Page 84

** Some victims of trafficking may need to provide certain verification to be exempt from the five-year waiting period (see SECTION 4.3.3.1.4 VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING). 4.3.8 Refugee Assistance Programs The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides resources for refugees, asylum seekers, and other new arrivals to the U.S. to assist with their integration into their new community. Several benefit programs overseen by the ORR and operated by the Bureau of Refugee Programs in the Department of Children and Families are discussed here. 4.3.8.1 Counting Refugee-Related Income Refugee Cash Assistance Program payments are not counted as income for BadgerCare Plus. Refugee Cash Assistance is administered by W-2 agencies and is made available for refugees who do not qualify for W-2. Refugee "Reception and Placement" payments are not counted as income for BadgerCare Plus. Reception and Placement payments are made to refugees during the first 30 days after their arrival in the U.S. Reception and Placement payments are made by voluntary resettlement agencies and may be a direct payment to the refugee individual or family or to a vendor. 4.3.8.2 Refugee Medical Assistance If refugees, asylees, and certain other immigrants apply for BadgerCare Plus or Wisconsin Medicaid and do not meet the eligibility requirements, they may be eligible for Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA). However, unlike BadgerCare Plus and Wisconsin Medicaid, Refugee Medical Assistance is a time-limited benefit. People must apply within a certain timeframe of receiving their refugee, asylee, or other eligible immigration status. RMA provides the same level of benefits as BadgerCare Plus but is funded separately. While W-2 agencies have contractual responsibility for providing Refugee Medical Assistance, they must coordinate with income maintenance agencies to ensure eligibility is determined for all other BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid subprograms first. More information about this program is in the Bureau of Refugee Programs Policy Manual, Section 6. This page last updated in Release Number: 26-03 Release Date: 08/12/2026 Effective Date: 08/12/2026 5.1 Medical Support Medical support refers to the obligation that a parent has to pay for their child’s medical care, either through the provision of health insurance coverage or direct payment of medical bills. The CSA is responsible for establishing medical support orders for some children receiving BadgerCare Plus who have an absent parent. The CSA is also responsible for establishing paternity and establishing medical support obligations for unpaid and ongoing medical support (including recovery of birth costs.) 5.1.1 Recovery of Birth Costs When the non-marital father of the unborn child is not included in the BadgerCare Plus group at the initial eligibility determination he could be held responsible for repayment of birth costs.