Overview of the Delegated Authority Application Process

To avoid delays in the processing of your application:

First and foremost, please review the Service Description Guideline and Criteria document to familiarize yourself with the Department’s expectations/criteria for the various service types, along with the required credentials and supporting documentation needed at application.

Note: Not everything on this page will pertain to every applicant. Be sure to read over the criteria for the services you are interested in providing:

  • If applying to provide mental health assessments, along with the application, please provide a recent (within the last year) redacted sample report of each assessment type you wish to provide.
  • For all other services, along with the application, provide a program/service description, which is a Word or PDF document you will need to compile, that gives us information about your service. Your service/program description should provide detailed information about your service/program (i.e., target population, frequency, duration, qualification of staff). The Service Description Guideline and Criteria outline the items that need to be addressed in your service description.
  • Submit the application electronically, Attachment III A-C, along with the service descriptions and/or work samples within 30 calendar days of receipt of the application.
  • Upon receipt of your application and other required materials, we will send your service description and/or sample assessments to our internal content expert reviewers, who have 30 days to review all the material and provide feedback.
  • Upon the reviewers determining that your service(s) meet the criteria stipulated in the Service Description Guideline and Criteria, then we will proceed with the rest of the application process.
  • As per our protocol, we are not at liberty to share the maximum allowable reimbursement rates for each service. We will ask for your proposed rates if the rates are less than the max. allowable rates, DCS can pay the requested rates. If rates are higher, we will let you know that your rates exceed our max. allowable rates and ask if you are willing to adjust your proposed rates.
  • Before approval to provide services is granted, we will need to verify that required background checks have been done for you and/or staff having direct contact with DCS children and families.
  • Next, we will request that you or your agency/business be listed in the Tennessee Family and Child Tracking System (TFACTS) to enable DCS workers to request services. Also, to do business with the State, a Vendor Account/ID must be established and then registered through Edison (our payment system).
  • Your W-9 will be submitted to our Supplier Maintenance team, which establishes and maintains vendor information in Edison.

NOTE: This team processes requests from all departments of the State, in addition to DCS, which can result in our requests taking anywhere from three (3) to four (4) weeks for processing.

  • Upon receipt of the Vendor ID# from Supplier Maintenance, an approval email will be sent to you (the provider), DCS Regional Directors, and Fiscal Directors, advising that you or your agency/business have been approved as a DCS DA vendor/provider. When your services are needed, DCS fiscal personnel will send you referrals, authorizations, and instructions for billing.

Please Note: Approval of service type(s) and rates are valid for two (2) years from the date the approval email is sent to the vendor, DCS Regional Director (RD), and DCS Fiscal Director.

  • The Delegated Authority application process does not establish a Contract with the Department of Children Services.
  • Being an approved Delegated Authority vendor does not guarantee the utilization of said services by any DCS region.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Angel.M.Jenkins@tn.gov with any questions.