Information about Community Engagement
IMPORTANT: TennCare members will not experience an impact from Work or Community Engagement Requirements.
Beginning in 2027, Federal law requires some Medicaid members to meet work or community engagement requirements. Community engagement means working, going to school, volunteering, or participating in certain jobs training programs.
In Tennessee, this only applies to a small number of people. If you are one of them, you automatically meet the work or community engagement requirements based on the income information we have on file.
You should continue to respond to all TennCare requests for information as part of the application or renewal process. You should also continue to report any changes in your household or income to TennCare during the year.
More information about the community engagement requirement is below:
You already do! In Tennessee, only a very small number of TennCare members may be subject to work requirements. If you are one of them, you already meet the requirements of this new law because TennCare can verify that you meet the work requirement based on your income information.
Because of this, no TennCare member needs to submit additional paperwork to show you are working now or send proof that you are still working.
Not in Tennessee. Again, anyone in Tennessee impacted by the new federal law already meets the community engagement requirements based on income.
The community engagement requirement applies almost entirely to adults who receive Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, which Tennessee does not have.1
TennCare does not cover all adults the way Medicaid expansion states do. However, Tennessee does cover some groups that are not usually eligible for Medicaid, such as parents whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The community engagement requirement applies to these parents, but they automatically meet the new community engagement requirements and therefore they will not experience any impact.
1Medicaid expansion adults are adults who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid (e.g., not pregnant, not receiving SSI) whose incomes are below 133 percent of the federal poverty line.
You don’t need to take any action to meet this requirement. TennCare verifies income and work at the time of application, renewal, and reported changes in circumstances.
The only TennCare members who are subject to the new requirement are certain parents or caretakers whose incomes are above the federal minimum wage amount ($580 per month).
If you are a parent or caretaker in this category of coverage, TennCare has automatically determined that you meet the requirement based on your income. TennCare is not requiring any additional documentation about your work status.
You should continue to read and respond to all notices and mailings from TennCare. It is important that you participate in the annual renewal process and provide TennCare with any information TennCare requests.
In addition, you should promptly report any changes in your household or income to TennCare at TennCare Connect, tenncareconnect.tn.gov.