How to Renew Kentucky Medicaid
Updated August 2026
Kentucky renews Medicaid coverage annually. Before your renewal date, the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) reviews your eligibility using existing data — a process called ex parte renewal. If DCBS can confirm your eligibility from wage records, Social Security data, or other state databases, your coverage renews automatically.
Annual
Renewal frequency
kynect
Renew online at kynect.ky.gov
10 days
Deadline to report changes
Kentucky renews Medicaid through kynect — keep your contact information updated
Kentucky processes Medicaid renewals annually through the kynect portal at kynect.ky.gov and through local DCBS offices. Renewal notices go to the address and email on file in kynect. An outdated address is one of the most common reasons people lose coverage during renewal — update your information immediately if you have moved.
How Kentucky Medicaid renewal works
If ex parte renewal is not possible, DCBS sends a renewal packet to your address on file. You must respond — complete the form, return it with any updated documents, and meet the deadline — to continue your coverage. Missing the deadline results in termination. Per Kentucky's Department for Medicaid Services (DMS), children's continuous coverage flexibility that had been in place since COVID ended June 30, 2025, and children's annual renewals resumed starting with July 2025 renewal dates.
How to renew your Kentucky Medicaid coverage
- Online via kynect at kynect.ky.gov — log in to your account and respond to the renewal notice
- By phone — call 1-855-459-6328 to speak with a kynect representative about your renewal
- At your local DCBS office — bring your renewal form and any updated income documentation
- By mail — complete the renewal form and return it to the DCBS address listed on the form
Changes to report during the year
Kentucky requires Medicaid members to report certain changes within 10 days of when the change occurs.
- Change of address — update immediately in kynect or at your DCBS office
- Income change — starting or stopping employment, change in wages, new income source
- Household size change — new child, household members moving in or out, marriage, divorce
- Gaining or losing other health insurance
- Change in immigration status
- Pregnancy — a new eligibility category may apply
Your right to appeal
If Kentucky Medicaid terminates your coverage, you will receive a notice with the reason and your appeal rights. Request a fair hearing within 30 days of the notice date. If you appeal before your coverage ends and submit the request in time, you may be entitled to "aid paid pending" — continued benefits while your appeal is reviewed.
For a denial notice generally, you have up to 90 days from the date of the notice to request a fair hearing; filing quickly and before your coverage ends preserves the best chance of continued benefits during the appeal. Contact the Kentucky Legal Aid office in your area (klaid.org) if you need help with a Medicaid appeal.
How to complete your renewal
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1
Read the notice carefully
Identify exactly what DCBS is asking for and the deadline to respond. Renewal packets may ask you to confirm your current income, household size, or address.
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2
Update your information
If anything has changed — income, address, phone number, household members — report it now. Outdated contact information is the leading cause of missed renewal notices.
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3
Submit the renewal online, by phone, or by mail
kynect.ky.gov is typically the fastest way to complete a renewal. You may also call 1-855-459-6328 or mail in your completed packet.
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4
Confirm your coverage continued
After submitting, confirm you receive a notice that coverage was renewed. If you don't hear back within a few weeks, call to verify your status.
Kentucky and the 2023–2024 unwinding
Kentucky saw moderate coverage losses during the 2023–2024 Medicaid unwinding period — lower than many non-expansion states but still significant in total numbers. Many terminations during that period were procedural, affecting people who were still eligible but could not be reached by renewal notices.
If you lost Kentucky Medicaid coverage during 2023 or 2024 and have not reapplied, do so now at kynect.ky.gov — your income and household situation may still qualify you for coverage.
Kentucky Medicaid
- Renew online: kynect.ky.gov
- kynect phone line: 1-855-459-6328
- Report changes by email: DFS.Medicaid@ky.gov