Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Indiana program

Medicaid for a working teenager (MEDWorks)

Medicaid for someone aged 16 to 64 who works and meets the disability rules.

What it is

Medicaid for someone aged 16 to 64 who works and meets the disability rules.

MEDWorks checks the young person's work, disability and finances. Parents' income is left out. Members under 18 do not pay Medicaid premiums or copays through MEDWorks; adult cost rules begin at 18.

Eligibility rules
  • Ages 16 through 64, employment and a Medicaid disability finding are required.
  • From March 1, 2026, the member-only income standard is 350% of poverty, or $4,655 monthly after program deductions.
  • The individual resource standard is $2,000; the married-couple standard is $3,000 under the applicable ownership rules. DFR confirms which wage, self-employment, benefit and asset records apply.
  • Parents' and a spouse's income are not deemed to the applicant for the eligibility-income test. Spouse finances can matter in the separate resource and adult-premium calculations.
What you get
  • No Medicaid premium or copay for an eligible MEDWorks member under 18.
  • A route that can continue beyond the age limit for child Medicaid.
What the help includes
  • The young person's own Medicaid eligibility is separate from the parents' income screen.
  • A MEDWorks member under 18 is exempt from Medicaid premiums and copays; Package C is a different program. At age 18, MEDWorks may charge a monthly premium under its adult gross-income schedule, with exemptions and credit for qualifying private-insurance premiums. The benefits office can explain the actual premium notice and what changes at the birthday before the family counts on a cost.
  • From age 18 there is a monthly premium of $48 to $187 depending on the young person's own income, with nothing owed under about $2,000 a month.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the benefits caseworker to check MEDWorks by name if your teenager works.
  2. Have the young person's pay records and medical records ready.
  3. Ask the caseworker what costs change at age 18 and how any premium notice would work.

Indiana Division of Family Resources, 800-403-0864 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The Division of Family Resources reviews the disability category and any premium.
  • The doctor supplies records for the disability review.
Good to know

This is a worker category. Being 16 or having cancer does not replace the work and disability tests.

Other details
  • Your answers here do not settle the teenager's own earnings or work status.
  • A caseworker can compare this route with ordinary Medicaid before a coverage change.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If our teenager works, could MEDWorks fit? What would coverage and any premium mean for us, and could you help with the application if it is useful?”

Why I’m asking: I want to know whether my child's own work opens a coverage route that leaves our income out.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Name MEDWorks on the application and give the young person's own pay records.

Your social worker

The caseworker checks the disability category and the premium band.

The care team

The doctor supplies the medical records for the disability decision.

Who decides
The Division of Family Resources, on a Medicaid disability finding.
Ask your social worker
“My child is 16 or older and works. Can we be screened for MEDWorks, which counts only their own pay?”

How to apply

First step: Ask the caseworker for MEDWorks by name on the Indiana benefits application.

  1. If your teenager works, ask the caseworker about MEDWorks by name.
  2. Ask what premium, if any, applies at your income.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask for MEDWorks by name on the Indiana benefits application, or call 800-403-0864.

What to gather

  • The young person's pay records
  • Medical records for the disability decision

How long: The disability categories carry a 90-day standard rather than the ordinary 45.

What a yes looks like

A Medicaid card in the young person's own name, with a premium notice if one applies.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If earnings are the reason, ask what counts as working. If disability is the reason, ask what medical evidence was missing.

Watch out

  • This is a worker category. A young person who is not working cannot use it.
  • Members under 18 have a Medicaid premium and copay exemption through MEDWorks. At 18, the adult premium schedule and any credits or exemptions need review.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Medicaid for an eligible disabled worker aged 16–64, based on the applicant's income after program deductions. The March 1, 2026 monthly standard is $4,655.

  • $4,655/month — Monthly income standard, member only

Covers: Full Medicaid coverage · The same hospital and specialist care as other Medicaid categories

Legal protection: A parent's income and savings are not counted

What it costs the family: Members under 18 are exempt from Medicaid premiums and copays through MEDWorks. Adult premiums use a separate gross-income schedule, subject to exemptions and qualifying private-premium credits.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
16 to 64
Income
From March 1, 2026, applicant income after disability-program deductions must meet the 350% poverty standard, $4,655 monthly. Parents' and spouse's income are not deemed in this income test; separate resource and adult-premium rules apply.
Employment
the member must be working
Disability
a Medicaid disability finding is required

The trap: This is a worker category, not a general buy-in. A non-working child cannot use it, and no general family-opportunity buy-in was found for Indiana.

Where I read this

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