Utah law requires Medicaid checks and SNAP eligibility proof

The Department of Health and Human Services must apply work requirements to certain Medicaid applicants and enrollees. These rules cover people who meet the section’s Medicaid eligibility criteria, are ages 19 through 64, are not pregnant, and are not entitled to Medicare Part A or Part B. Applicants must show they met the work requirements during the month before applying. The department must verify compliance and exemptions. For medical frailty or special needs, it may provisionally approve an exemption while it verifies the basis. This section takes effect January 1, 2027. Annual reports begin by August 31, 2027, after the requirements are implemented.

The department must verify specified Medicaid eligibility information and apply the law’s citizenship rules. The verification rules cover Medicaid applicants and enrollees. The citizenship rules apply to people seeking Medicaid, subject to federal requirements. Federal law may require exceptions to the verification and citizenship rules. For presumptive eligibility, applicants must attest that they meet the citizenship rule, and hospitals, clinics, and other qualified entities must send the attestation to the agency. The citizenship provisions apply beginning October 1, 2026. The other requirements in the eligibility-verification section take effect January 1, 2027.

The department must check for Medicaid enrollees who moved out of state or are enrolled in multiple states, and remove confirmed deceased enrollees. The checks cover people enrolled in Utah Medicaid and use address changes, out-of-state benefit transactions, federal enrollment data, and death records. The department must promptly review information that may affect eligibility, including a change of residence. It must stop payments for services after a confirmed death and recover funds paid for care or coverage after death. The multi-state checks take effect January 1, 2027; monthly submissions to the federal Medicaid database must begin no later than October 1, 2029. The death-record requirements take effect May 6, 2026.

The department must limit how far back Medicaid coverage can reach for an initial application. For the expansion population, coverage may reach back no more than one month; for the traditional population, it may reach back no more than two months. The traditional population includes pregnant people, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. The limit applies only to initial applications and does not affect continuous or ongoing coverage. Federal requirements still apply. This section takes effect January 1, 2027. Annual reports on its implementation and impact begin by August 31, 2027.

The department must apply listed citizenship rules to SNAP and may count ineligible household members’ income and resources only with federal approval. The citizenship and proof rules apply to people seeking SNAP benefits. The household-resource rule concerns a household that includes an ineligible noncitizen. SNAP applicants must provide documentary proof of citizenship or immigration status; if a person cannot provide listed documents, the department must verify alien status using the federal online service. The department may not seek a federal SNAP work-requirement waiver unless the Legislature and governor approve it by concurrent resolution. The department may not prorate or exclude ineligible noncitizens’ income, deductions, or resources in the household calculation only if the U.S. Department of Agriculture approves. These provisions take effect May 6, 2026. The household-resource rule applies only if the U.S. Department of Agriculture approves it.