Z62.21 Child in welfare custody

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Exempt from present-on-admission (POA) reporting.

Applicable to

• Child in foster care
• Child in welfare guardianship

Applies from Z62 Problems related to upbringing

Includes

• current and past negative life events in childhood
• current and past problems of a child related to upbringing

Excludes2 (not included here)

• maltreatment syndrome (T74.-)
• problems related to housing and economic circumstances (Z59.-)

Applies from Z62.2 Upbringing away from parents

Excludes1 (never code together)

• problems with boarding school (Z59.3)

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 951 in MDC 23.

Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)

• V60.81 Foster care (status) (approximate)

Medicare Code Edits (MCE v43.1 (April 2026))

• Pediatric diagnoses (age 0 through 17): Age conflict edit. These diagnoses are clinically expected only in patients age 0 through 17.
• Unacceptable principal diagnosis: These codes describe a circumstance which influences care but is not a current illness or injury, or capture only an underlying condition, and are unacceptable as principal diagnosis.

Code annotations containing back-references to Z62.21

Back-references to Z62.21

• Code Also: Z62.22 Institutional upbringing (", if applicable, child in welfare custody (Z62.21)")
• Code Also: Z62.23 Child in custody of non-parental relative (", if applicable, child in welfare custody (Z62.21)")
• Code Also: Z62.24 Child in custody of non-relative guardian (", if applicable, child in welfare custody (Z62.21)")

Back-references to Z62

• Type 2 Excludes: Z59 Problems related to housing and economic circumstances ("problems related to upbringing (Z62.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z63 Other problems related to primary support group, including family circumstances ("parent-child problems (Z62.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z63 Other problems related to primary support group, including family circumstances ("problems related to negative life events in childhood (Z62.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z63 Other problems related to primary support group, including family circumstances ("problems related to upbringing (Z62.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z72 Problems related to lifestyle ("problems related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances (Z55-Z65)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z73 Problems related to life management difficulty ("problems related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances (Z55-Z65)")

Diagnosis Index entries for Z62.21

• Problem (with) (related to) › child › in › foster care
• Problem (with) (related to) › child › in › welfare › custody
• Problem (with) (related to) › child › in › welfare › guardianship
• Upbringing, institutional › in care of non-parental family member
• Upbringing, institutional › in foster care
• Upbringing, institutional › in welfare custody

Nearby codes

• Z62 Problems related to upbringing
• Z62.0 Inadequate parental supervision and control
• Z62.1 Parental overprotection
• Z62.2 Upbringing away from parents
• Z62.21 Child in welfare custody (this code)
• Z62.22 Institutional upbringing
• Z62.23 Child in custody of non-parental relative
• Z62.24 Child in custody of non-relative guardian
• Z62.29 Other upbringing away from parents
• Z62.3 Hostility towards and scapegoating of child