DAWNcil

Today, October 29, 2026, a federal judge agreed with a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in their lawsuit challenging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) definition of “medical frailty” in CMS’s work requirements rule. The states sued CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz because CMS’s definition of “medical frailty” was stricter than Congress’s definition in the final law. The federal government’s stricter policy ensured that, even though they are legally exempt from CMS's work requirements due to their disability, they would lose their Medicaid coverage under CMS’s stricter definition. Today, a federal judge said that CMS cannot propose and enforce a stricter definition than the law does. Effective immediately, nationwide, the “medical frailty” exemption for Medicaid work requirements goes back to its original definition as Congress wrote it. This is a small – but truly meaningful win. Today’s ruling does not end work requirements entirely, but it does eliminate some harmful aspects of how work requirements are administered. You can learn more about what this means in AAPD’s Community Update: aapd.com/community-advocacy-… Progress often happens one small action at a time. Let’s all celebrate this successful action and continue to share our stories about how Medicaid makes every part of our lives possible – our advocacy is powerful. ID: White text on a navy background: "We Have Good News About Medicaid! (Yes, you read that right!) Today, a federal judge agreed with 25 states + DC that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must end a policy that would make it even harder for disabled people to be exempt from Medicaid work requirements. 25 states + DC sued CMS because their definition of “medical frailty” was much stricter than the definition that Congress wrote in H.R. 1. A federal judge agreed with the states, declaring that CMS cannot propose a stricter definition than Congress did. Before today, CMS’s proposed definition meant that many people who were supposed to qualify for a medical exemption would still be forced to work, attend school, or volunteer 80 hours a month to keep their life-saving Medicaid coverage. Now, the definition of medical frailty goes back to the original one that Congress wrote! This means more disabled people will be rightfully exempt from needing to fulfill work requirements to keep their healthcare. Go to our profile to learn more."