HB 471: Social Services Amendments - Utah

Amended 2/24/2026 15:02:950 → Substitute #1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's Medicaid and SNAP programs to implement stricter work requirements, enforce citizenship rules, and limit retroactive benefits. It requires individuals to prove they worked or volunteered for at least one month before enrolling in Medicaid, mandates verification of citizenship and residency, and restricts retroactive coverage to one month for most applicants. The bill also adds new reporting requirements to track compliance and exemptions.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of eligibility restrictions by introducing new work verification standards for Medicaid and SNAP, and by explicitly defining 'qualified citizens' to exclude certain temporary residents from receiving benefits.

REQUIREMENT

New Medicaid work requirements mandate that eligible individuals prove one month of work, training, or volunteer service immediately before applying for coverage.

ELIGIBILITY

Citizenship and immigration status are now strictly required for Medicaid and SNAP eligibility, excluding tourists, students, and temporary visa holders.

Retroactive Medicaid eligibility is limited to one month prior to application for most applicants, reducing coverage for services received before applying.

ENFORCEMENT

The Department of Health and Human Services must verify work and citizenship claims using documentary evidence like wage data and federal databases rather than accepting self-attestation.

Annual reports must be submitted to the governor and legislature starting August 31, 2027, detailing compliance rates and the impact of exemptions.

TIMELINE

New provisions take effect on May 6, 2026, with work requirements and verification standards becoming fully active on January 1, 2027.

Amended 2/19/2026 09:02:557 → Amended 2/24/2026 15:02:950 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's Medicaid and SNAP programs to enforce stricter work requirements, citizenship rules, and verification standards. It adds new mandates requiring the state to verify employment using official data rather than just self-reports, limits retroactive Medicaid coverage, and requires the disenrollment of deceased individuals. The bill also tightens SNAP eligibility by prohibiting the exclusion of income from ineligible family members and mandates legislative approval for any future work requirement waivers.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of enforcement by adding specific verification duties and citizenship restrictions to both Medicaid and SNAP programs, while narrowing the scope of financial relief by limiting retroactive benefits.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandate for the Department of Health and Human Services to verify Medicaid work requirements using state wage data and official records, explicitly prohibiting reliance on self-attestation.

Added a requirement that the department verify all Medicaid work exemptions, disallowing managed care organizations from making these determinations independently.

Added a requirement that any waiver of SNAP work requirements must be approved by a concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new citizenship requirement for Medicaid starting October 1, 2026, restricting benefits to qualified citizens and specific lawful immigrants.

Removed the ability for SNAP to exclude the income or financial resources of ineligible aliens when calculating benefits for their households.

Modified retroactive eligibility limits, restricting Medicaid coverage for the expansion population to only one month prior to application and two months for the traditional population.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement to cross-check Medicaid enrollment against the Social Security Administration's death master file quarterly to immediately remove deceased enrollees.

TIMELINE

Added a new effective date of January 1, 2027, for the Medicaid work requirements, verification standards, multi-state enrollment checks, and retroactive eligibility limits.

Amended Excerpts 2/24/2026 15:02:950 → Amended 2/19/2026 09:02:557 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a new exemption category for individuals experiencing homelessness, ensuring they are not subject to Medicaid work requirements. The text was also reorganized and formatted to align with the official bill structure, including the addition of a title page and a comprehensive list of affected Utah Code sections.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include individuals experiencing homelessness as a qualifying condition for work requirement exemptions.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'experiencing homelessness' as a specific condition allowing individuals to be exempt from Medicaid work requirements.

TECHNICAL

Replaced informal draft headers with a formal title page, sponsor information, and a detailed list of affected statutes.

Reorganized the text to follow standard legislative formatting, including the insertion of page breaks and section numbering.

Amended Excerpts 2/19/2026 09:02:557 → Amended Excerpts 2/24/2026 15:02:950 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill adds new requirements for the department to conduct eligibility determinations and redeterminations for Medicaid enrollees. It specifically mandates checks for changes in citizenship or immigration status and sets a timeline for redeterminations based on federal eligibility categories. These changes aim to ensure ongoing compliance with federal Medicaid rules and accurately determine who qualifies for coverage.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding eligibility verification was expanded to include specific triggers for re-evaluating an enrollee's status, particularly concerning immigration and continuous eligibility.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new subsection requiring the department to check citizenship or immigration status as part of eligibility determinations.

REQUIREMENT

Mandated that the department promptly conduct an eligibility determination when an enrollee's circumstances change, unless they have continuous eligibility.

TIMELINE

Established specific timelines for eligibility redeterminations, requiring them once every six months for certain federal eligibility categories.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/19/2026 09:02:557 · 3 edits

MINOR

This amendment adds 'homelessness' and 'substance use disorder' to the list of conditions that automatically exempt individuals from Medicaid work requirements, while also clarifying the punctuation for medical conditions. It retains the requirement for annual reporting on work requirement compliance.

Scope change

The scope of exemptions for Medicaid work requirements was expanded to include specific vulnerable populations previously not explicitly listed in this context.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'homelessness' and 'substance use disorder' to the list of conditions that qualify an individual for an automatic exemption from Medicaid work requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Corrected the punctuation in the list of medical conditions to ensure clarity regarding which conditions qualify for exemptions.

ENFORCEMENT

Retained the requirement for the department to submit annual reports on work requirement compliance starting August 31, 2027.

Introduced → Enrolled · 7 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MODERATE

This bill enacts strict work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients, mandates rigorous verification of citizenship and residency, and limits retroactive benefits. The changes significantly reduce eligibility for many adults by requiring proof of work, training, or volunteer service, while also tightening rules on when benefits can be paid back to the month of application.

Scope change

The bill applies to specific groups of Medicaid and SNAP recipients, particularly able-bodied adults without dependents, and establishes new data-sharing protocols between state agencies.

ELIGIBILITY

Medicaid work requirements were changed from requiring three consecutive months of proof to requiring proof for only one month immediately preceding the application.

Retroactive Medicaid eligibility was limited to one month for expansion populations and two months for traditional populations, preventing coverage for services rendered before the application month.

REQUIREMENT

The bill now explicitly prohibits the department from accepting self-attestation for income, residency, identity, household composition, or citizenship without independent verification.

SNAP benefits now require monthly verification of citizenship or immigration status using federal databases.

ENFORCEMENT

New provisions require the department to cross-check enrollment data against death records and out-of-state transactions to disenroll deceased individuals or those who have moved.

DEFINITION

Exemption criteria for Medicaid work requirements were expanded to include homelessness and serious or complex medical conditions, and the process allows for provisional approval based on a patient's own diagnosis.

TIMELINE

Effective dates were added to specific code sections, with most changes taking effect on May 6, 2026, and work requirements for Medicaid beginning January 1, 2027.

Social Services Amendments

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