Medicaid guide · ElderCareCosts Research
Tennessee Medicaid for Long-Term Care
TennCare pays for nursing-home care when someone meets Tennessee's medical and financial rules. For care outside a nursing home, the TennCare program to ask about is CHOICES, and openings can be limited. TennCare publishes the current income and asset limits.
What is TennCare?
TennCare is the Medicaid program in Tennessee. It pays for nursing-home care for people who meet the state's level-of-care and financial tests, and for care at home or in the community through CHOICES.
Does Medicaid pay for a nursing home in Tennessee?
Yes. Medicaid covers nursing-facility care when the person meets Tennessee's level-of-care and financial eligibility rules, and the income and asset tests are set by the state.
Many states cap income for nursing-home Medicaid at 300 percent of the SSI federal benefit rate, which is $2,982 a month in 2026. Whether Tennessee uses that cap, and its current asset limit, are published by TennCare.
An elder-law attorney can tell you how the limits apply to a specific estate.
Home care, waivers, and assisted living
Tennessee's main program for care at home or in the community is CHOICES.
Medicare does not cover assisted living room and board, so families pay privately unless a Medicaid waiver or state plan option helps with residential care. Openings are limited and wait lists are common.
Medicare vs Medicaid
Medicare does not pay for custodial long-term care, the ongoing help with daily activities in a nursing home or assisted living. Medicare can cover a short skilled-nursing stay after a qualifying hospital stay.
If your parent needs long-term custodial care and has limited savings, Medicaid is the program to look at, not Medicare.
How to apply
Apply through TennCare. The application page and the CHOICES program page are linked under Sources below.
Have a photo ID, Social Security number, proof of income, recent bank statements, a deed or lease if relevant, and a list of medications ready. The application lists anything else Tennessee needs.
What Medicaid pays nursing homes
We have not found a published daily Medicaid nursing-facility rate for Tennessee. States set these rates in different ways, and many publish them only inside a plan amendment or a rate-setting appendix.
How to cite this page
Cite this: ElderCareCosts summarizes how Tennessee Medicaid covers nursing-home care and care at home, with links to the state's official program pages.
APA: ElderCareCosts Research. (2026). Tennessee Medicaid for Long-Term Care: 2026 Guide. ElderCareCosts. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://www.eldercarecosts.com/medicaid/tennessee/
Chicago: ElderCareCosts Research. "Tennessee Medicaid for Long-Term Care: 2026 Guide." ElderCareCosts. Last modified September 29, 2026. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.eldercarecosts.com/medicaid/tennessee/.
These figures may be quoted and reproduced with attribution and a link back to this page. No permission needed. Methodology · Data sources · Who produces this · Corrections
Sources
- Medicaid.gov. Federal Medicaid framework for long-term services and supports; joint federal–state program; states set many eligibility details within federal rules
- CMS. Long-term services & supports. Federal LTSS / HCBS overview; nursing facility coverage pathways; home- and community-based services and waivers; state-specific financial eligibility
- TennCare. TennCare official program entry point; publishes the current income and asset limits and eligibility rules
- Medicare.gov. Long-term care. Medicare generally does not cover custodial long-term care
- CMS CMCS Informational Bulletin. 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards. 2026 SSI federal benefit rate and special income level income cap at 300 percent of the SSI FBR for institutional Medicaid eligibility pathways many states adopt
- SSA. SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026. 2026 monthly maximum Federal SSI amounts used as the base for many institutional Medicaid special income level calculations
- CHOICES. CHOICES is Tennessee's main Medicaid program for care at home or in the community under TennCare; official program page
Related
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