Health Insurance & Medical Costs · Surprise rank #242
Under 26 and Aged Out of Foster Care? NY Has a Special Medicaid Route With No Ordinary Income Test
Former foster-care youth under age 26 can qualify for Medicaid through a special eligibility category rather than the ordinary income-tested adult Medicaid pathway when they meet the former-foster-care rules.
Who
Young adults under 26 who meet New York's current former-foster-care Medicaid criteria.
What to do
Start here: Contact the local Department of Social Services or NYC HRA and explicitly ask to be screened under the 'former foster care youth under age 26' Medicaid category.
Eligibility: The person must meet the federal/New York former-foster-care category requirements. Foster-care history and Medicaid status at the relevant transition point matter.
What you get
Full Medicaid coverage through the former-foster-care youth eligibility category.
Benefit: Comprehensive Medicaid coverage without the ordinary income test used for many other adult Medicaid categories.
Possible value: Potentially thousands of dollars per year in health coverage.
Good to know
Important: Do not assume every person who was ever in foster care automatically qualifies. The specific former-foster-care criteria still must be met, including rules affected by where and when the person left care.
Availability: Active
Why people miss it: Young adults may submit a normal Medicaid application and think income disqualifies them without identifying their former-foster-care status.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026