Kansas Family Medical Assistance
Manual (KFMAM)
Eligibility Policy - 7/18/2025
02000 >>> 02140
02130
02140 Temporary Absence of a Child or Caretaker - A person is temporarily absent when they are absent from the home due to special circumstances, such as (but not limited to) illness, education, business, vacation, military service, detention in a correctional facility (i.e., incarceration), or a custodial agreement (including foster care). For the absence to be considered temporary, it must be reasonable to assume that the absent person will return to the home.
A child who remains part of the household, but is, or is expected to be, out of the home for a temporary period of time shall, if otherwise eligible, qualify to receive assistance as part of the household to which they will return. In addition, a caretaker who is out of the home for one of the reasons above and is expected to return shall also qualify as a part of the household. This is regardless of the length of time away. (See MKEESM 8113 for information related to children in Medicaid approved facilities.)
For an adult to be considered a caretaker for medical purposes (i.e. Caretaker Medical program eligibility), they must have care and control of a child and must either be living with the child or considered temporarily absent under IRS definitions (i.e., work, school, etc.). Once it is determined an adult no longer meets the definition of a caretaker, negative action should be taken as soon as possible, allowing timely and adequate notice.
NOTE: These provisions are related to temporary absence from the household. For temporary absence from the state, see 02050.
2141 Temporary Absence and Foster Care - Children in foster care are considered temporarily absent from their original/family household as long as they are expected to return. For eligibility purposes, the assumption is always that the child will be reintegrated with their family (which is expected to occur within six months), unless formally expressed otherwise or documented by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). This means that when a child is reported out of the home due to entering foster care, they are still considered part of the household size as temporarily absent.
However, when an adult is applying for CTM and the only qualifying child (or children) is absent due to being in foster care, a 180-day timeframe is relied upon to determine if the adult applicant qualifies as a caretaker of the absent child. If at the time of application, the child has been in foster care 180 consecutive days or less, it is assumed the child will return home, and the adult may be considered a caretaker for eligibility purposes. If at the time of application, the child has been in foster care for more than 180 consecutive days, the absence will be considered permanent, and the adult will not be considered a caretaker for processing purposes.