDIL I 26-25 says "these rules will not go into effect until March 2027." That matches the timeline for current members, but a patient applying in January or February 2027 is subject to the requirement at application.

The six-month start date has also moved once. ACWDL 26-14 replaces the chart in ACWDL 25-31, which "incorrectly listed January as the starting month." Update any calendar built from ACWDL 25-31.

Frequently asked questions

Will a member with a January 2027 renewal move to six-month renewals?

Not in 2027. If found eligible, they get a 12-month renewal due in January 2028 and move to the six-month cycle then.

Does every Medi-Cal adult have to meet the work requirement?

No. It applies only to the New Adult Group, ages 19 through 64, and people with an exemption don't have to show hours.

How long does someone have to respond to a Notice of Noncompliance?

Thirty calendar days from the notice date, under ACWDL 25-30, to send proof of compliance or of an exemption.

Checking Medi-Cal coverage for more patients, more often?

Champ automates portal work like eligibility checks. We set it up and run it, so your staff sees only the finished results, and we can handle the patient outreach too. If six-month renewals will mean more coverage checks for your health center, learn more here.

This post is general information, not legal, compliance or billing advice. Medicaid rules vary by state and change often, so confirm with DHCS before acting. Champ is not affiliated with or endorsed by any state agency or CMS.