Benefit Eligibility & Verification

Receiving Benefits from the Tennessee Department of Health

Individual State and Federal Public Benefits

State and Federal public benefits include any grant, contract, or loan, professional or commercial license, and any retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, unemployment benefit, or similar benefit for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by a state or federal agency or through state appropriated or federally appropriated funds.

Examples of health services or other assistance for a specific individual that require eligibility verification of the recipient include any of the following when accomplished with state or federal funds:

• Clinical visits with a licensed health care practitioner;
• Diagnostic services or preventative screenings, including collection of samples, laboratory testing, X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and similar procedures;
• Payment of health insurance premiums or other individual insurance assistance;
• Individual case management or treatment services;
• Physical items provided to patients such as drugs or durable medical equipment; and
• Transportation, housing assistance, or other supportive services provided to an individual as part of enrollment in a health program.

Examples of professional or commercial licenses include:

• Physician license;
• Nursing license; and
• Tattoo artist license.

Exceptions from Federal Public Benefit

Health services or other assistance that do not require an eligibility verification include:

• Immunizations;
• Testing for and treatment of a communicable disease including treatment of the symptoms of the disease;
• WIC;
• Short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief;
• Navigation to services where the benefit and required immigration check would be completed by the party providing the service itself; and
• Community outreach and improvement activities not tailored to particular recipients including:
  • Instruction or training on topics such infant care, nutrition, or suicide prevention;
  • Public awareness campaigns; and
  • Population-based prevention or harm-reduction initiatives such as broad distribution of supplies like naloxone. 

Exceptions from State Public Benefit

Health services or other assistance that do not require an eligibility verification include:

• Immunizations;
• Testing for and treatment of a communicable disease including treatment of the symptoms of the disease;
• WIC;
• Short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief;
• Prenatal Care administered by the Department of Health;
• Services given to children who are receiving services from the Department of Children’s Services (DCS custody);
• State-funded Safety Net services;
• Navigation to services where the benefit and required immigration check would be completed by the party providing the service itself; and
• Community outreach and improvement activities not tailored to particular recipients including:
  • Instruction or training on topics such infant care, nutrition, or suicide prevention;
  • Public awareness campaigns; and
  • Population-based prevention or harm-reduction initiatives such as broad distribution of supplies like naloxone. 
• Note also that immigration checks are not required for minors to receive state-funded care.  However, if the Department has actual knowledge of the illegal immigration status of a minor, that must be reported to the TN Department of Safety pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-58-112.

Examples of permits or licenses that do not require an eligibility verification include:

• Restaurant permits;
• Pool permits; and
• Licenses given to foreign nationals not physically present in the United States.