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State of Wisconsin |
Release 24-02 |
"Immigrants" refers to all people who reside in the U.S. but are not U.S. citizens or nationals. Immigrants may be eligible for BadgerCare Plus and other categories of health care benefits, if they meet all eligibility requirements and in addition:
Immigrants who do not meet these additional requirements may still be eligible for the BadgerCare Plus Prenatal Program or Emergency Services.
Before health care benefits may be issued to immigrants, their immigration status must be verified with the Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Data Sources Hub or SAVE (see Section 4.3.2 Verification). Prior to verification of immigration status, benefits may also be issued for a temporary period under a Reasonable Opportunity Period (see Section 4.3.2.2 Reasonable Opportunity Period for Verification of Immigration Status).
To qualify for BadgerCare Plus, persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals must declare (or have an adult member of their household declare on their behalf) a satisfactory immigration status, except for:
This declaration is normally provided as part of a signed application for health care that provides some basic information regarding the immigration status of household members. However, in some cases, a person may only indicate on their paper or ACCESS application that they are not a U.S. citizen and not provide any information about their immigration status. In such a situation, it is not known whether the person is stating that they are lawfully present in the U.S. (that is, that they have a satisfactory immigration status) or that they are undocumented.
Federal law requires that agencies obtain a declaration of satisfactory immigration status before taking any action to verify a person's immigration status, including granting eligibility during a reasonable opportunity period (see Section 4.3.2.2 Reasonable Opportunity Period for Verification of Immigration Status). To meet this declaration requirement, everyone who indicates that they are not a U.S. citizen or national must provide one of the following:
Anyone who is required to and fails to provide immigration information or a declaration (or have an adult in the household provide it on their behalf) within standard verification timeframes must be denied health care benefits and must not be granted a reasonable opportunity period.
Primary verification of immigration status is done through the Department of Homeland Security by use of the Federal Data Services Hub (FDSH) or SAVE, which is an automated telephone and computer database system. A worker processing an application can simply enter the immigrant’s alien number and immigration document type into CWW. That information, along with demographic information of the individual, is sent in real time to the FDSH. The FDSH will immediately return verification of the immigrant’s status, date of entry, and the date the status was granted if it's available from the Department of Homeland Security, along with other information. If the FDSH cannot provide verification of the immigration status, workers are directed to seek secondary verification though SAVE or take other action.
The verification query via the FDSH or SAVE most likely results in returning the latest date of any qualified alien status update for an individual, not their original date of arrival. The only way to obtain an accurate date of arrival for those who do not meet an exemption category and who report a date of arrival prior to August 22, 1996, is through the secondary verification procedure. The FDSH or SAVE will describe the immigrant’s current status which may have changed from the original status. In some situations described later workers will need to maintain the original status in CARES.
It may be necessary to complete a secondary or third level verification procedure with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including confirming the date of arrival, in the following situations:
An Immigration Status Verifier at Department of Homeland Security will research the alien's records and complete the response portion of the verification request.
See Process Help, Chapter 82 SAVE for more information.
Additional verifications from sources other than the Department of Homeland Security are sometimes required as well. For example, persons who are in an immigration status subject to the 5-year bar and who indicate that they, their spouse or parent is in the military service or is a veteran, that military status must also be verified.
The following documents are considered valid verification of military service:
Immigration statuses for most immigrants are permanent and most often change when the immigrant become a U.S. citizen. For this reason, immigration status for most members should only be verified once, unless the status for an individual is questionable or it's a status subject to reverification (see Section 4.3.2.1 Reverification of Immigration Status). Even if an immigrant loses health care eligibility for a period of time, their immigration status does not need to be re-verified unless the status is subject to reverification.
See Process Help, Section 44.3.9 Immigrant/Refugee Information Page for additional information on using the FDSH or the procedures in the SAVE Manual.
The following persons with a Registration Status Code of 20 – Lawfully Residing are required to verify their immigration status at application and renewal, even if they have previously verified their immigration status:
Typically, these persons will be labelled with a "Non-immigrant" status by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Reverifications are not to be done for children and pregnant women with other Registration Status Codes, as those statuses are permanent.
The reverification requirement is only to be applied at the time of subsequent applications, renewals, or when an agency receives information indicating that the member may no longer be lawfully residing in the U.S. For pregnant women, the reverification is not to occur until the renewal is done to determine the woman’s eligibility after the end of the 60-day postpartum period.
Applicants who have declared that they are in a satisfactory immigration status, are otherwise eligible and are only pending for verification of immigration status must be certified for health care benefits within the normal application processing timeframe (30 days from the filing date). They are to continue receiving health care benefits for which they are eligible, while the IM agency waits for immigration status verification. Applicants who are otherwise eligible and are only pending for verification of immigration will have 90 days after receiving a request for immigration verification to provide the requested documentation. This 90-day period is called the Reasonable Opportunity Period (ROP). The 90-day ROP starts on the date after the member receives the notice informing the member of the need for the member to provide immigration verification by the end of the reasonable opportunity period. Federal regulations require that a minimum of five days be allotted for applicants to receive notices. For this reason, the end of the ROP must be set no less than 95 days after the date on the notice, even when the member receives the notice in less than five days. It also means that if a member shows that a notice was received more than five days after the date on the notice, the deadline must be extended to 90 days after the date the member received the notice.
The 90-day ROP applies when immigration verification is needed from a person at any time: applications, renewals, and when a person is newly requesting benefits on an existing case.
Applicants are eligible for benefits beginning with the first of the month of application or request. However, they are not eligible for backdated health care benefits while waiting for verification of their immigration status. Once verification of an eligible immigration status is provided, the applicant’s eligibility must then be determined for backdated health care benefits if they have been requested.
When requested verification is not provided by the end of the ROP, the worker must take action within 30 days to terminate eligibility, unless one of the following situations occurs where the worker is allowed to extend the reasonable opportunity period:
Persons whose health care benefits were terminated for failure to provide verification of immigration status by the end of the ROP are not eligible to have their benefits continued if they request a fair hearing.
A person may receive a reasonable opportunity period more than once in a lifetime.
| Example 1 |
Vladimir is a 12-year-old lawfully present in the United States on a visa applying for health care benefits with his parents. When verification is attempted through the FDSH, the response requires a secondary verification request to SAVE. Vladimir is otherwise eligible for BadgerCare Plus and is enrolled in BadgerCare Plus and the ROP notice is sent to the family while waiting for the SAVE response. A week later, SAVE verifies the child is lawfully present in the U.S. under a Temporary Protected Status and the reasonable opportunity period ends. A year later, the case is up for renewal. Since Vladimir has a Registration Status Code of 20 – Lawfully Residing, his immigration status must be verified again. Once more, the FDSH response requires verification of the child's status through SAVE. If Vladimir is otherwise eligible for BadgerCare Plus, they will be enrolled without delay and be sent a new reasonable opportunity period notice to the family. Again, Vladimir may be eligible for up to 90 days after receiving the notice while his immigration status is being verified. |
| Example 2 |
Sasha is a 22-year-old applying for health care benefits. Information received from the FDSH indicates she is a victim of trafficking. Confirmation of her status as a victim of trafficking is needed, and she must submit a letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS ORR). She is enrolled in BadgerCare Plus and is sent the ROP notice requesting Sasha submit a letter from HHS ORR. Sasha never submits a letter from HHS ORR and her benefits end when the ROP expires. One year later, Sasha again applies for health care benefits. Once more, the FDSH returns the same results. Sasha is otherwise eligible for BadgerCare Plus. She must be enrolled in BadgerCare Plus without delay and sent a new ROP notice requesting a letter from HSS ORR. Again, Sasha is eligible for BadgerCare Plus for 90 days after receiving the notice while waiting for Sasha to provide a letter from HHS ORR. |
Benefits issued during a reasonable opportunity period to a person otherwise eligible for BadgerCare Plus are not subject to recovery, even if the person turns out to have an immigration status that makes them ineligible for BadgerCare Plus benefits.
Immigrants may be eligible for BadgerCare Plus if they meet all other eligibility requirements and are either Qualifying Immigrants or are Lawfully Present as described below.
Immigrants of any age meeting the criteria listed below are considered Qualifying Immigrants.
*If these immigrants lawfully entered the U.S. on or after August 22, 1996, they must also meet one of the following:
Children younger than 19 years old, adults younger than 21 years old who are residing in an Institute for Mental Diseases (IMD), and pregnant women do not have to wait five years to be eligible for full-benefit Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus if they meet one of the following:
Women who have an immigration status requiring a five-year waiting period before being eligible for BadgerCare Plus will have the waiting period lifted when their pregnancy is reported to the agency. The lift on the five-year waiting period continues for an additional 60 days after the last day of pregnancy and through the end of the month in which the 60th day occurs.
| Example 1 |
Rose has an immigration status that requires a five-year waiting period before being eligible for BadgerCare Plus. Her date of entry to the U.S. was two years ago, so she is not eligible for BadgerCare Plus. In March, Rose reports that she is pregnant. She meets the other financial and nonfinancial requirements, so she is determined eligible for BadgerCare Plus as a pregnant woman. Rose’s last day of pregnancy is September 5. The 60th day after her last day of pregnancy is November 4, so Rose’s BadgerCare Plus coverage will end November 30. Starting in December, Rose is again subject to the five-year waiting period from her date of entry to the U.S. |
Children younger than 19 years old, young adults younger than 21 years old who are residing in an IMD, and pregnant women may qualify for BadgerCare Plus if they are lawfully present in the U.S. under many of the immigrant and nonimmigrant statuses. For those who are not in a qualifying Immigrant category, but are lawfully present, use the Registration Status Code of 20 (see Process Help, Section 82.6 SAVE Responses mapping to CARES immigration Status Codes Chart for a list of SAVE Responses and the appropriate Registration Status Code in CWW to apply).
Immigrants who are not a qualifying immigrant nor lawfully present (for example, someone with a status of DACA) and who apply for BadgerCare Plus and meet all eligibility requirements except for citizenship and immigration status may be entitled to receive BadgerCare Plus Emergency Services only (see Chapter 39 Emergency Services).
Pregnant immigrants who are not a qualifying immigrant nor lawfully present and who apply for BadgerCare Plus and meet the eligibility requirements, except for citizenship and immigration status, are entitled to receive BadgerCare Plus Prenatal Program benefits (see Chapter 41 BadgerCare Plus Prenatal Program), BadgerCare Plus Emergency Services (see Chapter 39 Emergency Services), or both.
Immigration status is an individual eligibility requirement. An individual's immigration status does not affect the eligibility of the BadgerCare Plus Group. The citizen spouse or child of an ineligible immigrant may still be eligible even though the immigrant is not.
Special Immigrants from Iraq or Afghanistan (Class of Admission Codes SI, and SQ-1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 and SW1, 2, and 3) are to be treated like they are refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus for as long as they have this Special Immigrant status. This policy applies to these immigrants regardless of when they received this status.
| Class of Admission Code | Description | CARES Alien Registration Status Code |
| SI1 or SQ1 | Principal Applicant Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant | Code 04 |
| SI2 or SQ2 | Spouse of Principal Applicant Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant | Code 04 |
| SI3 or SQ3 | Unmarried Child Under 21 Years of Age of Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant | Code 04 |
| SI6 or SQ6 | Principal Applicant Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant Principal Adjusting Status in the U.S. | Code 04 |
| SI7 or SQ7 | Spouse of Principal Applicant Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant Principal Applicant Adjusting Status in the U.S. | Code 04 |
| SI8 or SQ8 | Unmarried Child Under 21 Years of Age of Afghan or Iraqi Special Immigrant Principal Applicant Adjusting Status in the U.S. | Code 04 |
| SW1 | Surviving Spouse or child of an SQ1-eligible person | Code 04 |
| SW2 | Current Spouse of SW1 | Code 04 |
| SW3 | Unmarried child of SW1 | Code 04 |
In addition, immigrant Afghan spouses and children of former Special Immigrants who have become United States citizens are also to be treated like they are refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus. This treatment is to continue for as long as they have a status of Special Immigrant Conditional Permanent Resident (SI CPR). The Class of Admission codes for SI CPRs are CQ1, CQ2, and CQ3.
Afghans and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Afghanistan and subsequently paroled into the United States on July 31, 2021 through September 30, 2023, are to be treated as refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus.
In addition, Afghans and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Afghanistan and subsequently paroled into the United States after September 30, 2022, are to be treated as refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus if they are one of the following:
All of the above persons are to continue to be treated as refugees until either March 31, 2023, or the date their parole status expires, whichever is later.
The table below shows the Class of Admission Codes that are used for these groups:
| Class of Admission Code | Description | CARES Alien Registration Status Code |
| SQ4, SQ5 | Special Immigrant Parolee (SI Parolee) | Code 04 |
| DT, OAR, OAW, PAR | Humanitarian Parolee | Code 04 |
Ukrainians and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Ukraine and subsequently paroled into the United States between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2024, are to be treated as refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus.
In addition, Ukrainians and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Ukraine and subsequently paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023, are to be treated as refugees when determining their eligibility for BadgerCare Plus if they are one of the following:
The table below shows the Class of Admission Codes that are used for these groups:
| Class of Admission Code | Description | CARES Alien Registration Status Code |
| UHP, DT, PAR, or U4U | Humanitarian Parolee | Code 04 |
See Process Help, 82.6 SAVE Responses Mapping to CARES Immigration Status Codes Chart for detailed information including class of admission codes for Ukrainian humanitarian parolees.
The term "Cuban-Haitian Entrant" (CHE) relates to benefit eligibility rather than an immigration status. Cuban-Haitian entrants are defined as certain nationals of Cuba or Haiti who have permission to reside in the U.S. based on humanitarian considerations or under Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (REAA). CHEs are qualified immigrants with no waiting period. The following individuals meet the definition of Cuban-Haitian Entrant:
Public charge determinations are part of longstanding immigration policy that can impact a non-U.S. citizen’s ability to gain entry to the U.S or obtain lawful permanent resident status (get a green card). A public charge is someone who the government believes is likely to rely on cash assistance or government-funded institutionalization for long-term care to survive.
Many non-U.S. citizens are exempt from public charge determinations. These include lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders (unless they travel outside the U.S. for six months or more), asylees, refugees, special immigrant juveniles, survivors of trafficking, and other protected groups.
For non-U.S. citizens who are subject to public charge determinations, enrolling in BadgerCare Plus does not make them a public charge.
The only category of BadgerCare Plus services considered in public charge determinations is long-term institutionalization paid for by Medicaid. The following institutionalization situations are not considered in public charge determinations:
No services provided under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are considered in public charge determinations.
Do not refer an immigrant to INS unless information for administering the BadgerCare Plus program is needed (for example, if BadgerCare Plus needs to determine an individual's immigration status or an individual’s location for repayment or fraud prosecution).
Certain non-citizens who arrived in the U.S. on or after August 22, 1996, are subject to a five-year ban on receiving federal benefits (including BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid), other than emergency services. For these immigrants, the five-year ban is calculated beginning on the day on which they gain qualified immigrant status. However, certain applicants who alleged an arrival date in the U.S. before August 22, 1996, and obtained legal qualified immigrant status after August 22, 1996, are not subject to the five-year ban and may be eligible to receive federal BadgerCare Plus enrollment. The immigrants described below, who apply for BadgerCare Plus and meet all eligibility requirements, are entitled to receive BadgerCare Plus benefits:
An individual meets the "continuous presence" test if they:
To establish continuous presence, require a signed statement from the applicant stating they were continuously present for the period of time in question. The signed statement will be sufficient unless a worker believes the information is fraudulent or further information received now indicates that it is questionable.
Below is one example of a signed statement:
I, first and last name, hereby declare that I have continuously resided in the United States between the day I arrived in the United States, date here, and the date I received qualified alien status, date here. I have not left the United States in that time for any single period of time longer than 30 days or for multiple periods totaling more than 90 days.
Applicant or Authorized Representative Signature, Date
In cases in which it is known that the applicant originally arrived in the U.S. in undocumented status, do not attempt to verify their status with the USCIS. Undocumented immigrants do not have any official documentation regarding their date of arrival. Therefore, if a worker needs to establish a date of arrival for a qualified immigrant who originally arrived as an undocumented immigrant prior to August 22, 1996, alternative methods need to be used. In such cases, the applicant must provide at least one piece of documentation that shows their presence in the U.S. prior to August 22, 1996. This may include pay stubs, a letter from an employer, lease or rent receipts, or a utility bill in the applicant's name.
| Example 1 |
The legal status conferred on a non-citizen by immigration law—Toshi entered the U.S. February 2, 2004, with qualified immigrant status. She is applying for BadgerCare Plus in February 2008. The IM worker should first determine if she is in one of the immigrant categories exempt from the five-year ban. If Toshi is not exempt, then she must wait five years before qualifying for BadgerCare Plus. She can be enrolled in BadgerCare Plus after February 2, 2009. |
| Example 2 |
Shariff arrived as a student in June 2002. On June 5, 2006, he was granted asylum. The five-year ban does not apply because asylees are exempt from the ban. Secondary verification is not necessary. Shariff is eligible to be enrolled in BadgerCare Plus if he meets other financial and non-financial criteria. |
| Example 3 |
Katrin entered the U.S. March 3, 1995, and gained qualified immigrant status June 20, 1995. She is applying for BadgerCare Plus in February 2008. She is a qualified immigrant who entered the U.S. prior to August 22, 1996. There is no need to apply the five-year ban. She is eligible for BadgerCare Plus if she meets other financial and non-financial criteria. |
| Example 4 |
Juan entered the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant on April 1, 1996. He applied for BadgerCare Plus on February 1, 2008. His immigration status changed to lawful permanent resident on March 3, 2005. He has signed a self-declaration stating he remained continuously present in the U.S. between April 1, 1996, and March 3, 2005. Additionally, Juan provided a copy of a lease showing a date prior to August 1996. He is eligible for BadgerCare Plus if he meets other financial and non-financial criteria. |
| Example 5 |
Elena entered the U.S. on July 15, 1999, on a temporary work visa and obtained qualified immigration status on October 31, 2004. She applied for BadgerCare Plus February 1, 2008, and has been in the U.S. for over five years. Elena is not in one of the immigrant categories exempt from the five-year ban. Therefore, the five-year ban would have to be applied since Elena's original entry date is after August 22, 1996. The five-year clock starts from the date she obtained qualified immigration status, so she would be able to apply for BadgerCare Plus after October 31, 2009. |
| Example 6 |
Tomas entered the U.S. on April 8, 1996, on a visitor’s visa. He obtained qualified alien status on September 22, 2003. Tomas applied for Medicaid on May 5, 2008. The IM worker completed primary verification and USCIS responded with the date of entry as September 22, 2003, since that was the last updated date on his status. The IM worker needs to confirm with the applicant that this is the original date he arrived in the U.S. Tomas explained that he arrived in 1996; therefore, the IM worker needs to conduct secondary verification. USCIS responds and confirms that the original date of arrival was April 8, 1996. Additionally, the IM worker needs to confirm that the applicant was continuously present between April 8, 1996, and September 22, 2003. Tomas signs a self-declaration confirming this and is found eligible. If the IM worker had used September 22, 2003, as the date of entry in CARES, Tomas would have been incorrectly subject to the five-year ban and not eligible until September 22, 2008. |
See Process Help Section 82.6 SAVE Responses mapping to CARES immigration Status Codes Chart for a list of Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) Responses and the appropriate Registration Status Code in CWW to apply.
* "Veteran" includes certain veterans and active duty servicemen and women, their spouses, dependent children, or certain surviving spouses.
** Some victims of trafficking may need to provide certain verification to be exempt from the five-year bar (see Section 4.3.11 Victims of Trafficking).
The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides resources for refugees, asylum seekers, and other new arrivals to the U.S. to assist with their integration into their new community. Several benefit programs overseen by the ORR and operated by the Bureau of Refugee Programs in the Department of Children and Families are discussed here.
Refugee Cash Assistance Program payments are not counted as income for BadgerCare Plus. Refugee Cash Assistance is administered by W-2 agencies and is made available for refugees who do not qualify for W-2.
Refugee "Reception and Placement" payments are not counted as income for BadgerCare Plus. Reception and Placement payments are made to refugees during the first 30 days after their arrival in the U.S. Reception and Placement payments are made by voluntary resettlement agencies and may be a direct payment to the refugee individual or family or to a vendor.
If an individual does not meet the other eligibility requirements for BadgerCare Plus, they may apply for Refugee Medical Assistance, which is not funded by BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid. Refugee Medical Assistance is a separate benefit from BadgerCare Plus but provides the same level of benefits. Refugee Medical Assistance is available only in the first 12 months after a special immigrant’s date of entry. If it is not applied for in that 12-month period, it cannot be applied for later.
While W-2 agencies have contractual responsibility for providing Refugee Medical Assistance, they must coordinate with economic support agencies to ensure eligibility for all regular BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid subprograms is tested first.
More information about this program is in the Wisconsin Works (W-2) Manual, Section 18.3 Refugee Medical Assistance.
| Note |
The federal Medicaid eligibility for all other refugees admitted under Registration Status Code 04 remains the same. |
Applicants with an immigration status that requires them to be in that immigration status for five years before being eligible for health care benefits are exempt from this five-year bar if they meet any of the following criteria related to military service:
Applicants claiming to be victims of trafficking (or have a Class of Admission (COA) code indicating that they are a victim – ST6 or T1), have not resided in the United States for at least five years, and are at least 18 years of age, must have a victim certification from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Department of Health and Human Services to be treated like a refugee and be exempt from the five-year bar.
Persons with a COA code indicating they are a child, spouse, or parent of a trafficking victim (Codes ST0, ST1, ST7, ST8, ST9, T2, T3, T4, T5, or T6) are exempt from the five-year bar and do not need certification from the ORR. Victims of trafficking who are under 18 at the time they apply do not require a certification from the ORR. Victims of Trafficking who are 18 or older and do not have the certification will be subject to the five-year bar.
This page last updated in Release Number: 24-02
Release Date: 08/22/2024
Section 4.3.2.2 Effective Date: 06/03/2024
Section 4.3.3.3 and Section 4.3.3.5 Effective Date: 04/24/2024
The information concerning the BadgerCare Plus program provided in this handbook release is published in accordance with: Titles XI, XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act; Parts 430 through 481 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations; Chapter 49 of the Wisconsin Statutes; and Chapters HA 3, DHS 2 and 101 through 109 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.
Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.
Publication Number: P-10171