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Family Caregiver Pay Map · Tennessee · Verified October 19, 2026

Tennessee: Who Can Be a Paid Family Caregiver Under Medicaid

Since Public Chapter 182 took effect in 2025, TennCare-contracted provider agencies may employ family and household members, including a spouse or a parent, as the paid caregiver, and CHOICES members can also hire relatives and friends through Consumer Direction; enrollment in the CHOICES home-care groups is capped.

Spouse
Yes
Adult child / other relatives
Yes
Friends / neighbors
Yes
Parent of a minor child
Yes

Who can be paid: Spouses, parents of a minor child, adult children, other relatives and household members employed by a TennCare-contracted provider agency; relatives, friends and neighbors hired through Consumer Direction; court-appointed guardians and conservators are excluded unless the court order permits.

The Home Care Agency is a free enrollment matching service — not a home care agency, not a Medicaid plan, and not a government agency. This research is educational. Eligibility, authorized hours and payment are always determined by the state program and, where applicable, the managed care plan.

The program behind the answer

CHOICES in Long-Term Services and Supports (Groups 2 and 3) with Consumer Direction, plus agency family-caregiver hiring under Public Chapter 182 (2025)

Administered by Division of TennCare (through its managed care organizations).

  • Who employs the caregiver: Agency or self-directed
  • Waitlist: Capped enrollment
  • Members use TennCare-contracted provider agencies, which may employ family and household members, or Consumer Direction through the state's fiscal employer agent

How to apply in Tennessee

We do not yet have partner agencies in Tennessee. Start with the program's administering agency — Division of TennCare (through its managed care organizations) — using the official sources below; the state determines eligibility and enrolls participants.

Official sources

Facts on this page were last reviewed October 19, 2026 against the sources above. Program rules change; confirm with the program before making decisions. Method: how the Pay Map is verified.

Questions

Questions About Paid Family Caregiving in Tennessee

Can a spouse be paid to care for their husband or wife in Tennessee?
Yes. Tennessee allows a spouse to be the paid caregiver under the program rules cited below.
Who can be the paid caregiver in Tennessee?
Spouses, parents of a minor child, adult children, other relatives and household members employed by a TennCare-contracted provider agency; relatives, friends and neighbors hired through Consumer Direction; court-appointed guardians and conservators are excluded unless the court order permits.
Is there a waitlist for Medicaid home care in Tennessee?
CHOICES in Long-Term Services and Supports (Groups 2 and 3) with Consumer Direction, plus agency family-caregiver hiring under Public Chapter 182 (2025): capped enrollment (Members use TennCare-contracted provider agencies, which may employ family and household members, or Consumer Direction through the state's fiscal employer agent).
Who decides eligibility?
The state program, never The Home Care Agency. The Home Care Agency is a free enrollment matching service — not a home care agency, not a Medicaid plan, and not a government agency. This research is educational. Eligibility, authorized hours and payment are always determined by the state program and, where applicable, the managed care plan.