TennCare and CoverKids for Kinship Caregivers in Tennessee

A child moves in with you overnight, and within a week you are facing a doctor visit, a dental checkup, and a pharmacy counter that wants to know who is paying. If the child's parents had private insurance, that coverage may have lapsed. If the child was on TennCare through the parent's household, the case may need updating. Either way, Tennessee has health coverage options for kinship children that do not depend on the caregiver's income.

Child-Only TennCare

TennCare is Tennessee's Medicaid program, and it covers children in kinship care regardless of the caregiver's household income or assets. When a relative caregiver applies for child-only TennCare, the eligibility determination looks at the child's income and resources only — not the grandparent's Social Security, the uncle's paycheck, or anyone else's finances.

Eligibility is based on the child's income and financial resources. TennCare covers:

• Doctor and specialist visits
• Hospital care
• Prescription medications
• Dental care
• Vision exams and glasses
• Mental health and behavioral health services
• Immunizations

Apply through the TennCare Connect portal at tenncareconnect.tn.gov or by calling 1-855-259-0701. You do not need a court order or guardianship to apply for child-only coverage — a Power of Attorney under T.C.A. § 34-6-301 or even an informal kinship arrangement is sufficient to submit the application.

CoverKids

CoverKids is Tennessee's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), covering children in families whose income is too high for TennCare but too low for private insurance. For kinship arrangements, the same child-only income test applies. The state determines which program the child qualifies for based on the child's income and financial resources.

CoverKids provides comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage, as well as prescription coverage. The application process runs through the same TennCare Connect portal.

What You Need to Apply

Gather the following before starting the application:

• The child's Social Security number (or apply for one if they do not have it yet)
• The child's birth certificate
• Your Power of Attorney or other documentation showing the caregiving arrangement
• Any information about the child's income
• The child's current address (your home)

The application asks about household composition. Make clear that you are applying for child-only coverage and answer the household questions as asked; eligibility for the child is based on the child's income and resources, not the caregiver's household income.

If the child was previously covered under a parent's TennCare case, the existing case may need to be updated to reflect the child's new living situation. Call TennCare Connect at 1-855-259-0701 to report the change and ask how coverage will be handled while the case is updated.

Families First Child-Only Grant

While you are navigating health coverage, know that the same principle — child-only eligibility — applies to cash assistance. The Families First Child-Only Grant (Tennessee's TANF program) provides a monthly cash benefit based solely on the child's income and resources. Apply through the ONE DHS portal at onedhs.tn.gov or at your local DHS office.

This is separate from the Relative Caregiver Program monthly stipend, which requires a court custody order. The Families First Child-Only Grant does not require a court order — a POA or informal arrangement qualifies.

Medical Consent Is Separate from Insurance

Having TennCare or CoverKids for the child solves the payment question. It does not solve the consent question. When you take the child to the doctor, the provider needs both a payment method (the TennCare or CoverKids card) and documented authority to consent to the specific care (your POA or, when an authorized parent or agent is unavailable, an in loco parentis affidavit under T.C.A. § 34-6-402).

Bring both to every appointment: the insurance card and your POA. The insurance card pays for the visit; the POA authorizes you to consent to the treatment.

Getting Help with Denied Applications

If a TennCare or CoverKids application is denied, the Tennessee Justice Center (615-255-0331, tnjustice.org) provides free advocacy for families dealing with benefit denials. They specialize in TennCare eligibility issues and can help with appeals.

The Tennessee School and Medical Consent Guide includes the full benefits application process alongside the consent framework — because getting the child covered and getting permission to take them to the doctor are two steps of the same problem.

See more Tennessee guides →