Medical Assistance for Former Foster Care Youth

• If you are in Minnesota foster care and have MA now, and will be leaving foster care at age 18 or older, your MA coverage will continue, and you do not need to reapply. We may contact you for updated information. If your address, phone number or other contact information changes, call your county or tribe’s health care office to update them. 
• If you aged out of foster care in Minnesota, your MA coverage will continue until you turn 26 years old as long as you live in Minnesota. If you move out of Minnesota and decide to return, or if we do not have your current address, your MA coverage will close, and you will need to reapply. We may contact you to get your updated information to help make sure your coverage can restart or continue.
• If you are a former foster care youth from another state who recently moved to Minnesota, you must complete an application to apply for MA.

You can contact the county or tribe’s health care office where you currently live to ask if you need to complete an application.

If you have an Extended Foster Care caseworker or a STAY (Successful Transition to Adulthood for Youth) worker, you can ask for their help no matter which of these application options you choose.

Apply with a MNsure Navigator

Call or email a MNsure navigator to get started. You can search a directory of MNsure navigators online.

MNsure navigators are trained experts who help with health insurance applications and are specifically trained to help former foster care youth complete the application process efficiently and accurately the first time. Their services are free and available by phone or in person.

Apply Online

Visit MNsure.org to apply online. Create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account created, sign in. Once you sign in, select the Apply button under Apply button under Apply for Health Coverage WITH Financial Help on the home screen. Complete the online application.

After submitting your application, contact a health care worker at the county or tribe where you live. Tell them you’ve submitted an online application for Medical Assistance, and you want to make sure they know you were in foster care in Minnesota or another state.

If you need assistance creating or signing into your account, call MNsure at 651-539-2099 (855-366-7873 outside the Twin Cities).

Apply with a Paper Application

Fill out the Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs (DHS-6696) (PDF). If you were in foster care and enrolled in MA or Medicaid in any state, United States territory, or the District of Columbia at age 18 or older, answer “Yes” in Step 4, question 7. Then write your name, and write the state where you were in foster care on the day your foster care ended at age 18 or older. If you have questions, you can contact a health care worker at the county or tribe's health care office where you currently live.

Depending on your circumstances, coverage may:

• Start on the first day of the month that your county, tribal or state servicing agency receives your application. If you recently moved to Minnesota, coverage can only start as early as the day you became a Minnesota resident.
• Go back up to three months before the month your county, tribal or state servicing agency receives your application. However, if you recently moved to Minnesota, coverage cannot go back earlier than the day you became a Minnesota resident.
• Continue the month after you age out of foster care, if you are already enrolled in Minnesota MA while in foster care.

There is no income limit for youth who qualify for Medical Assistance based on aging out of foster care. If other people in your home are applying, we may need to ask for your income information to see if they qualify.

There is no cost for coverage for youth who were in foster care on the day they turned age 18 and are still under age 26.

Yes. There is no asset limit for youth who qualify for Medical Assistance based on aging out of foster care. Assets are items like cars, checking and savings accounts, your home and financial investments.

Yes. Tell us if you have other health insurance or could get coverage through an employer or military service. Sometimes we can pay the cost of the other insurance so you can keep that coverage.

If foster care ended before you turned age 18, your time in foster care will not be used to decide whether you are eligible for MA. You may still be eligible for MA, but not because you were formerly in foster care. See “What if I do not qualify and still need coverage?” in the next section.

It depends. MA eligibility for people who are not U.S. citizens depends on the person’s age, circumstances and immigration status. You can connect with a MNsure navigator to learn more about how your specific situation will impact eligibility for health care coverage. A list of resources and frequently asked questions can be found on the Health care coverage for people who are noncitizens page on the Health Care Programs section of the DHS website.

If you need help with immigration or don’t know what your immigration status is, talk to an immigration attorney right away, either at a legal aid office or a private law office. If you’re still in foster care (including Extended Foster Care) your child welfare caseworker and attorney should help you get referred to an immigration attorney. It is a good idea for any youth who is not a U.S. citizen to talk to an immigration lawyer to understand their situation and their options. A directory of legal providers and clinics can be found on www.LawHelpMN.org, and a directory of private law offices and attorneys that specialize in immigration law can be found on www.ailalawyer.com.

Youth may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), which is available to certain noncitizen children and youth up to age 21 who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent. Some helpful resources to learn more include: 

• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for children involved with child welfare services (DHS-8501A) (PDF) 
• A fact sheet on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status written for a youth audience on LawHelpMN.org 
• The Special Immigrant Juveniles page of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website

If you do not qualify for MA as a former foster care youth, you may still qualify for other health care coverage or help paying costs, such as:

• MA under a different eligibility group, such MA for people who are parents, people who are adults without children or people who are pregnant.
• MinnesotaCare
• A premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions to help pay for private insurance through Minnesota's health insurance marketplace, MNsure. The tax credit helps pay part or all of the health care premium. Cost-sharing reductions are a form of financial help that help to reduce the out-of-pocket costs associated with private health insurance, such as deductibles, co-insurance and co-payments.

To see if you qualify for other health coverage or help paying costs, submit an application (see “How do I apply?”) or contact a MNsure navigator.

You must notify your local county or tribal health office of changes to your home or mailing address, your citizenship or immigration status, or changes to health care coverage available through your job or employer.

Importantly, if the local county or tribal health office does not have your current address, you may not get important information about your coverage that is mailed to you, or your coverage may close. Update your address information and report other changes by contacting your local county or tribal health care staff.

After MA is approved, you will be enrolled in a managed care health plan (unless you meet certain exceptions). The availability of managed care health plan choices depends on the county where you live, or which county the Tribal Nation shares geography with. If you move while enrolled in MA, your managed care health plan choices may change.

• Check our FAQs about health plans and managed care for help with common questions.
• If you get care through a managed care health plan, find a primary care provider and see other health plan resources.
• Get details about how fee-for-service coverage works if you are not enrolled in a managed care health plan.

Contact the clinic, pharmacy or other medical providers, and ask them to bill MA fee-for-service for these months.

• County and tribal health care office directory
• Health Care Consumer Support
• For questions about foster care, contact the Foster Youth Transitions Unit with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families at dcyf.csp.foster.youth.transitions@state.mn.us
• If you currently have an Extended Foster Care case worker or STAY (Successful Transition to Adulthood for Youth) worker, you can also ask your worker for assistance.

The Minnesota Office of the Foster Youth Ombusperson listens to any concerns from people who have experienced Minnesota foster care. See more information about what the office can help with on their website. If you aren’t sure who to contact or what next step to take, go ahead and reach out to their office at info.oofy@state.mn.us or call 651-946-2940.