Government Benefits in Tennessee
Where Tennessee residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, home energy assistance, and unemployment insurance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.
How This Works
SNAP, Medicaid, LIHEAP, and unemployment insurance are all administered at the state level, so each state runs its own application portal and sets some of its own rules — including, for Medicaid, whether the state expanded eligibility to more adults under the Affordable Care Act, and for unemployment insurance, the maximum weekly benefit and how long you can collect it. The cards below link you straight to Tennessee's official application system for each program. Exact SNAP/Medicaid income limits change with annual poverty-guideline updates, so we intentionally don't publish a specific number for those — the portal will show your exact cutoff for your household size. Unemployment insurance figures below are official published caps from the U.S. Department of Labor, current as of January 2026.
SNAP
TN Dept. of Human Services
The same portal also screens for TennCare (Medicaid) and other DHS programs.
TennCare (Medicaid)
Medicaid Not ExpandedTN Bureau of TennCare
Tennessee has not expanded Medicaid, so adults without dependent children generally do not qualify regardless of income.
LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)
TN Housing Development Agency
Administered through community action agencies statewide.
Unemployment Insurance
Has Waiting WeekTN Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development (Jobs4TN)
Max Weekly
$325
Min Weekly
$55
Max Duration
12–20 weeks (tied to the state unemployment rate)
Waiting week may be paid later after a set period of unemployment.
Looking for more programs available to Tennessee residents?
Tennessee residents also qualify for every nationwide program on our full benefits tool — WIC, Lifeline phone/internet discounts, ACA health insurance subsidies, SSI, SSDI, Section 8, VA disability compensation, TANF, Pell Grants, Head Start, and unemployment insurance.
See All 16 Programs →