Tennessee Abuse Registry: How to Check Caregivers and Facility Staff

Before you hire a home caregiver or sign an admission contract at an assisted living facility in Tennessee, you should search the state's Abuse Registry. This publicly accessible database lists every individual formally found guilty of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Tennessee — and checking it takes less than five minutes.

The registry is maintained by the Tennessee Department of Health through the Health Facilities Commission and is searchable online at internet.health.tn.gov/AbuseRegistry. Here's exactly how to use it and what the results mean for your family's care decisions.

What the Tennessee Abuse Registry Contains

The registry records individuals who have been substantiated through formal investigation for:

• Physical abuse — hitting, restraining, rough handling, or any non-accidental injury
• Neglect — failure to provide necessary food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision
• Exploitation — unauthorized use of a vulnerable adult's funds, property, or resources
• Sexual abuse — any non-consensual sexual contact with a vulnerable adult

Once a person is placed on the registry after a completed investigation and due process hearing, they are permanently barred from employment in any licensed healthcare facility in Tennessee. Licensed facilities are required by law to check the registry before hiring staff.

How to Search the Registry

1. Go to the Tennessee Department of Health Abuse Registry portal
2. Enter the individual's first and last name
3. Review results — a match shows the person's name, the type of substantiated finding (abuse, neglect, or exploitation), and the date of placement on the registry

If you're hiring a private caregiver through an agency, ask the agency to confirm in writing that they checked the Abuse Registry for all staff assigned to your parent. If you're hiring independently (through a classified ad or personal referral), run the search yourself — there's no fee and no registration required.

When to Check the Registry

Run an Abuse Registry search at these specific points in your care journey:

Before hiring any in-home caregiver. This includes personal care aides, companion caregivers, and private-duty nurses you find through registries, word-of-mouth, or online platforms. Licensed home health agencies are required to screen staff, but independent hires have no automatic screening.

Before choosing a residential facility. While licensed Assisted Care Living Facilities (ACLFs) and nursing homes must check the registry for all employees, the registry search gives you an independent verification tool. If you find that a facility has employed someone later added to the registry, that tells you something about their screening processes.

After any concerning incident. If your parent reports rough treatment, unexplained injuries, or missing personal items, search the names of staff members who had access. A registry match provides immediate grounds for removal and reporting.

Beyond the Abuse Registry: Additional Background Checks

The Abuse Registry catches people who were formally investigated and substantiated within Tennessee's system. It does not capture:

• Criminal convictions that didn't go through the Health Facilities Commission process
• Individuals who committed abuse in other states
• People who were reported but whose investigations were not substantiated

For comprehensive screening, combine the Abuse Registry search with:

• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) criminal background check — covers all Tennessee criminal history
• National sex offender registry search — covers federal and multi-state records
• Reference verification — call previous employers directly and ask specific questions about the person's caregiving performance

How to File a Complaint

If you witness or suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of your parent by a caregiver or facility staff member, file a formal complaint with the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission Complaint Intake Unit at 1-877-287-0010 (toll-free). Medically trained investigators review complaints, assign severity codes, and coordinate with regional offices in Nashville, Jackson, or Knoxville for on-site investigations.

You can also contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 1-877-236-0013 if the issue involves a resident in a nursing home, ACLF, or Residential Home for the Aged. Ombudsmen are legally authorized to enter facilities, review records, and mediate disputes.

Protecting Your Parent During the Search Process

The Abuse Registry is one layer of protection. The Tennessee Care Decision Toolkit includes a complete facility vetting checklist that covers state licensing verification, inspection report interpretation, CMS Five-Star ratings cross-referencing, and the specific questions to ask during facility tours — so you're evaluating the full safety picture, not just one database.

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