Do people who get SSI or SSDI have to follow work requirements?

Published July 13, 2026

Getting SSI or SSDI does not automatically exempt you from Medicaid work requirements. People waiting out the two-year Medicare qualifying period on SSDI, and people whose SSI is under review, may be moved onto Medicaid expansion — where work requirements apply. A plain-language explainer from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

<blockquote>About this resource — Autism Resource Hub editorial note, 5 August 2026. This is a plain-language explainer republished from the <a target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/2026/07/medicaid-work-reqs-ssi-ssdi/">Autistic Self Advocacy Network</a>, an autistic-led advocacy organisation.Where this rule stands: CMS published the Medicaid community engagement (work) requirement as an interim final rule with comment period (CMS-2454-IFC) on 1 June 2026. The comment period closed on 31 July 2026. States must implement the requirement by 1 January 2027.This applies to the United States only. Check with your state Medicaid agency for what applies to you now.</blockquote> <h1>People who get SSI</h1> SSI is short for Supplemental Security Income. Supplemental Security Income is money that the government gives to some people who can not make enough money to live. Those people can be <ul> <li>Older adults </li> <li>Blind people</li> <li>People with disabilities </li> </ul> People have to prove eligibility to get SSI. Proving eligibility means showing that someone is part of the group of people who can get SSI. People have to prove eligibility because SSI has its own special rules about who counts as older adults, Blind people, and people with disabilities. These rules are in the Social Security Act. The Social Security Act is a big law that says how some important government programs work. The Social Security Act says how SSI works. People who get SSI are a mandatory eligibility group. That means states have to give Medicaid to people who get SSI. People have to follow some rules to get SSI. If a person stops following the rules, they might stop getting SSI. One SSI rule is about how much money a person can have. If a person gets too much money at a time, they might break a SSI rule. If a person has too much money in their savings account, they might break a SSI rule. If the government thinks someone is breaking a SSI rule, the government might stop giving someone SSI. That means the person would stop being in a mandatory eligibility group. The government has to double check that the person broke a rule. While the government is double checking, the person’s state might give the person Medicaid through a program like Medicaid expansion. If the person is getting Medicaid through a program like Medicaid expansion, the person will probably have to follow work requirements to keep getting health care through Medicaid. A person who stops getting SSI because they broke a rule might be able to prove they are medically frail. Medically frail is another group of people who do not have to follow Medicaid work requirements. <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/2026/07/medically-frail/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Click here to learn more about medically frail.</a> <h1>People who get SSDI</h1> SSDI stands for Social Security Disability Insurance. Social Security Disability Insurance is money that the government gives to some disabled people who used to be able to work. Some disabled people can get SSDI if they have family members who work. You can learn more about what makes SSI and SSDI different <a href="https://www.usa.gov/social-security-disability" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>. Medicare is another type of health care that the government can give to people. Medicare is different from Medicaid. It is important to know that people who are getting Medicare through SSDI don’t have to follow work requirements. People who get Medicare Part A or Part B do not have to follow work requirements. After getting SSDI, most people have to wait two years to get Medicare through SSDI. People can still get Medicaid during those two years. People who get SSDI can get health care through a program like Medicaid expansion while they wait until they are allowed to get Medicare. The new rule means most people on Medicaid expansion have to follow work requirements. Someone waiting for Medicare through SSDI that gets health care from a program like Medicaid expansion might have to follow work requirements. This may be true even though they are getting money from SSDI payments. People who get SSDI and get health care from the Medicaid expansion may be medically frail. Medically frail is another group of people who do not have to follow Medicaid work requirements. <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/2026/07/medically-frail/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Click here to learn more about medically frail.</a> <hr/> Source: Autistic Self Advocacy Network — <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/2026/07/medicaid-work-reqs-ssi-ssdi/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="blank">Do people who get SSI or SSDI have to follow work requirements?</a> Republished with the original plain-language wording. Rule status checked against the <a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicaid-community-engagement-requirement-certain-individuals-interim-final-rule-comment-period-cms" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="blank">CMS fact sheet for CMS-2454-IFC</a> on 5 August 2026.This is general information about a United States federal rule, not legal advice. Talk to your state Medicaid agency or a benefits advocate about your own situation.

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