Tennessee Medicaid Eligibility Standards

The Tennessee Department of Human Services determines Medicaid eligibility for that state's applicants based on federal guidelines. Federal guidelines outline the financial and technical requirements to qualify for Medicaid assistance.

Situational Eligibility

• Pregnant women can qualify for Medicaid.

  Applicants must qualify under one or more of these federal Medicaid technical factors: can not be in an institution, an adult over 65, a blind person, certain disabled persons/children up to age 21 and pregnant women. These factors alone, however, don't automatically make an applicant eligible.

Residency

• Only U.S. citizens qualify.

  To be eligible for Medicaid in Tennessee, a person must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Tennessee. Applicants must supply a Social Security card.

Resources

• Applicants are allowed to own a home.

  Medicaid recipients are allowed certain resources while receiving assistance. Applicants are allowed a car, personal belongings worth under $2,000, a house (with limits to the home's worth), life insurance policies, income-producing property and property necessary for work.

Income Restrictions

• People that make too much money are not eligibile.

  Income allowed to applicants is based on the technical eligibility factor and household size. Income limits are based on the federal poverty guidelines for some groups and on a state-set limit for others.

Qualifying Group

• Individuals qualify as either categorically needy or medically needy. Medically needy means medical expenses are high for that individual compared to income. Categorically needy means the individual qualifies in one of the criteria groups determined by the government, such as being over 65 or being pregnant.