TN Strong Families Guide

The TN Strong Families account allows people to spend program dollars on IRS qualified HealthCare expenses.  TASC is the TN Strong Families' account administrator. Foster Parents may use the TASC card to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses or submit reimburse claims from an itemized receipt.

Download a printable TN Strong Families Account Guide

Accessing Services

Referrals to TN Strong Families come from Tennessee Department of Children's Services.  Children currently in state custody who have intellectual and developmental disabilities are eligible for this program.

TN Strong Families Independent Support Coordinator (ISC) provides IDD specific support coordination and assists families with managing their foster child’s TN Strong Families HRA benefit. It is a one-time per year allocation and cannot be modified. DDA cannot pay for claims submitted prior to the HRA authorization date on the plan. The TN Strong Families budget expenditure cap may not exceed $20,000 across the calendar year and unspent funds cannot be rolled over into the next plan year. TASC will mail your HRA debit card to the address on file once the services are authorized by the ISC on the child’s TN Strong Families support plan.

Helpful tips on using the HRA may be found: Using your TNSF Benefits - HRA

TASC HRA Debit Card, Online Portal and Mobile App

Families may expect to receive the HRA debit card within 21 days of authorization. If the card has not arrived within 21 days, please contact TASC at (866)360-8363. It will arrive in a plain white envelope in the foster parent’s name and contain instructions on how to set up the account. The date the HRA service is authorized on the child’s Person-Centered Support Plan (PCSP) is the first date expenses are eligible. For instance, if the HRA service is authorized on 8/1/23, a doctor’s visit that occurs on or after that date would be eligible for HRA use. A doctor’s visit that occurs on 7/28/23 would not be eligible.

Only the enrolled child is covered by the HRA. It is currently a one-time per year allocation and cannot be modified. Funds left over from one calendar year do NOT carry over into a new year. Families with 2023 expenditures have until 3/31/24 to submit claims.

You may log into the TASC online portal https://www.tnstrongtasc.com or download the TASC mobile app to review your HRA balance, submit claims, and check claim status.Additional information regarding the TASC online portal, Benefit Account Funds, the mobile app, MyCash Accounts, and the TASC Card can be found below. 

TASC Resources: 

Changes in Placement

  • If there is a permanent disruption in the foster placement, the HRA Benefit follows the child to their new foster home. The ISC will work with the family to set up the new HRA account. The remaining balance of HRA funds will be made available and the date of eligibility remains unchanged. The previous foster family will have 90 days to submit outstanding claims for reimbursement. The ISC will work with the previous foster family to identify unpaid reimbursements and work with TASC and the family to get claims submitted.
  • Children in the Strong Families HRA will have one year of continued HRA eligibility after adoption. The ISC will continue to work with the family and connect them with other programs they may be eligible for after TN Strong Families eligibility ends. 

Using your HRA Benefit

The HRA can be used two ways:

  • With the provided TASC card to pay for covered out-of-pocket medical expenses.
  • Reimbursement claims with an itemized receipt. 

Information about eligible expenses can be found in the appendix of this document.  Those include but are not limited to:

  • Copays and deductibles
  • Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Non-Traditional Therapies
  • Medical Equipment and Supplies
  • Orthotics
  • Vision and Dental
  • Respite (reimbursement only)
  • Prescriptions

Using the TASC Card:

The TASC card can currently be used at medical offices such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, therapy offices, vision providers, dental offices, and pharmacies. When using the card, it’s important to run it as credit, not debit.  Please be aware that credit/debit card processing fees are not a covered expense. 

There is no daily spending limit on purchased made with the TASC debit card. 

Receipts must be submitted to validate all card purchases, and some purchases require a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) from a doctor to be an eligible expense. TASC currently aims to review and approve supporting documentation within 30 days.

Please be aware that the card cannot be used to purchase future appointments.  For instance, the card cannot be used to purchase a block of 10 future therapy appointments, since there must be validation the visits have occurred.  Doing so, may lead to suspension of your TASC card. 

Submitting Claims for Reimbursement:

Reimbursement requests are typically processed by TASC within 7-10 business days but may take longer.  These claims are paid by check or direct deposit.

Submitting Claims

You may submit HRA claims by logging into the TASC portal www.tnstrongtasc.com or mobile app and selecting “File A Claim” to upload all supporting documentation (including receipts and invoices) for the expense. All claims should be submitted as expense type: “LifeStyle with LifeStyle Expense”.   

The claim should include the following information:

  • Provider or merchant name
  • Type of expense (“medical with deductible”)
  • Date of service
  • Child’s name
  • Child’s DOB
  • Child’s last 4 digits of SSN
  • Description of service
  • EOB or other documentation showing reimbursement, or a statement that no other reimbursement is available and therefore no EOB to apply
  • Final amount of patient liability owed (final out of pocket cost after all reimbursement)
  • Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) if applicable

TASC will send an alert should the expense require additional information … If no documentation is received … the TASC card may be temporarily inactivated. Denials for reimbursements will be sent via email (if an email has been established for each child enrolled) and will also be indicated in the portal with an “Alerts” bell. 

  • Please note a claim in pending status is not the same as a denial.   
  • Denials will be listed generally based on a drop-down option TASC utilizes. We are working with the vendor to look at options for providing additional information when a claim is denied.    
  • The portal includes a chat option, called “Support Requests”, that may be used to discuss claim issues. The TASC phone number (866)360-8363 is another option to access customer service.

Letter of Medical Necessity

TASC requires a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) Form from the healthcare provider confirming the expenses are needed to treat a specific diagnosis. It must be completed by child’s physician or therapist, including - but not limited to - pediatrician, specialist, medical doctor, physician’s assistant, licensed/registered nurse practitioner, and occupational/physical/speech therapist. In addition, multiple expenses may be itemized on one form. If the form is not available, a statement on letterhead from the medical provider detailing each diagnosis and expense is acceptable. The letterhead should include the following information:

  • Employer Name: State of Tennessee Strong Families HRA
  • Member Number: last 4 digits of child’s social security number
  • Duration

A Letter of Medical Necessity form does not need to be renewed on an annual basis IF a healthcare provider indicates on the form that it is effective for the child’s duration of enrollment in the TN Strong Families Program.

Submitting Claims for Reimbursements

  • Submitting claims for reimbursement can be done on the TASC website or through the mobile app. These claims are paid into your MyCash account, upon review and approval of your claim. You then have the ability to spend the MyCash via the TASC benefit card at any merchant that accepts MasterCard, or you can setup a transfer to have the MyCash funds direct deposited into a personal checking or savings account.
  • There is no daily spending limit on the TASC card and you will have access to your full available balance on the first day of eligibility.
  • Once approved, reimbursement claims from itemized receipts are paid into the MyCash account. MyCash funds are available instantly after the reimbursement has taken place, by using the TASC benefit card. Alternatively, you can establish a direct deposit transfer of the funds, and receive them into your personal checking or savings account within 1 – 3 business days of the transfer. 

Overpayments

If your HRA account has been frozen due to an overpayment of funds, you can remediate this by:

  • Using another form of payment at the point of sale and submitting the claim to TASC
  • Paying it back in full online in your TASC portal or by calling TASC at (866) 360-8363
  • Making payments to TASC via check. The check will need to be made out to TASC and the address to send the funds to are:

TASC Overpayments
PO Box 7308
Madison, WI 53707

You must indicate you are part of the State of TN Strong Families HRA and the parent should indicate their full first and last name.

Contacts

You may call TASC support at (866)360-8363 if you have any questions. Be sure to indicate the child’s legal name and date of birth when contacting TASC. You may also contact your Independent Support Coordinator with any questions.

Additional Resources

Forms 

Contact Information:

Trey King
Director of TN Strong Families & Homes
Trey.King@tn.gov
615-440-3188

Babs Tierno
Deputy Director of TN Strong Families & Homes
Babs.Tierno@tn.gov
629-224-7263

Appendix A

IRS Eligible and Ineligible Items

The following list is the complete list of IRS eligible and ineligible items. There are many items that may not be applicable to a child in the TN Strong Families Program, but out of an abundance of caution, DDA is keeping the list in its entirety.  Items deemed eligible by the IRS do not require a letter of medical necessity, however some items require the form. You may include multiple expenses on one LOMN form.

ELIGIBILE ITEMS LOMN REQUIRED INELIGIBLE ITEMS