MedicaidAdministrativeLow impact
Information Regarding the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Increase and File Download through the Medical Electronic Data Interchange (MEDI) System
Illinois Medicaid - HFS·IL·Provider Notice
Effective date
Jan 1, 2026
We identified it
Jun 16, 2026
Summary
A 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) has been approved for Social Security benefits effective January 2026, increasing maximum SSI amounts and updating room/board amounts for Long Term Care facilities. The HFS payment system has been automatically updated with new patient credit amounts, and providers can download updated LTC Transaction Reports through the MEDI system.
Action Required
Immediately: Long Term Care billing staff should download the updated HFS 2449A LTC Transaction Report from the MEDI system by logging into MEDI > Internet Electronic Claims > Download Files. Review patient credit amounts in the HFS payment system via MEDI LTC Inquiry. If patient credit amounts appear incorrect, submit an LTC Income Change transaction in MEDI with proper verification documents to the appropriate LTC Medical Field Operations office.