Every day, millions of people across the United States depend on vital financial benefits programs that help cover the basic costs of living. These programs help low-income families, older adults, and people living with disabilities better afford food, healthcare, prescription drugs, household utilities, and more.

Are you or someone you know one of them? If so, you likely have questions from time to time. Will my Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits automatically renew? Does my Medicaid coverage expire? What happens if my benefits lapse?

Plus, these programs often follow different rules in different states, and eligibility and enrollment guidelines can change from year to year. Keeping track of them can feel challenging. This guide can help.

Here’s what you need to know about some common financial assistance programs: how to stay enrolled, and what to do if your benefits lapse or expire. To help you quickly find answers to your specific questions, we’ve devised some visual cues.

✅ = Yes
❌ = No
🟡 = Maybe

Let’s get started.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps, provides a monthly cash stipend—loaded onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card—that you can use to buy groceries at participating stores and farmers markets.

When you apply and qualify for the first time, your state SNAP office will send you an official approval letter explaining how long your benefits will last: generally anywhere from one month to three years. Your letter may call this time period your “active” or “certification” period.

Q: Do my SNAP benefits automatically renew?
A: Yes and no.

✅ Yes.
During your certification period, your SNAP benefits get deposited into your EBT account at the same time each month. You don’t have to do anything; this is an automatic process. If you don’t use all of your funds from a previous month, they roll over into the next.

❌ No.
However—and this is important—if you don’t use your EBT card at all within a 9-month period, your state can permanently revoke them.¹

Q: Will I be notified before my SNAP benefits expire?
A: Yes.

✅ Yes
If your initial certification period is ending, your state must notify you in writing no later than 30 days prior.²

If you receive this notification, it’s time to complete your SNAP recertification. Recertification simply means that you still meet the eligibility requirements for receiving SNAP benefits. Many states have adopted a streamlined recertification process for older adults that cuts down on paperwork.

And remember: be sure to complete your SNAP recertification right away; otherwise, your benefits may lapse or expire.

✅ Yes.
If you haven’t used your SNAP EBT card during a 9-month period, your state must notify you in writing no later than 10 days before deactivating it.²

If you receive this notification, it’s time to buy groceries with your card. Use it at a participating SNAP retailer to keep your benefits active. Did you lose your SNAP EBT card? Call your state EBT customer service line and ask for a replacement.

Q: Can I renew my SNAP benefits if they lapse?
A: It depends.

🟡 Maybe.
If you failed to complete your recertification process in time, you likely will need to re-apply for the program. If your personal financial situation has changed, or if your state eligibility rules have, you may or may not qualify for benefits. (Learn how to apply for SNAP and how to appeal a SNAP decision if you disagree with it).

🟡 Maybe.
If your state suspended your EBT card, you may ask to have your benefits reinstated. The process and rules depend on where you live. (Here’s how to contact your local SNAP office).

Medicaid

Medicaid is a vital public health insurance program for people of all ages whose incomes are limited—including millions of older adults across the country. Depending on where you live, it may be called something different, like “SoonerCare” in Oklahoma.

When you apply and qualify for the first time, your state Medicaid agency will send an eligibility determination letter including your effective coverage date. Usually, this is the date you applied, or the first day of the month in which you applied. Sometimes, Medicaid grants retroactive coverage for up to three months.

Once enrolled, your Medicaid benefits extend for one year starting on the date your coverage first began.³ During the COVID-19 federal public health emergency (PHE), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act temporarily granted “continuous coverage”—meaning that people already enrolled in Medicaid did not have to go through an annual renewal process while the PHE was in place. States also were prohibited from automatically canceling your coverage during this time.

Q: Do my Medicaid benefits automatically renew?
A: It depends.

🟡 Maybe.
If you live in a state that has not yet resumed its normal renewal process (also called “Medicaid continuous coverage unwinding”), your benefits should continue uninterrupted. Be aware, however, that this could change at any time. The full unwinding process was due to be completed by May 2024, but several states have extended their timelines.^4,5

❌ No.
If you live in a state that has ended continuous enrollment, your benefits will expire at the end of your one-year coverage period.

Q: Will I be notified before my Medicaid benefits expire?
A: It depends.

🟡 Maybe.
Without prior warning, many states immediately disenrolled (canceled coverage for) people who no longer qualified for Medicaid benefits following the unwinding process. If this hasn’t happened to you, it still might.

If you are enrolled in Medicaid and have not received any information about your benefits in the past year, your safest bet is to be proactive. Contact your state Medicaid agency now to ask when they will send your renewal packet. This is a great time to make sure your address is current, too.

✅ Yes.
If you live in a state that has resumed regular Medicaid eligibility and enrollment processes, you should receive a packet roughly 30 days prior  to your renewal deadline date.

That means it’s time to complete your redetermination paperwork. This process differs depending on your residence; KFF provides a handy chart to help you easily locate state-specific resources to help you proceed.

Q: Can I renew my Medicaid benefits if they lapse?
A: It depends.

🟡 Maybe.
You must complete a Medicaid renewal application every year. If your personal or household situation has changed, or if your state eligibility rules have, you may or may not qualify for benefits. (Learn what steps you can take to avoid lapses in coverage and how to appeal a Medicaid decision that you think is incorrect).

Additional FAQ

What if I move to a different state? Will my benefits carry over?
Yes and no. Many federal programs go with you; most state programs don’t. See How to Transfer Benefits Across State Lines for more information.

The bottom line

Keep in mind that program rules often change from year to year—and not every state-administered program, like SNAP or Medicaid, follows the same guidelines. If you’re facing a situation not discussed above, or have additional questions, remember: experts are available to help, free of charge.

Start by contacting your local Benefits Enrollment Center, where older adults and people living with disabilities can get help understanding and applying for programs that help pay for food, health care, home heating costs, and more.

If you are eligible for or already enrolled in Medicare, you also can ask your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for guidance. Highly trained counselors can answer your questions about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare prescription drug coverage, supplemental insurance options (Medigap), and long-term care insurance. For other benefits programs, counselors can make appropriate referrals to experts in those areas.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Do Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits Expire? AskUSDA. Found on the internet at https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-Supplemental-Nutrition-Assistance-Program-benefits-expire
2. Kelly Anne Smith. “Yes, SNAP Benefits Eventually Expire. Here’s What You Need to Know.” Forbes Advisor, January 22, 2022. Found on the internet at https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/do-snap-benefits-expire/
3. Medicaid.gov. Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage. Found on the internet at https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/unwinding-and-returning-regular-operations-after-covid-19/renew-your-medicaid-or-chip-coverage/index.html
4. Kaiser Family Foundation. How Many People Might Lose Medicaid When States Unwind Continuous Enrollment? April 26, 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/how-many-people-might-lose-medicaid-when-states-unwind-continuous-enrollment/
5. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Unwinding Watch: Tracking Medicaid Coverage as Pandemic Protections end. June 4, 2024. Found on the internet at: https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/unwinding-watch-tracking-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-protections-end