How to Renew Pennsylvania Medicaid

Pennsylvania uses an ex parte (administrative) renewal process for enrollees whose income can be verified through data sources DHS already has access to — such as Social Security Administration records, wage data, and tax information. If DHS can verify your ongoing eligibility using these sources, your coverage may be renewed without you having to submit a paper form.

Even if you are renewed ex parte, you will still receive a notice in the mail. Read any notice from DHS carefully — it may request additional information or confirm your renewal. If a notice asks you to respond and you do not, your coverage may be terminated even if you remain eligible.

DHS offers several ways to complete your renewal.

Gather these before your renewal date. The free myCOMPASS PA mobile app lets you check your renewal date, upload documents by scanning them with your phone's camera, and receive push notifications when DHS sends renewal notices.

If you do not complete your renewal by the due date, your Medical Assistance coverage will end. But Pennsylvania gives you a 90-day window after your coverage ends to still submit your renewal. If you submit within those 90 days and are still eligible, your coverage will be reopened with no gap — meaning retroactive coverage from the date it was terminated. After the 90-day window closes, you would need to submit a new application rather than a renewal.

If your renewal is denied, the notice will explain the reason and your right to a fair hearing. You have 30 days from the date of the notice to request a fair hearing. Requesting within 10 days preserves your current benefits while the hearing is pending ("aid pending"). Call 1-877-395-8930 or contact your CAO to request a hearing.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency (March 2020 through March 2023), states were prohibited from terminating Medicaid coverage. When continuous enrollment protection ended in April 2023, Pennsylvania began processing a backlog of renewals — a period known nationally as the "unwinding." Pennsylvania processed renewals for its entire Medical Assistance caseload over approximately 12 months, disenrolling individuals who no longer qualified or who could not be reached for renewal information.

Pennsylvania used its pink envelope outreach and the COMPASS digital reminder system to reach as many enrollees as possible during the unwinding period. Per KFF tracking, Pennsylvania's disenrollment rate during unwinding was within the national range — a significant portion of disenrollments were for procedural reasons (failure to return renewal paperwork) rather than income ineligibility.

If you lost coverage during the 2023-2024 unwinding period and believe you were still eligible, you can reapply through COMPASS at any time — eligibility is based on current circumstances, and coverage can begin as early as the month you apply.

Here's how the renewal process typically unfolds.