Health Advocacy
DCS Health Advocacy helps children and youth in or at risk of state custody access needed medical, dental, behavioral health, and supportive services.
Health Advocacy works with DCS regions, TennCare, managed care organizations, providers, and other partners to help address service needs and resolve barriers to care.
How Health Advocacy Helps
Health Advocacy supports DCS staff, children, youth, and families by:
- Strengthening DCS’s coordination with TennCare
- Supporting compliance with TennCare program requirements, including Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment, or EPSDT, services
- Helping ensure children and families receive information about appeal rights when TennCare-funded services are reduced, delayed, suspended, or terminated
- Coordinating the Crisis Management Team
- Supporting the network of Centers of Excellence for Children In or At Risk of State Custody
Common Issues Health Advocacy Addresses
Health Advocacy helps DCS regions and partners address issues such as:
- Access to timely medical and dental services
- Delays, reductions, suspensions, or denials of TennCare-funded services
- Appeal rights for children and families when services are changed or denied
- Services that may not be covered by TennCare
- Coordination with managed care organizations and dental benefits providers
- Transition planning for youth with intellectual or developmental disabilities who may need adult services through the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Service needs for children at risk of entering custody because of serious behavioral health concerns
Health Advocacy Partnerships
Health Advocacy works with DCS teams, state agencies, courts, providers, and community partners to support children and youth with health and behavioral health needs.
Partners include:
- TennCare
- BlueCare and TennCare Select
- Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
- Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Tennessee Department of Health
- DCS Wellbeing Units
- Juvenile Courts
Health Advocacy also participates in statewide groups focused on children’s mental health, early intervention, infant mental health, young child wellness, and suicide prevention.
Crisis Management Team
The Crisis Management Team helps TennCare-eligible children who may be at risk of entering DCS custody because needed behavioral health services have been denied or delayed.
The team works with families, DCS staff, TennCare managed care organizations, providers, attorneys, youth services officers, and court officials to help identify services that may prevent custody when appropriate.
The Crisis Management Team may:
- Receive referrals for children at imminent risk of entering custody
- Work with TennCare managed care organizations to help access needed services
- Help review service denials when residential treatment may be medically necessary
- Issue letters of authorization to residential providers for medically necessary services intended to prevent custody
- File TennCare appeals so service denials can be reconsidered
- Help families and partners understand service options and TennCare processes
To contact the Crisis Management Team, call 615-532-1530.
Centers of Excellence for Children In or At Risk of State Custody
The Centers of Excellence support children and youth in or at risk of state custody who have complex physical, behavioral, or developmental health needs.
The Centers of Excellence provide clinical consultation, evaluations, limited direct services, training, and guidance to help improve care for children and youth. Referrals are made by DCS Regional Psychologists.
There are five Centers of Excellence locations across Tennessee. More information is available through the links below.