---
title: "Tennessee Medicaid Long-Term Care | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/tennessee/medicaid-long-term-care/
description: "How TennCare CHOICES combines nursing-facility care and home- and community-based services."
last_updated: 2026-10-20
author: George A. Mellendorf, CLTC, LTCP (Central States Insurance Services, Inc.)
publisher: Funding LTC Marketplace
note: Educational content; not legal, tax or financial advice. Markdown copy of the HTML page at the URL above.
---
Tennessee · Medicaid Program

# Tennessee Medicaid Long-Term Care

Last updated 2026-10-20

**Quick answer:** Tennessee Medicaid (TennCare) covers long-term care through TennCare CHOICES, which pays for qualifying nursing facility stays and home- and community-based services. CHOICES has three groups, based on age, disability and level of care.

Tennessee's Medicaid program is called TennCare, and its main long-term-services vehicle for older adults and adults with physical disabilities is TennCare CHOICES in Long-Term Services and Supports. CHOICES covers qualifying nursing-facility stays as well as qualifying services delivered in a home or community setting.

The eligibility structure isn't one simple senior benefit — it's split into three groups. Group 1 covers people of any age who receive nursing-facility care. Group 2 covers adults with physical disabilities age 21 or older, plus people 65 and older, who meet nursing-facility level of care but choose home- and community-based services instead. Group 3 serves people who are at risk of needing nursing-facility care but aren't there yet, as long as home care keeps them from reaching that point.

## Sources and official resources

- [TennCare: CHOICES](https://www.tn.gov/tenncare/long-term-services-supports/choices.html)
- [CMS: 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib04272026.pdf)

Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.

[← Back to the full Tennessee guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/tennessee/)