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If the amount reported by the applicant or member is not the same as the Equifax amount, the earned income is not considered verified. The reasonable compatibility test is completed for earned income that has not otherwise been verified. If the amount reported by the applicant or member is not reasonably compatible, the applicant or member is required to provide verification of earned income. IM agencies must assist the applicant or member in obtaining verification if they request help or tell their agency that they are having difficulty obtaining it (see SECTION 9.8 GENERAL RULES). If the applicant/member and/or worker have made reasonable efforts to obtain verification and are not able to do so, then the agency should determine the income amount based on “best available” information and then document how this amount was determined. Health care benefits cannot be denied or terminated based on earned income data received from Equifax without giving the applicant or member an opportunity to verify their reported earned income amount. Note The same policy applies when a member is reporting a change in earned income. If the Equifax amount is the same as the amount reported by the member, the earned income must be considered verified. Example 1 Anya applies for health care for herself. The only income she reports is earned income. The monthly earned income amount she reports is different than the monthly earned income amount returned by Equifax, so earned income is not considered verified and the reasonable compatibility test occurs. The earned income amount reported by Anya is not reasonably compatible, so she must provide verification of her earned income. Anya verifies that her earned income is less than 100% of the federal poverty level, so she is determined financially eligible for BadgerCare Plus.

If the monthly earned income amount reported by Anya and the monthly earned income amount returned by Equifax had been the same, the earned income would have been considered verified, and the reasonable compatibility test would not have occurred. Eligibility would have been determined using the amount reported by Anya, and no verification would be requested. This page last updated in Release Number: 26-01 Release Date: 02/13/2026 Effective Date: 02/01/2026 10.1 Eligibility for Parent or Caretaker Relative When Child is Removed from Their Care Qualifying parents and caretaker relatives (see SECTION 2.2.2 CARETAKER RELATIVE) of children who have been temporarily removed from their home and are in the care of the child welfare system may be eligible for BadgerCare Plus benefits. If they cooperate with a permanency plan under authority of Wis. Stat. § 48.38 or 938.38, and the goal of the permanency plan is reunification, they may be eligible under the parent/caretaker relative category. Cooperation is always presumed, unless there is information to the contrary, or the placement type is one where reunification is never a goal. If the parent or caretaker relative meets these criteria, the child is considered temporarily absent. In these situations, the child may not always be included in their MAGI group (see SECTION 2.2 COVERAGE GROUP DEFINITIONS). Note Children are not considered to be in the care of the child welfare system if they are an inmate in a public institution, such as a Type 1 Juvenile Correctional Institution.