State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Release 26-03 August 12, 2026

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11.1 Foster Care Medicaid Certification

Children or youth in any of the following placements or agreements are eligible for Foster Care Medicaid without applying:

• Out-of-Home (Foster Care) placement
• Active Subsidized Guardianship Agreement
• Court-ordered Kinship Care placement
• Long-term Kinship Care Agreement
• Active Adoption Assistance Agreement

Child welfare agencies certify eligibility for Foster Care Medicaid when a child has been removed from the home.

Certification of Foster Care Medicaid begins on the date the child or youth entered a placement or agreement, which can be any date of a month.

Children certified for Foster Care Medicaid may not be dually enrolled in BadgerCare Plus or other Medicaid types, with the exceptions of Katie Beckett Medicaid or SSI-Medicaid members.

See Section 1.2.8 Foster Care Medicaid regarding continuous coverage for children.

11.1.1 Foster Care Medicaid Recertification

 For children or youth who remain in a placement or agreement at the end of their Foster Care Medicaid certification period, the child welfare agency grants a new 12-month certification period. 

11.1.2 Foster Care Medicaid Disenrollment

When a child getting Foster Care Medicaid leaves their placement or their agreement ends, they remain eligible under Foster Care Medicaid for the remainder of their 12-month continuous coverage period or for three months after their placement or agreement ends, whichever is later.

Children who are 19 or older still receive a 3-month grace period but their continuous coverage period concludes at the end of the month they turn 19. 

Example 1

Remmy is 18, and turns 19 in July. Remmy has Foster Care Medicaid with a certification period July 1 through August 31. His court-ordered Kinship Care agreement ends on June 20. Remmy will continue to have Foster Care Medicaid until September 30. This is because Remmy receives a minimum of three complete months of Foster Care Medicaid after his agreement end date.

Example 2

Karmi is 18, and turns 19 in January. Karmi has Foster Care Medicaid with a certification period April 1 through March 31. Their placement ends on June 20. Karmi will continue to have Foster Care Medicaid until January 31 because their continuous coverage period ends the month they turn 19.

Example 3

Meg has Foster Care Medicaid with a certification period May 1 through June 30. Her placement ends on February 20. Meg turns 19 on August 15. Meg will continue to have Foster Care Medicaid until June 30, the end of her continuous coverage period, because she remains under age 19.

For details on the transition to other health care types after Foster Care Medicaid ends, see Section 26.3.4 Redeterminations when Foster Care Medicaid Ends.

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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