The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Aug. 29 extended to Dec. 31, 2025, the deadline for states to process Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renewals related to the continuous enrollment unwinding; mitigate redetermination processing backlogs; and comply with renewal timeliness requirements.
In an informational bulletin and slide deck, CMS provides additional guidance for states to comply with timely processing requirements for renewals.
States may redistribute renewal due dates across months to establish a sustainable workload on an ongoing basis. To do so:
- A state may not shorten a beneficiary’s eligibility period.
- If an individual has not had their first renewal since the end of the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition, a state cannot disenroll the individual based on a change in circumstance without first completing a full renewal.
- A state should continue trying to ensure it has up-to-date contact information for beneficiaries.
The guidance also provides information about special considerations for renewals pending for more than six months, as well as exceptions to these requirements.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.