By — Fatima Hussein, Associated Press Fatima Hussein, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-blocks-trump-administrations-medicaid-work-requirement-rule-forcing-proof-of-medical-frailty Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Judge blocks Trump administration's Medicaid work requirement rule forcing proof of medical frailty Politics Oct 29, 2026 3:53 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Chronically ill people on Medicaid won't be bound by new work requirement rules that the latest Trump administration guidance requires in order to qualify for "medically frail" exemptions, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston gave a partial victory to a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia, which sued the Trump administration in June over the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidance linked to the 2025 law known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill." READ MORE: As states face stricter Medicaid work requirements, Nebraska is an early test The law says the definition of medically frail must include people who are blind or disabled, have substance use disorders or disabling mental disorders, have certain disabilities that significantly impair…
Judge blocks Trump administration's Medicaid work requirement rule forcing proof of medical frailty
In short
The Boston court ruling halts an administrative mandate requiring medically frail enrollees to separately prove their conditions significantly impaired their employment capacity. However, the decision leaves the broader statutory Medicaid work mandates intact for expansion enrollees aged 19 to 64 beginning on January 1. Judge Stearns also left two other federal verification rules in place after finding the government offered non-frivolous rationales for them. Consequently, states must still enforce limitations on older medical diagnoses and restrict self-attestation instances.
Key points
- Medically frail individuals in recognized statutory categories do not have to independent…: Medically frail individuals in recognized statutory categories do not have to independently prove their health issues impede their work capacity.
- States must still deny medical frailty documentation if an enrollee presents a diagnosis…: States must still deny medical frailty documentation if an enrollee presents a diagnosis that is older than one year.
- Federal regulations limiting enrollees to a single self-attestation per continuous enroll…: Federal regulations limiting enrollees to a single self-attestation per continuous enrollment period remain fully enforceable.