The facts
Judge Richard G. Stearns of the District of Massachusetts ruled in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Oz, case 1:26-cv-12962-RGS. The states had challenged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' June interim final rule. [1][2]
The court vacated language requiring people in the specified medical-frailty categories to also show that their condition significantly impairs compliance with the work or community-engagement requirement. It found that added condition contrary to law. [1][2]
The permanent injunction prohibits applying the invalid provision to the plaintiff states. The order also protects them from penalties for implementation errors or delays for six months from 29 October; this does not postpone Congress's January implementation deadline. [1][2]
The court upheld the other challenged restrictions concerning a 12-month lookback for claims data and the use of self-attestation to establish medical frailty. This was a partial ruling for each side, rather than the elimination of all eligibility-verification rules. [2]
The underlying law generally requires Medicaid expansion enrollees aged 19–64 to document 80 hours a month of work or community service, or at least half-time study, subject to exemptions. The ruling does not invalidate that statutory requirement. [2][3]
Still unconfirmed
- Whether an appeal or later order will change this ruling.
- How individual states will revise their eligibility-verification systems.
Sources
References support the numbered facts above. Source checks: 30 Oct 2026, 06:10 UTC.
The signed court order and opinion establish the precise relief; independently owned AP reporting corroborates the ruling. The six-month protection concerns enforcement penalties for plaintiff states, not a delay of the statutory work requirements.
- Order of vacatur and enjoinment, 29 October 2026
US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, via Georgetown Health Care Litigation Tracker · Primary source · 29 Oct 2026
The complete two-page signed order was read; its injunction expressly refers to plaintiff states.
- Memorandum and order on cross-motions for summary judgment
US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, via Georgetown Health Care Litigation Tracker · Primary source · 29 Oct 2026
The relevant identification, relief and conclusion pages were read, alongside the judgment. The tracker is a document host, not a second court.
- US judge blocks Trump's Medicaid rule forcing ill to prove impairment
Associated Press via Al Jazeera · Reporting · 30 Oct 2026
Al Jazeera explicitly credits AP. Its hosting does not create a second independently reported account.