As a navigator, the conversation I have most often starts the same way: someone is panicking about a work-requirement notice, and within two minutes it's clear they were never subject to it in the first place. They're a full-time caregiver. They're pregnant. They're in treatment for a substance use disorder. The law exempts them — but the notice didn't make that obvious, and nobody helped them claim it.
Why exemptions go unclaimed
Exemption categories are written in statute and policy language, not in the words people use about their own lives. A grandmother raising grandchildren doesn't necessarily identify as a 'caregiver of a dependent.' Someone with a serious illness may not know that 'medically frail' could apply to them. The exemption exists; the recognition doesn't.
The fix is not more legalese. It is plain-language, scenario-based outreach: 'Are you caring for a child or a sick family member? You may not have to report.' That single reframing moves people from confusion to action.
Why it's the cleanest win
Driving exemption claims is measurable, it maps directly to the documented failure mode of past programs, and it protects exactly the people the system is most likely to lose by mistake. For plans and agencies, it is the retention intervention with the clearest before-and-after number.