Medi-Cal redetermination is the annual review your county conducts to confirm you still qualify for coverage, and federal law requires it at least once every 12 months.1eCFR. 42 CFR 435.916 – Periodic Renewal of Medicaid Eligibility Missing the paperwork can end your coverage even when you still qualify, and two big changes are reshaping the process: reinstated asset limits for older adults and people with disabilities in 2026, and six-month renewals for expansion adults starting in 2027.
How the Annual Review Works
Your county assigns you a renewal month, and every year your redetermination falls in that same calendar month. Submitting paperwork early or late does not shift the schedule.2California Department of Health Care Services. Annual Redetermination Presentation
Before sending you anything, the county has to try to renew you automatically. This is called an ex parte review. The county pulls from tax records, other benefit programs like CalWORKs, and electronic databases to confirm you still qualify without contacting you.1eCFR. 42 CFR 435.916 – Periodic Renewal of Medicaid Eligibility California’s SB 87 requires counties to make every reasonable effort to gather available information first.3California Legislative Information. SB 87 Medi-Cal Eligibility
If the ex parte review works, you get a notice that your coverage is renewed and you don’t need to do anything until next year. If it doesn’t, a renewal packet arrives in the mail. In California it comes in a bright yellow envelope. Inside is a form pre-filled with the information the county has on file, and federal rules give you at least 30 days from the mailing date to respond.1eCFR. 42 CFR 435.916 – Periodic Renewal of Medicaid Eligibility
Keep Your Address Current
The single most common reason people lose coverage they’re still entitled to is a renewal packet sent to an old address. If you’ve moved or changed your phone or email, report it through BenefitsCal.com, by calling your county office, or in person. DHCS asks for updates within 10 days of the change.4California Department of Health Care Services. Update Information – Medi-Cal Do it well before your renewal month so the yellow envelope actually reaches you.
2026 Income Limits
Which income threshold applies depends on your eligibility category. For most adults ages 19 through 64, the ceiling is 138% of the federal poverty level. Children qualify at higher income levels, and pregnant individuals at higher levels still. DHCS publishes updated monthly limits each year.5Covered California. 2026 Federal Poverty Level Chart
For 2026, the monthly income limits for adults at 138% FPL are $1,836 for one person, $2,490 for two, $3,143 for three, and $3,795 for four. Each additional person adds $655. Pregnant individuals qualify up to 213% FPL, and children up to 266% FPL, with higher dollar amounts at every household size.5Covered California. 2026 Federal Poverty Level Chart
These figures apply to Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Medi-Cal, which covers most members. Older adults and people with disabilities who qualify under non-MAGI rules have separate income calculations, and their renewals now also include an asset review.
Asset Limits Are Back in 2026
This is the biggest change to renewals in years. From 2022 through 2024, California eliminated asset tests for the Medi-Cal programs serving older adults, people with disabilities, and those needing long-term care. That period is over. Effective January 1, 2026, asset limits are reinstated for all non-MAGI Medi-Cal programs under Welfare and Institutions Code section 14006.31.6California Department of Health Care Services. DHCS All County Welfare Directors Letter 25-20
The limits are $130,000 for an individual and $195,000 for a couple, with $65,000 added for each additional household member. If you’re already enrolled, the asset review happens at your next annual renewal after January 1, 2026. New applicants report assets on the application itself.
Not everything you own counts against you. The following are exempt:
- Your primary residence
- One vehicle, regardless of value
- Household goods and personal belongings, including jewelry
- IRAs and work pensions, provided you’re taking periodic payments of interest and principal
- All term life insurance, plus whole life policies with a face value of $1,500 or less
- Burial plots, prepaid irrevocable burial plans, and up to $1,500 in designated burial funds
Countable assets include bank accounts, cash, and any additional property beyond your home and one vehicle. If you’re married and one spouse is in a care facility, spousal impoverishment protections apply, and the community spouse’s IRA or work pension isn’t counted whether or not distributions are being taken. If you’re on Medi-Cal through a MAGI category (most working-age adults and children), none of this applies to you.
What to Include in Your Packet
The pre-filled form is your starting point. Check every line and correct anything wrong, especially your address, household size, and who lives with you. Those details drive which eligibility category and income threshold the county applies.
Gather proof of current income before you sit down with the form. Recent pay stubs are the most common documentation, but an employer letter, unemployment benefit statements, or your most recent tax return also work. For self-employment, use records of earnings and expenses. If you’re 65 or older or receive disability-based Medi-Cal, you’ll also need documentation of your countable assets, including bank statements and records of any property beyond your home and one car.
You can view your renewal information, read notices, and complete the whole process at BenefitsCal.com.7BenefitsCal. Medi-Cal Renewal Information
How to Submit It
You have three ways to return the completed packet before the deadline printed on your notice:
- Online through BenefitsCal.com, where you can upload supporting documents and get a digital confirmation. This is the fastest option.7BenefitsCal. Medi-Cal Renewal Information
- By mail, using the postage-paid return envelope in the yellow packet.
- In person at your local county human services office.
If you mail it, allow enough time for it to arrive by the due date, not just be postmarked by then. Submitting online avoids that risk.
If You Miss the Deadline
If your form doesn’t come back in time, the county sends a Notice of Action (NOA) terminating your Medi-Cal for failure to complete the renewal. This is a procedural termination. The county isn’t saying you don’t qualify, only that you didn’t respond.
There’s a safety net. DHCS policy establishes a 90-day cure period after a procedural termination.8California Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Renewal Process – The 90-Day Cure Period Submit the completed renewal within 90 days of losing coverage and the county can restore your Medi-Cal retroactively, without a fresh application. Act on this immediately rather than waiting.
Appealing a Termination or Denial
If the NOA says your Medi-Cal is ending because the county determined you’re no longer eligible (not because you missed the deadline), you can request a State Fair Hearing. File the request within 90 days of the date on the NOA.9California Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Fair Hearing DHCS temporarily extended that window to 120 days for redetermination-related hearings during the COVID-19 unwinding, so confirm the current deadline on the CDSS hearing request page.10California Department of Social Services. State Hearing Requests
Timing matters. File before the effective date of the termination (the date your coverage actually ends, not the date on the notice) and your benefits continue unchanged while you wait for a decision. This is called aid paid pending.11California Department of Social Services. Public Appeal Request File after the termination date and you may have a coverage gap even if you eventually win. One caveat: if the hearing goes against you, you may have to repay the cost of benefits received while the appeal was pending.
If Your Income Grew Above the Limit
If your Medi-Cal ends because your income rose past the eligibility ceiling, you have another option. Under SB 260, California automatically screens people losing Medi-Cal for a Covered California marketplace plan. If you appear to qualify for federal premium tax credits, you may be auto-enrolled and will get a notice explaining how to confirm, change, or cancel.12Covered California. Medi-Cal – Renewing Your Benefits
Losing Medi-Cal also opens a 90-day Special Enrollment Period, letting you sign up outside the normal open enrollment window.13Covered California. Special Enrollment Covered California plans include premium tax credits for eligible income ranges and cost-sharing reductions that lower deductibles and copays. If you let the 90 days lapse, you’ll generally wait until the next open enrollment for coverage.
Six-Month Renewals Starting in 2027
Federal legislation (H.R. 1, Section 71107) requires states to renew the “New Adult Group” more often. That’s the Medicaid expansion population of adults ages 19 through 64 who qualify at incomes up to 138% FPL. Starting January 1, 2027, this group will go through redetermination every six months instead of once a year.14California Department of Health Care Services. California H.R.1 Implementation Plan DHCS is building the infrastructure now. If you’re in this group, keeping your income documents organized and your contact information current becomes twice as important, because you’ll run the process twice as often.