Wisconsin BadgerCare Work Requirement

Check your situation in Wisconsin

When it starts in Wisconsin

• August–September 2026: letters, then texts and emails, to affected members.
• October 9, 2026: DHS issued its operations memo for local agencies.
• January 1, 2027: the rule starts for new applicants.
• March 2027: renewals begin to include the requirement.

Who has to meet it

Wisconsin did not adopt the full ACA Medicaid expansion. The federal law also covers adults in waiver programs that give similar coverage, which is why it applies to BadgerCare Plus childless adults but not to other Wisconsin Medicaid members.

The rule applies to people ages 19 to 64 on BadgerCare Plus who do not have a dependent child under 19 living with them, unless they are pregnant, have Medicare, or are exempt. You meet it in a month with 80 hours of work, community service, a work program, or school (in any mix), by going to school at least half-time, or with at least $580 in monthly income.

You are exempt if, for example, you care for a child 13 or younger or a person with a disability, are pregnant or postpartum, are American Indian or Alaska Native, are medically frail, are a veteran with a total (100%) VA disability rating or TDIU, were in foster care at 18 and are under 26, are in drug or alcohol treatment, meet SNAP or TANF work rules, or left jail or prison in the last 3 months. See the full exemption list.

How Wisconsin checks and how to report

Months checked: Applicants: the calendar month before applying (or expected monthly income of at least $580). Members: any one month of the previous certification period. DHS checks at application and renewal, not every month.

Set up an ACCESS account and the MyACCESS app to see notices and keep contact details current. If DHS cannot verify you, it sends a noncompliance letter, and you have 35 days from the mailing date to respond.

Other things to know in Wisconsin

• Who is covered: BadgerCare Plus members 19 to 64 who are not pregnant, not on Medicare, and do not have a dependent child under 19 living with them at least 40% of the time.
• DHS says it intends to allow all the optional short-term hardship exceptions in federal law.
• DHS applies many exemptions automatically, such as Tribal status on file, a disability determination, Medicare, and medically frail or pregnancy status from claims data.
• DHS has said about 200,000 members are subject (news reports).

Official tools and contacts

• Check if it applies: DHS work requirement screening tool
• Report and upload: ACCESS / MyACCESS
• ForwardHealth Member Services (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.): 1-800-362-3002
• Wisconsin DHS: new federal work requirement
• DHS operations memo 26-33 (PDF)
• Agency: Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS)

Federal protections that apply in Wisconsin

• The state must check its own records before asking you for proof.
• If it can't confirm you meet the rule, you get a notice and at least 30 days to respond, and your coverage continues meanwhile.
• You get written notice and the right to a fair hearing before coverage ends, and you can reapply at any time.
• If you lose Medicaid for not meeting the rule, you cannot get marketplace premium tax credits for those months. Learn more.