Long-Term Services & Supports
To Qualify for CHOICES
To be in CHOICES, you must:
- Need the level of care provided in a nursing home; or
- Meet the "at risk" for nursing home level of care; and
- Qualify for Medicaid of long term care.
To qualify for Medicaid long-term care, your income can't be more than $2,130 per month. (If it is, you may be able to set up a Qualifying Income Trust.) AND, the total value of things you own can't be more than $2,000. (The home where you live doesn't count. And, you can't have given away or sold anything for less than what it's worth in the last five (5) years.)
There are three groups of people in CHOICES:
CHOICES Group 1 is for people who receive nursing home care. For more information about nursing home care please click here.
CHOICES Group 2 is for certain people who receive home care instead of nursing home care. It's only for:
- Adults 65 years of age and older;
- OR adults 21 years of age and older who have physical disabilities;
- AND meet nursing facility level of care.
CHOICES Group 3 is for certain people who receive home care instead of nursing home care because they do not qualify for nursing facility level of care; but who, in the absence of HCBS, are "at risk" for nursing facility care. It's only for:
- Adults 65 years of age and older;
- OR adults 21 years of age and older who have physical disabilities;
- AND meet "at risk" level of care.
To enroll in CHOICES and receive home care services:
Your TennCare health plan (or MCO) must be able to safely meet your needs at home.
AND, the cost of your home care can't be more than the cost of nursing home care. The cost of your home care includes any home health or private duty nursing that TennCare provides.
