State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services

Release 24-01
April 03, 2024

View History

3.1 Residence

A person must be a Wisconsin resident to be eligible for BadgerCare Plus and must meet both of the following conditions:

  1. Be physically present in Wisconsin. There is no minimum requirement for the length of time the person has been physically present in Wisconsin. Wisconsin residents who are temporarily out of state (see Section 3.5 Absence from Wisconsin), including students going to school in another state, do not have to be physically present to apply. However, individuals who are not Wisconsin residents and intend to move to Wisconsin must be physically present in Wisconsin to apply.

  2. Express intent to reside in Wisconsin (see Section 3.2 Intent to Reside). Effective January 1, 2014, an individual can also be considered a resident of Wisconsin if they are physically present in the State and have entered Wisconsin with a job commitment or seeking employment, whether or not they are employed at the time of application.

Example 1

John, a student from Wisconsin who is attending college in Minnesota, can apply for BadgerCare Plus as a Wisconsin resident.

 

Example 2

Margie lives in Florida. She is planning to move to Wisconsin in the next few months. Margie would not be considered a resident of Wisconsin until she is physically present in Wisconsin.

 

Example 3

This is George's first day in Wisconsin. He states that he intends to reside in Wisconsin. For BadgerCare Plus purposes, George is a Wisconsin resident.

Migrant Farm Worker

A migrant who meets all of the following conditions is a Wisconsin resident:

  1. Their primary employment in Wisconsin is in the agricultural field or cannery work.
  2. They are authorized to work in the U.S.
  3. They are not related (immediate family) by blood or marriage to the employer (as distinguished from a "crew leader").
  4. They routinely leave an established place of residence to travel to another locality to accept seasonal or temporary employment.

See Section 12.3 Simplified Application for Special Migrant Laborer Processing Instructions.

This page last updated in Release Number: 14-02
Release Date: 05/14/14
Effective Date: 04/01/14


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