Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging: What the DDA Does and How to Access Services
What Changed on July 1, 2024
If you've been looking for the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) or trying to reach the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD), both agencies were restructured under the Tennessee Disability and Aging Act.
On July 1, 2024, the state merged TCAD and DIDD into a single cabinet-level agency: the Department of Disability and Aging (DDA). The DDA now oversees the delivery of long-term services and supports for over 1.5 million older adults and individuals with disabilities across the state.
Old links, phone numbers, and brochures referencing TCAD or DIDD may still work through redirects, but the DDA is the current entity managing aging services, community programs, and the nine regional Area Agencies on Aging and Disability.
The Nine Regional AAADs
The DDA coordinates local services through nine Area Agencies on Aging and Disability (AAADs). Each AAAD covers a defined geographic region and serves as the primary point of contact for families seeking aging services.
Your regional AAAD can help with:
- Options counseling — free, unbiased guidance on home care, facility placement, and community services available in your parent's area
- TennCare CHOICES screening — initial assessment of whether your parent may qualify for Medicaid-funded long-term care
- Caregiver support services — respite care, support groups, and training programs for family caregivers
- Nutrition programs — home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels) and congregate meal sites
- Elder abuse reporting — referrals to Adult Protective Services when exploitation, neglect, or abuse is suspected
- Benefits enrollment assistance — help with Medicare Part D, SSI, SNAP, and LIHEAP applications
To find your regional AAAD, call the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) hotline or visit the DDA website. Each AAAD has local offices with counselors who can meet with your family in person.
What the AAAD cannot do is equally important: counselors are prohibited from providing legal advice, drafting legal documents, or recommending specific attorneys. They can refer you to legal aid organizations and explain the general process for accessing services, but they cannot prepare a power of attorney or advise on Medicaid asset protection strategies.
The Tennessee Center for Decision-Making Support
The Tennessee Center for Decision-Making Support is a DDA-affiliated initiative that promotes alternatives to conservatorship — specifically, Supported Decision-Making (SDM) agreements. Under T.C.A. § 34-1-101(11), Tennessee recognizes SDM as a "least restrictive alternative" that allows individuals with cognitive or developmental challenges to retain all their legal rights while using trusted supporters to help them process decisions.
The Center provides:
- Educational materials explaining how SDM works in practice
- Model SDM agreement templates
- Training for families, attorneys, and disability service providers on implementing SDM
- Referrals to disability rights organizations
SDM agreements are particularly relevant for families in a gray zone — where the parent has some cognitive decline but can still express preferences and identify people they trust. An SDM agreement doesn't transfer any legal rights. Instead, it formalizes the support structure: named individuals help the parent gather information, explain options, and communicate decisions, while the parent retains full legal authority.
If the parent's cognitive decline progresses beyond the point where SDM is workable, the family can transition to a power of attorney (if capacity to sign still exists) or a conservatorship (if it doesn't).
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How the DDA Connects to TennCare CHOICES
The DDA doesn't administer TennCare CHOICES directly — that's the Bureau of TennCare's program, operated through three managed care organizations (BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and Wellpoint Tennessee). But the DDA's regional AAADs serve as the most accessible entry point for families trying to navigate CHOICES enrollment.
The typical pathway: contact your regional AAAD for an initial screening, get connected to options counseling to understand whether home-based care (Group 2 or Group 3) is feasible, and receive guidance on starting the Pre-Admission Evaluation (PAE) process through a qualified medical provider. The AAAD counselor can explain the general requirements but cannot fill out the TennCare application for you.
For families juggling both legal authority and care financing, the sequence matters. You'll likely need a Durable Financial Power of Attorney in place before you can manage the TennCare CHOICES application on your parent's behalf — the application requires disclosing financial information and making decisions about asset management that only an authorized agent can handle.
The Tennessee Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit walks through the legal authority documents your family needs before engaging with the DDA, AAADs, and TennCare CHOICES — so you're not caught trying to navigate the care system without the paperwork to back it up.
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Download the Tennessee — Power of Attorney Quick-Start Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.