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of private health insurance through the Marketplace. To prevent this from happening, these people must have eligibility for BadgerCare Plus determined based on their expected annual income. This is also known as "gap filling." 16.9.1 Annual Income Eligibility Determinations When a parent, caretaker relative, or childless adult has monthly income above 100% FPL, and they meet all other eligibility requirements, their eligibility will be determined using their annual income. The annual income limit is 100% FPL. Gap filling determinations use the expected annual income for the current year. Since the person may not have yet received the income, documentation of this income may be difficult or impossible to obtain at the time of application or change report. Verification of expected annual income is not required. However, the expected annual income reported by the applicant or member must be validated by the agency using all available information. This may include, but is not limited to: • Income reported on the application. • Income discovered or verified through data exchanges. • Wages earned in previous quarters verified through SWICA. • Wages verified through the Federal Data Services Hub (FDSH) wage match. • Wages verified through an Employer Verifications of Earnings (EVFE) form. • Other verification and data exchanges verifying unemployment and Social Security income. If the information reported on the application is not clear or the sources of income cannot be validated through available data exchanges, the IM agency must send a request to the applicant or member for more information. This method should also be used when determining eligibility under gap filling rules for backdated months (see SECTION 25.8.1 BACKDATED ELIGIBILITY). When budgeting expected annual income for eligibility in the same calendar year, the applicant or member’s employment history and pattern of employment will be considered in determining if they are reasonably expected to have a change in income that would impact eligibility. Example 1 Irene has been enrolled in BadgerCare Plus off and on in previous years. She completes a new health care application on October 2. She reports that she has a seasonal job from September 1 through December 15. During this time, her monthly income is above 100% FPL, but her annual income is under 100% FPL. The worker notices in Irene’s case that she has had this seasonal job in previous years. Irene’s past years’ wages in the second and third quarters are consistent with the income she is reporting on this new application. Based on this past information and the information Irene is reporting on her application, it is reasonable to expect that Irene is continuing this same pattern of employment. The worker uses this past information to validate Irene’s reported expected annual income. If a person is over both the monthly income limit and the annual income limit, they are not eligible for BadgerCare Plus. If this is the only reason they are not eligible for BadgerCare Plus, their application will be sent to the Marketplace. 16.9.2 Gap Filling Certification Period The certification period for members whose eligibility is determined using annual income is 12 months.