11.2 Former Foster Care Youth

Youths who were in foster care, subsidized guardianships, or court-ordered Kinship Care on their 18th birthday qualify for a special status under BadgerCare Plus when they leave out-of-home care if all the following conditions are met:

The youth was receiving foster care (either IV-E or non-IV-E), subsidized guardianship, or court-ordered Kinship Care on the date that they turned 18 years old. It does not matter what state they were residing in when they turned 18 years old.
The youth is younger than 26 years old.
The youth meets the following BadgerCare Plus eligibility criteria:
1. Is no longer receiving foster care benefits (which includes subsidized guardianships and court-ordered Kinship Care) but was receiving the benefits on their 18th birthday. Verification of the placement status on their 18th birthday is required.
2. Provides an SSNSocial Security number or cooperates in applying for one.
3. Is a U.S. citizen or national or is a qualifying immigrant.
4. Provides verification of U.S. citizenship and identity or qualifying immigration status or makes a good faith effort to obtain it.
5. Cooperates with child support enforcement agencies in obtaining medical support (if a parent).
6. Cooperates with third party liability (TPLThird Party Liability. The obligation of a person or organization other than Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus to pay for a person's medical expenses. Examples of TPL include group or private health insurance, auto insurance, worker's compensation, and personal liability insurance.) requirements.
7. Physically resides in Wisconsin and intends to reside in the state.

There is no income or resource test for these youths while they are eligible under this status; therefore, they are not required to provide any income tax filing information in order for their BadgerCare Plus eligibility to be determined.

Note	If a Former Foster Care Youth (FFCY) is included in another household member’s assistance group (AGassistance group), their tax filing information may be needed to determine eligibility for those household members.

In addition, they are not subject to the BadgerCare Plus insurance access or coverage policies and are not required to pay any premiums for themselves. Regardless of income, they are eligible for the BadgerCare Plus Standard Plan unless they are found otherwise ineligible or until the end of the month in which they turn 26 years old.

A 12-month recertification renewal is required to continue eligibility.

This page last updated in Release Number: 23-02
Release Date: 04/17/2023
Effective Date: 04/17/2023

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