Tennessee aging and disability services are run through a single cabinet-level agency, the Department of Disability and Aging (DDA), which coordinates programs for older adults, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and children with disabilities or complex medical needs. For most services, the first call is to your local Area Agency on Aging and Disability at 1-866-836-6678, which handles intake, eligibility screening, and referrals statewide.1Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Commission on Aging and Disability
Where to Start
Tennessee uses a “single point of entry” model. Nine Area Agencies on Aging and Disability (AAADs) cover the state, and each one provides information and referral, intake, eligibility assessment, service authorization, and ongoing case management. The system is open to older adults and adults with disabilities, including people who do not qualify for Medicaid long-term care.1Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Commission on Aging and Disability The statewide number, 1-866-836-6678, routes you to the right local agency. Information and Assistance counselors at each AAAD are certified by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems.2Advancing States. Tennessee State Plan on Aging
A second doorway, aimed more at families navigating disability services, is the Tennessee Disability Pathfinder at TNPathfinder.org. It is a free online directory of more than 3,500 service providers, with a community events calendar and a toll-free helpline at 1-800-640-4636. You can search by stage of life, topic, diagnosis, payment option, or county, and the content translates into eight languages.3Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. Breaking Ground – Pathfinder Upgrade
If the person needing help is a child under three, you go straight to the Tennessee Early Intervention System (described below) rather than an AAAD. For children with complex medical needs, applications for the Katie Beckett program start through TennCare Connect.
Programs for Older Adults
CHOICES: Medicaid Long-Term Care
CHOICES is the main Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports program for adults 65 and older and adults 21 and older with physical disabilities. It covers care in a nursing facility or home and community-based services (HCBS) that let people stay in their own homes. The program has three groups: Group 1 is for people who need nursing home care; Group 2 is for people who qualify for nursing home care but choose home-based services; and Group 3 is for people who do not yet meet nursing home criteria but need support to prevent or delay that step.4TennCare. CHOICES
Applicants must need help with daily activities and meet financial limits. As of 2026, the monthly income cap is $2,982, and countable assets cannot exceed $2,000, not counting the primary residence. If you are not already on TennCare, you start the application through your local AAAD. Participants can also use “Consumer Direction,” which lets them hire their own home care workers, including family members.4TennCare. CHOICES
OPTIONS for Community Living
OPTIONS is for older residents and adults with disabilities who need help at home but may not qualify for Medicaid. There is no income limit to apply, though people above a certain income pay a sliding-scale cost-share. Services can include homemaker help, personal care, home-delivered meals, and, in some regions, pest control, assistive technology, and transportation.5Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Home and Community Based Services You enroll through your local AAAD. Waiting lists exist in some areas.6Greater Nashville Regional Council. In-Home Services
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
If you or a family member lives in a nursing home, assisted care living facility, home for the aged, or adult care home and has a problem with care, rights, finances, or admission or discharge, the state Long-Term Care Ombudsman is the office to call. The program is divided into nine districts, each with a district ombudsman, and uses trained volunteers who visit facilities regularly. The state ombudsman is Teresa Teeple, and the toll-free line is 877-236-0013.7Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Programs for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Employment and Community First CHOICES
Employment and Community First CHOICES (ECF CHOICES) is a Medicaid HCBS program for Tennesseans of all ages with intellectual or developmental disabilities. It is built around competitive employment, independent living, and community participation. It was also the first Tennessee waiver to cover many people with developmental disabilities who do not have an intellectual disability.8Tennessee Works. What Is the Employment and Community First CHOICES Waiver
The program is divided into benefit groups. Groups 4 and 7 mainly serve children under 21 living at home, with Group 7 adding intensive behavioral and mental health family supports. Group 5 covers employment and independent living for adults. Group 6 covers comprehensive community living support. Group 8 serves adults with severe behavioral needs transitioning out of structured settings. Applicants must meet disability and financial criteria, and because funding is limited, qualified people may be placed on a referral list.9TennCare. Employment and Community First CHOICES
Medicaid Alternative Pathways (MAPs)
MAPs is for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are not enrolled in other long-term support programs. It is aimed at high school students approaching graduation, young adults leaving school, and people waiting for waiver services. Participants get an annual budget of up to $20,000 for up to three years and work with a case manager and provider to find community resources through a “Virtual Community Resource Map.”10Tennessee Works. What Is Medicaid Alternative Pathways to Independence and Who Does the Program Help The program covers six service categories: Community Navigator, Independence Coaching, Employment Innovation, Peer Mentoring, Enabling Technology, and Semi-Independent Living.
Family Support Program
The Family Support Program, created in 1992, pays up to $6,000 per year to individuals with severe disabilities and their families for expenses other programs do not cover. Eligible uses include respite care, home and vehicle modifications, specialized equipment, personal assistance, and transportation. To qualify, a person must have substantial, verifiable limitations in at least three areas of daily functioning, must live at home rather than in a state-funded facility, and cannot be receiving services through Medicaid HCBS waivers such as CHOICES, ECF CHOICES, or Katie Beckett.11Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Family Support Program Families reapply every year, and enrollment depends on available funding and local council priorities.
TN START Crisis Services
TN START provides crisis response and stabilization for people age six and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have complex behavioral or mental health needs. Five regional teams, based in Memphis, Jackson, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Knoxville, offer around-the-clock crisis consultation, cross-system stabilization planning, clinical training, and needs assessments.12Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. TN START
Programs for Children and Youth
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS)
TEIS is a voluntary, no-cost program for families of infants and toddlers from birth through age two who have disabilities or developmental delays. A child can qualify through a diagnosed condition, a developmental evaluation showing a 25 percent delay in two areas or a 40 percent delay in one area, or established prematurity criteria.13Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. TEIS Eligibility Information Therapy and other services are delivered in the home and community, with parents and professionals building goals into daily routines.14Kid Central TN. Tennessee’s Early Intervention System Anyone can make a referral through an online form, the MyTN app, or by calling 800-852-7157. TEIS runs nine district offices.15Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. TEIS
Katie Beckett Program
Katie Beckett is for Tennessee children under 18 who have significant disabilities or complex medical needs but whose families earn too much for traditional Medicaid. There are two parts. Part A covers children who meet the level of care required for institutionalization but live at home; they get full Medicaid benefits plus up to $15,000 a year for home and community-based services such as respite care and home modifications. Part B covers children with serious medical needs who require less intensive care; they get up to $10,000 a year for services like therapy, insurance premium assistance, and short-term caregiver breaks.16TennCare. Katie Beckett Waiver You apply through TennCare Connect. A DDA case manager handles the medical eligibility assessment. Enrollment is capped, and families may be placed on a waiting list.
School-Age and Transition Services
School-age children between 6 and 14 with intellectual or developmental disabilities can access ECF CHOICES, the Family Support Program, seating and positioning services, and TN START. Youth between 14 and 18 can also use MAPs, which focuses on technology and independent-living skills in preparation for adulthood.17Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Disability and Aging Programs
About the Department of Disability and Aging
DDA is a cabinet-level state agency serving more than 1.5 million older adults and Tennesseans with disabilities, with roughly 2,000 employees.18Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Department of Disability and Aging It was created on July 1, 2024, by merging the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities with the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability.19Tennessee Governor’s Office. Gov. Lee Signs Tennessee Disability and Aging Act Into Law Brad Turner, who had led DIDD since 2019, is the department’s first commissioner.20Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. Commissioner The department also serves as Tennessee’s designated state agency on aging under the federal Older Americans Act, and operates under a State Plan on Aging covering October 2025 through September 2027.21University of Memphis Digital Commons. Tennessee State Plan on Aging