18.5 Losing and Regaining Extensions

18.5.1 Losing an Extension
18.5.2 Regaining Extensions
1. 18.5.2.1 Leaving Wisconsin and Regaining Extensions

18.5.1 Losing an Extension

A BadgerCare Plus member loses an extension if one or more of the following happens:

Parents and caretaker relatives lose their extension if they fail to cooperate in providing third-party health insurance coverage (TPL). Children younger than 19 years old are exempt from any penalty for not cooperating with this requirement.
Parents and caretaker relatives lose their extension if the extension is based on an increase in earned income and all children under the parent's or caretaker relative’s care have either left the household, turned 19 years old, or are 18 years old but not a dependent 18-year-old. See Section 2.2.1.3 Dependent 18-Year-Old.
Parents and caretaker relatives lose their extension if the extension is based on an increase in earned income and the parent or caretaker relative is no longer cooperating with a permanency plan, the goal of which is family reunification, when all the children in their care have been temporarily removed from the home and are in the care of the child welfare system. See Section 10.1 Eligibility for Parent or Caretaker Relative of Child Removed from Home.
Children lose their extension when they turn 19 years old if the extension is based on an increase in earned income.

Children in a support extension do not lose the extension just for turning 19 years old. Parents and caretaker relatives in a support extension do not lose the extension just because all of the children in their care have left the household, turned 19 years old, or are 18 years old but not a dependent 18-year-old.

A member no longer working in the job that increased their earned income does not cause the member to lose the extension. The members in the assistance group do not need to maintain employment to continue the earned income extension. If a member’s income decreases, they may be placed in non-extension BadgerCare Plus. See Section 18.4 Income Changes During the Extension.

18.5.2 Regaining Extensions

If a condition necessary for an extension is lost and the extension is closed for a full calendar month, the extension is not regained solely by recovering the lost condition.

If an extension is terminated for failure to verify information, eligibility for the unexpired extension cannot be regained by later providing the verification if it is more than a month after closure.

If an earned income extension ends because all children have turned 19 years old or left the household, but the child(ren) return to the household within the calendar month after the closure, the child and any people who qualify again as a parent or caretaker of that child(ren) may reopen under an unexpired earned income extension.

Example 1

Bob, his wife, Betty, and their only child, Ben, are open for an earned income extension until May 31. Their eligibility ended on January 31 because Ben left the household. It was reported that Ben returned to the household on February 13. Because it was reported that Ben returned to the home within a calendar month, they (Bob, Betty, and Ben) may regain eligibility for their earned income extension until May 31.

However, people would be able to regain eligibility for an unexpired extension, even after being closed for more than a calendar month, in the following scenarios:

They move out of the state and return before the extension ends (see Section 18.5.2.1 Leaving Wisconsin and Regaining Extensions).
They de-request BadgerCare Plus after their extension has started (that is, the extension has been built and confirmed) and later request to reinstate for the remaining months of an unexpired extension.

They lose eligibility in another category of BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid solely due to a reason that is not applicable to extension eligibility.

Example 2

Gregory is open for BadgerCare Plus in an extension. His income drops below 100% FPL, and he is moved into non-extension BadgerCare Plus as a parent. He is required to cooperate with the Child Support Agency as a condition of his BadgerCare Plus eligibility, but he stops cooperating. He loses eligibility for BadgerCare Plus as a parent. Since parents and caretaker relatives in BadgerCare Plus extensions are exempt from the cooperation requirement (see Section 5.2.2 Exemptions from Cooperation), he regains eligibility in his unexpired BadgerCare Plus extension for the remaining months of the extension.

18.5.2.1 Leaving Wisconsin and Regaining Extensions

If a BadgerCare Plus member is eligible for an extension and moves out of Wisconsin, they lose the extension. They can regain the extension if they return and become a Wisconsin resident again during any month in the original extension period.

Example 3

Earl, a Wisconsin resident, received a 12-month extension beginning January 1, 2015. He moved out of state, thus losing his extension. On May 1, 2015, he moved back to Wisconsin and became a Wisconsin resident again. He regained the extension at the time he moved back to Wisconsin and became a Wisconsin resident.

If the time period of the extension expires while the person is out of state, they do not regain the extension.

Example 4

Gloria, a Wisconsin resident received a 12-month extension beginning January 1, 2015. She moved out of state, thus losing her extension. In February 2016, she moved back to Wisconsin and became a Wisconsin resident again. She does not regain the extension because the time period has expired.

This page last updated in Release Number: 26-02
Release Date: 04/15/2026
Effective Date: 04/15/2026