Kentucky walks people out with a state ID card in hand. That is not a goal or a pilot -- it is how the program works. A multi-agency partnership between the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Transportation Cabinet, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce was built specifically so that people leaving state custody do not have to spend their first days chasing identification. The card is ready at release.
Kentucky is also the first Southern state to receive a federal Medicaid reentry waiver. Effective January 1, 2025, Kentucky can provide Medicaid-covered services to eligible people in state prisons for up to 90 days before their release date. That healthcare connection is designed to be in place before you leave, not after.
Here is what both programs look like in practice and what you need to do.
What Kentucky DOC Provides at Release
The Kentucky Department of Corrections Division of Reentry Services manages a state ID issuance program in partnership with the Transportation Cabinet. People scheduled for release receive a permanent, state-issued Kentucky ID card before they leave. This is not a temporary card -- it is the real thing, issued by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, valid for use with employers, housing applications, banks, and benefits agencies.
KRS 186.412(7) provides that the Driver Licensing Regional Office shall issue a color photo ID to any qualifying Kentucky resident who applies in person. The DOC-Transportation Cabinet partnership brings this process inside state facilities so you do not have to make a separate trip after release.
Ask your reentry coordinator or case manager to confirm that your ID has been processed and will be ready at release. If your release date is approaching and the ID has not been initiated, request it immediately.
House Bill 497 (signed April 2021) further codified the commitment to reentry supports, requiring DOC to issue certificates of employability to those who complete programming inside, providing liability protection to employers who hire returning citizens, and incentivizing both IDs and healthcare access for people leaving incarceration.
The Division of Reentry Services maintains 10 reentry coordinators statewide who are certified job specialists. These coordinators work with individuals approaching release and link them to employment resources in the community.
Getting Your Social Security Card
If your Social Security card was not obtained pre-release, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, apply online at ssa.gov, or visit your nearest SSA office. Replacement cards are free. Bring your new Kentucky state ID and birth certificate.
Ask your reentry coordinator whether an SSA prerelease agreement was in place at your facility, which would allow the card replacement and benefit application process to begin up to 90 days before release.
Getting Your Birth Certificate
If you were born in Kentucky, request a certified copy from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics at chfs.ky.gov or by calling (502) 564-4212. Fees are currently $10 per certified copy.
Your reentry coordinator should have assisted with birth certificate procurement as part of the pre-release document process. Confirm this was done before release.
If you were born in another state, contact that state's vital records office. Your reentry coordinator can help identify the correct contact.
TEAMKY: Medicaid Pre-Release Services
Kentucky expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Kentucky Medicaid is administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services.
Kentucky received CMS approval for the TEAMKY Medicaid Section 1115 Reentry Demonstration Waiver, effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029. Under this waiver, eligible individuals in Kentucky's 14 state prisons can receive Medicaid-covered pre-release services for up to 90 days before their expected release date. Kentucky is the first Southern state with an approved Medicaid reentry waiver.
The pre-release benefit package includes physical and behavioral health needs assessment and identification, care coordination, and connections to providers in the community where you are returning. The goal is that your healthcare is not starting from scratch on release day.
Important note: Kentucky's reentry waiver currently covers people in the 14 state prisons. County jails are not included in Phase 1, though Kentucky has expressed interest in expanding to jails in a future phase. If you are releasing from a county jail, confirm your Medicaid status directly with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Upon incarceration, Kentucky must suspend (not terminate) your Medicaid coverage. When you are released, Medicaid can be reinstated. Ask your reentry coordinator or the Cabinet for Health and Family Services whether your Medicaid has been flagged for reinstatement at your release date.
After release, manage your Medicaid through kynect at kynect.ky.gov, by calling 1-855-459-6328, or at your local DCBS (Department for Community Based Services) office.
Kentucky also received a CMS Medicaid continuity of care planning grant in 2025.
SNAP: Food Assistance
Kentucky's SNAP program is administered by the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Apply through kynect at kynect.ky.gov, by calling 1-855-306-8959, or at your local DCBS office.
Kentucky does not impose a lifetime ban on SNAP for people with felony drug convictions. You are generally eligible to apply immediately after release if you meet income and residency requirements.
Benefits are typically issued on an EBT card within 30 days of a completed application. Expedited SNAP for households with urgent need can be issued within 7 days.
SSI and SSDI
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) are federal programs available if you have a qualifying disability.
SSI payments are suspended after one full calendar month of incarceration. If you were incarcerated for less than 12 consecutive months, SSI can be reinstated the month you are released -- contact SSA immediately. If incarcerated 12 or more consecutive months, file a new application.
SSDI payments are suspended after 30 continuous days of incarceration following conviction. Contact SSA with your release documents for reinstatement.
Kentucky Medicaid and SSI eligibility are linked. Notify the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and SSA on the same day.
Veterans Benefits
If you served in the U.S. military, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provide benefits after release. Contact KDVA at veterans.ky.gov or the nearest VA facility.
Kentucky has VA medical centers in Lexington and Louisville, and community-based outpatient clinics statewide. The VA Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) program provides transitional case management for veterans leaving incarceration. VA benefits suspended during incarceration can be reinstated after release -- notify the VA of your release date and bring your DD-214 and release documents.
Start Before You Leave
Kentucky's Division of Reentry Services builds the reentry plan from the first day of incarceration. The state ID program, the TEAMKY Medicaid pre-release services, the reentry coordinator network, and the HB 497 certificate of employability are all designed to be in place before you leave.
Use every part of this system. Confirm with your reentry coordinator:
Is my state ID processed and ready for release? Have TEAMKY pre-release Medicaid services been initiated at my facility? Has my birth certificate been obtained? Has my Social Security card been requested?
On release day: your state ID should be in hand. Your Medicaid should be active or flagged for immediate reinstatement. Apply for SNAP at kynect.ky.gov or your local DCBS office -- you can apply for Medicaid and SNAP together through the same portal.
Kentucky built this infrastructure because it works. The recidivism rate in Kentucky has reached historic lows. The state ID program, the Medicaid waiver, the reentry coordinators -- use them. They are yours.
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