Social Security disability
Disability benefits in Tennessee
Social Security rules are the same in every state. This page covers what is different in Tennessee: who decides your claim, state money added to SSI, Medicaid, hearings and free help.
You have 60 days to appeal each decision, plus 5 days for mail.
Who decides your claim in Tennessee?
Tennessee Disability Determination Services (DDS)
This state office handles Social Security disability (SSDI) and SSI disability claims for Tennessee under an agreement with Social Security. It decides the medical part of your claim. Social Security checks the other rules, like work credits and income.
- Part of
- Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Division of Rehabilitation Services
- Phone
- 1-866-776-3193 (status of a pending disability claim)
Does Tennessee add money to SSI?
Tennessee does not add state money to SSI.
Medicaid in Tennessee
Tennessee's Medicaid program is called TennCare. If you get SSI, you also get TennCare. You do not need a separate application. Social Security makes the Medicaid decision for the state when it approves your SSI.
- Program
- TennCare
- Medicaid agency
- Division of TennCare
https://www.tn.gov/tenncare.html
1-800-342-3145
State disability and paid leave in Tennessee
Tennessee has no state-run short-term disability or paid medical leave program listed here.
Hearing offices and federal court in Tennessee
6 hearing offices serve Tennessee. Hearing office locator (Social Security)
Chattanooga, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 1232 Premier Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421
- Phone
- (877) 833-2721
- Fax
- (833) 510-0092
Franklin, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 350, 6840 Carothers Parkway, Franklin, TN 37067-6538
- Phone
- (866) 568-9450
- Fax
- (833) 763-0400
Kingsport, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 2405 South Wilcox Drive, Kingsport, TN 37660
- Phone
- (888) 632-6913
- Fax
- (833) 710-0403
Knoxville, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 135 Circle Lane, Knoxville, TN 37919
- Phone
- (877) 692-3141
- Fax
- (833) 510-0096
Memphis, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 309 Monroe Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103
- Phone
- (866) 348-5830
- Fax
- (833) 604-0727
Nashville, TN Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 221 Cumberland Bend, Nashville, TN 37228-1803
- Phone
- (877) 583-4103
- Fax
- (833) 604-0725
Federal district court
If you appeal to federal court, you file in the district court that covers your county.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (41)
- Anderson
- Blount
- Campbell
- Claiborne
- Grainger
- Jefferson
- Knox
- Loudon
- Monroe
- Morgan
- Roane
- Scott
- Sevier
- Union
- Carter
- Cocke
- Greene
- Hamblen
- Hancock
- Hawkins
- Johnson
- Sullivan
- Unicoi
- Washington
- Bledsoe
- Bradley
- Hamilton
- McMinn
- Marion
- Meigs
- Polk
- Rhea
- Sequatchie
- Bedford
- Coffee
- Franklin
- Grundy
- Lincoln
- Moore
- Van Buren
- Warren
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (32)
- Cannon
- Cheatham
- Davidson
- Dickson
- Houston
- Humphreys
- Montgomery
- Robertson
- Rutherford
- Stewart
- Sumner
- Trousdale
- Williamson
- Wilson
- Clay
- Cumberland
- DeKalb
- Fentress
- Jackson
- Macon
- Overton
- Pickett
- Putnam
- Smith
- White
- Giles
- Hickman
- Lawrence
- Lewis
- Marshall
- Maury
- Wayne
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (22)
- Benton
- Carroll
- Chester
- Crockett
- Decatur
- Dyer
- Gibson
- Hardeman
- Hardin
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Henry
- Lake
- McNairy
- Madison
- Obion
- Perry
- Weakley
- Fayette
- Lauderdale
- Shelby
- Tipton
Free help in Tennessee
Protection & Advocacy agency (P&A)
Disability Rights Tennessee
- Phone
- 615-298-1080 (toll-free 800-342-1660, TTY 800-852-2852)
Legal aid
- Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands · 800-238-1443
https://las.org/
Serves: 48 counties in Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands - Legal Aid of East Tennessee
https://laet.org/ - Memphis Area Legal Services · (901) 523-8822 (toll-free 866-361-9001)
https://malsi.org/ - West Tennessee Legal Services · 800-372-8346
https://wtls.org/
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Vocational Rehabilitation, Tennessee Department of Human Services
Good to know in Tennessee
- Tennessee does not add any state money to SSI. (POMS SI 01415.010)
- To check on a disability claim the Tennessee DDS is working on, call 1-866-776-3193. (TDHS)
More RobinClaim guides for Tennessee → · All states
Sources
- TDHS - Disability Determination Services
- SSA POMS SI 01415.010 - Administration of State Supplementary Programs
- SSA POMS SI 01415.058 - Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026
- SSA POMS SI 01715.010 - Medicaid and the SSI Program
- TennCare
- TDHS - Vocational Rehabilitation
- ABLE TN (Tennessee Department of Treasury)
- NDRN - Member Agencies (Tennessee)
- LSC - Our Grantees
- Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands
- Legal Aid of East Tennessee
- Memphis Area Legal Services
- West Tennessee Legal Services
- SSA Ticket to Work - Find Help (WIPA search by ZIP)
- 28 U.S.C. §123 - Tennessee (govinfo)
- Social Security: office locator
- Social Security: hearing office locator
Last checked: November 2026