CALIFORNIA

Your Medi-Cal Timeline, From Aging Out to Turning 26

Health coverage should follow you the whole way. Here is what happens at each step, and what to do if something goes wrong.

1. WHILE YOU ARE IN CARE

   Your health coverage is already Medi-Cal

   Children and youth in foster care in California have Medi-Cal. Your social worker or caregiver can tell you your plan and your Benefits Identification Card number. Write the number down somewhere you will still have it later.

2. TURNING 18

   This is the birthday that matters

   Being in foster care on your 18th birthday — or later — is what opens the door to free coverage until 26, no matter what you earn. If you leave care before 18, this specific program does not apply, but you may still qualify based on income.

3. LEAVING CARE

   Coverage should continue automatically

   Youth who exit foster care at 18 or older are generally moved into Former Foster Youth Medi-Cal without a new application. Do not assume it happened — call your county and ask them to confirm your coverage is active.

4. IF IT DID NOT HAPPEN

   You can sign up at any time

   There is no deadline and no open-enrollment window. Apply and say clearly that you were in foster care at 18 or older, and which state you were in care in.

   SIGN UP FOR MEDI-CAL

5. AGES 18 TO 25

   Work, school, marriage and moving do not end it

   There is no income limit for this program. You can take a job, go to school, get married, or move to another California county and keep coverage. Tell your county when you move so your mail and your plan follow you.

6. EVERY YEAR

   Watch for renewal mail

   The county may send a renewal packet or ask you to confirm information. Missing that mail is the most common reason coverage stops. Keep your address and phone number current with the county, and answer anything they send.

7. IF COVERAGE STOPS

   Ask why, and ask them to look again

   Coverage can end by mistake — often because of returned mail. Call your county, say you are a former foster youth under 26, and ask them to review it. You can also ask for help from the Medi-Cal ombudsman.

   WHO TO CALL

8. A FEW MONTHS BEFORE 26

   Plan your next coverage

   This program ends on your 26th birthday. Before then, apply through BenefitsCal to see whether you qualify for regular Medi-Cal based on income, or shop for a low-cost plan through Covered California so there is no gap.

   APPLY THROUGH BENEFITSCAL

9. TURNING 26

   Former Foster Youth Medi-Cal ends

   If your income is low, regular Medi-Cal may continue your coverage with no gap. If it is higher, Covered California plans are often heavily discounted. Turning 26 counts as a life event, so you can enroll outside the usual window.

   SEE COVERED CALIFORNIA

This timeline is for guidance only. Help Foster Youth is a directory — we do not decide eligibility or process applications. Your county and the official DHCS page are always the final word.