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There can be more than one parent of a certain gender in a household. To be considered a parent of a child younger than 19 years old for BadgerCare Plus purposes, the child must be under the care of that person at least 40% of the time. For example, in families where parents are divorced, if the child does not live with a parent at least 40% of the time, that parent would have their eligibility considered under the Childless Adults coverage group, rather than the parents or caretakers coverage group. Note A child younger than 19 years old residing with a parent may not apply separately from their parent. In addition, the parent must apply as the primary person for the case unless the child filing the application is 18 years old. 2.2.1.1 Parentage When a woman is married to a man at the time that she gives birth, her husband is considered the legal father of the child unless a court later determines that someone else is the father. A same-sex partner or spouse added to the child’s birth certificate through a court process is considered to be a legal parent of the child. If the parents of the child are not married at the time of the child’s birth, paternity must be established in order to determine the parental relationship for the father. For unwed parents, paternity is legally established by a court order, a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment (VPA) form (F-05024) filed with the state Vital Records office, or through the administrative paternity process, in which genetic testing establishes the man as the father and paternity is entered in the Kids Information & Data System (KIDS) by the Child Support Agency (CSA). When paternity is established using any of these methods, the father’s name is added to the birth certificate. A father’s name on a birth certificate is evidence that paternity has been established. The following designations for a father are used in CARES. See the accompanying definitions to determine which designation is appropriate for a case. 1. Claimed father A claimed father is someone claiming to be the father of a child but has not had his paternity established or had a paternity action initiated. A claimed father is not the father for BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid eligibility purposes. The child should be referred to the CSA so that steps to establish paternity can be taken. 2. Acknowledged father An acknowledged father is a temporary status used when someone is claiming to be the father of a child and claims to have had paternity established or has initiated a paternity action. An acknowledged father is not listed on the child’s birth certificate but fits one of the following criteria: a. The father has filed a VPA, but the Wisconsin Vital Records office has not yet finished processing it. b. A paternity action (adjudication) has been initiated, but the courts have not yet finalized it. An acknowledged father is considered to be a parent for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid eligibility purposes. However, because there is still no evidence of a formal adjudication, the