Welfare to Work Requirement Rollout Begins July 1

The soft launch of Arkansas' Medicaid work requirement begins July 1, with full implementation going into effect January 1, 2027

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced that Arkansas' welfare to work requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries will begin its soft launch on July 1, 2026, with full implementation of the program going into effect January 1, 2027.

"Most Arkansans work hard to pay for their health insurance - and they shouldn't have to subsidize healthy adults who choose to stay on the sidelines. If you're young, healthy, and get government assistance, you should work, go to school, or volunteer," said Governor Sanders. "I'm thankful to President Trump and congressional Republicans for paving the way for this commonsense solution and allowing us to put our welfare work requirement in place."

"Finding a job brings purpose, meaning, and economic independence, which we know leads to better health," said DHS Secretary Janet Mann. "The ARHOME Community Engagement and Work Requirement is a key program that will help our beneficiaries advance their careers and become self-sufficient, and we look forward to a successful implementation."

Under the welfare to work requirement, healthy adults enrolled in the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Medicaid program must work, volunteer, or go to school for at least 80 hours per month. The requirement will apply to Arkansans aged 19 to 64 enrolled in ARHOME unless they are exempt. Exempt categories include pregnant and postpartum women, disabled veterans, caregivers, and those with special medical needs. Approximately 210,000 Arkansans are enrolled in ARHOME as of May 1.

States that have expanded Medicaid are required under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill to implement work and community engagement programs by January 1, 2027. Arkansans who are not exempt and who do not comply with the welfare to work requirement will lose their coverage or be denied their application beginning on that date.

Nationally, the new Medicaid welfare to work requirement is expected to save taxpayers $326 billion over the next ten years.

Under the soft launch that begins on July 1, DHS will begin running automated processes to determine if beneficiaries are exempt, meeting, or not meeting the work and community engagement requirement. While no penalties will be in place for 2026, beneficiaries will be notified of their status based on those automated checks so they are positioned to meet the requirement in 2027. Starting on January 1, 2027, beneficiaries who do not meet the requirement will have 30 days to show compliance before their Medicaid benefits are suspended.

Prior to the soft launch, DHS hosted five in-person town halls across Arkansas, including one that was also streamed virtually, to inform beneficiaries of the new work requirement. Beginning July 1, DHS will reemphasize the rollout of the work requirement to beneficiaries via notices, emails, and texts.

In January of last year, DHS announced plans to implement a work requirement program called Pathway to Prosperity. That waiver was pending with CMS when the new requirements from the One, Big, Beautiful Bill were signed into law. This new approach preserves the overall goal of Pathway to Prosperity to help Medicaid beneficiaries attain economic independence while also meeting all the requirements outlined in federal law.

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