Do I have to renew my Medical Assistance (MA) or MinnesotaCare?

For the last 3 years, no one had to renew their MA or MinnesotaCare because of the pandemic. 

Now everyone needs to renew sometime between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. You should get a notice telling you when it is your time to renew. If you don’t get your renewal done on time, you could lose your coverage.

After this renewal, you need to renew every year at the same time.

• Make sure your contact information is up-to-date. This is very important! All of the renewal information is mailed to you. The agency needs your correct mailing address.
  • If you or anyone in your household has MA, contact your county or tribe to update your contact information.
  • If you have MinnesotaCare, call DHS at 651-297-3862 or 800-657-3672.
     
• Watch for an envelope with a Blue Dot. Your renewal form is in an envelope with a blue dot on the front. Open it right away and fill out the form. Send it to the address on the cover letter. Make sure you send it by the deadline! See last section, “Where can I get more information or help?”

It depends if you have MA or MinnesotaCare.

If you have MA
Your renewal is on the anniversary of when you started getting MA. The deadline for the form is a month before that date.

• A month before you get your renewal form in the mail, you should get a notice telling you that you need to renew soon.
• Then your renewal form comes in the mail about a month before it is due.
• Read it carefully. You need to make sure you have the documents you need. 
• The renewal form and the documents need to be sent to your county or tribe by the deadline they give you.
  
  For example: If you first applied for MA in July a few years ago, your renewal must be done by July of this year. You get a notice about renewal in April. Then you get your renewal forms in May. You must fill out and send in your renewal by the first of June. The agency processes your renewal to see if you are still eligible for MA. They must finish the process by the last day of June for you to keep getting MA.

It is very important that you fill out and send in your renewal forms right away. The county or tribal agency processes works on renewals in the order they get them. 

If you have MinnesotaCare
Your renewal is on January 1, 2024. You get the first notice in October. Your renewal form is mailed in November. You must send in your completed form by the first of December.

If someone in your household has MA and someone has MinnesotaCare
The MA needs to be renewed the same as listed above. You get all the notices and forms by mail. The MinnesotaCare may need to be renewed at the end of the year. But sometimes the same information used for MA can be used for the MinnesotaCare and the renewal happens automatically. The agency lets you know.  

If you need help with your renewal at all, call or email Project Care to get free help from a certified MNsure navigator: 320-253-0121 or projectcare@mylegalaid.org.

You can only renew using a paper form. Answer all the questions on the form. You also need to send documents to prove your information. To get ready, make sure you have these things:

• Your most recent tax return
• Pay stubs for everyone in your household who works
• Social security statements
• Unemployment income statements
• Other papers that show your income
   

If you are a senior or are blind or have a disability, you don't have to report your assets this year. You will have to prove that your assets are below the asset limit next time.

If you don’t renew your coverage before it expires, you may lose it. It is important to renew your coverage on time so you don’t end up with gaps in coverage.

If you need to enroll in insurance through your job or through MNsure, you get a notice that says you are no longer eligible for MA or MinnesotaCare. Hang on to the notice! You need it because it gives you a special enrollment period. You need this to get coverage through your employer or through MNsure if the enrollment period has passed. If you don’t do your renewal and get the notice, you have to wait until the next open enrollment period to get covered. 

You need to report any changes in your household that could affect eligibility. If you are enrolled in MA or MinnesotaCare, you must report these changes:

• Address – if you move, or change your address
• Income – like if you get a new job, lose your job, get a raise, or get unemployment
• Household size – like if you have a baby, someone moves in or out of your home, you get married or divorced, or someone passes away
• Tax filing status
• Immigration status – like if you or someone in your home becomes a citizen or permanent resident
• Health insurance – like if someone gets insurance through a job
• Personal information – like a name change
• You become disabled
   

If you have MA, call your county or tribal office within 10 days of when the change happens.

If you and everyone else in your household has MinnesotaCare, call the MinnesotaCare Information Line at 651-297-3862 or 800-657-3672 within 30 days of when the change happens.

If your household has a mix of people with MinnesotaCare and MA, follow the MA rules and call your county or tribal office within 10 days of when the change happens.

If you have questions about renewing your coverage, you can:

• Call or email Project Care to get free help from a certified MNsure navigator: 320-253-0121 or projectcare@mylegalaid.org.

• Visit the DHS Renew My Coverage website.

• Watch the short Project Care MA Renewals video on YouTube.