Resource Library/Katie Beckett Program
The Katie Beckett Program, explained by parents
TennCare coverage and support funds for children under 18 with significant disabilities or complex medical needs — based on your child’s needs, not your income. Here’s how it actually works and how to apply.
●Last reviewed August 2026 · details change — always confirm on the official TennCare page
Why this program exists
Normally, Medicaid looks at family income — so a middle-income family with a child who needs $40,000 a year of therapy can be “too rich” for help and too broke to pay for it. The Katie Beckett Program (named for an Iowa girl whose story changed federal policy in the 1980s) fixes that: for this program, Tennessee looks at the child’s medical and functional needs, not the household paycheck.
The one-sentence version
If your child has a significant disability or complex medical needs, you may qualify for TennCare coverage or up to $10,000–$15,000 a year in help — no matter what you earn. It costs nothing to find out.
Part A vs. Part B — which is which?
The program has two tracks, and families are placed based on the level of care their child needs:
Full TennCare + home services
For children whose needs meet an “institutional level of care” — meaning without support at home, they’d qualify for care in a medical facility. These kids get full TennCare (Medicaid), usually alongside your private insurance as secondary coverage, plus up to $15,000/year in home- and community-based services.
Flexible yearly funds
For children with significant needs that don’t meet the Part A threshold. No Medicaid card, but up to $10,000/year in flexible help: a medical-expense card, insurance premium assistance, and caregiver supports. (“Medicaid Diversion” is just the state’s official alternate name for Part B — not a third program.)
How to apply
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Start online at TennCare Connect — it’s the only way in
You cannot apply by phone or on paper. Create an account at tenncareconnect.tn.gov and complete the application for your child; checking the disability-related questions triggers the Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) to start its eligibility review.
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Gather your paper trail
Diagnoses, evaluations, therapy notes, hospitalization records, and letters of medical necessity all strengthen the application. Family Voices of Tennessee publishes free parent-written guides on exactly what evaluators look for (linked below).
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Describe the hardest days, not the best ones
Parents instinctively describe their child charitably. For this application, be unflinchingly honest about what care actually takes: the supervision, the feeding, the sleep, the safety concerns. You’re not betraying your child — you’re documenting their needs so the state meets them.
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Ask for help when you get stuck
The Middle Tennessee DDA regional office (800-654-4839) helps families through the process, or email DDA.KBAssist@tn.gov. TennCare Connect itself has a help line at 855-259-0701.
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If you’re denied — appeal
Denials happen, sometimes on paperwork technicalities, and families win on appeal. Don’t take the first “no” as the final word; The Arc Tennessee and Family Voices can help you regroup.
Questions families actually ask
We have good private insurance. Is this still worth it?
Usually, yes. Under Part A, TennCare acts as secondary insurance — it can pick up copays, deductibles, and therapy hours your primary plan limits or excludes. Under Part B, the flexible funds can reimburse premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Many families describe Katie Beckett as the difference between rationing therapy and just scheduling it.
Does our income or savings matter at all?
For eligibility, no — the review is about your child’s level of need. That’s the entire point of the program. (Part B uses a sliding scale for some benefits, but qualifying itself is needs-based.)
Someone said we should apply for “Medicaid Diversion.” Is that different?
Same thing — “Medicaid Diversion Group” is the state’s formal name for Part B. One application covers the whole program; DDA determines which part fits your child.
My child has autism but no medical complexity. Should we bother?
Apply anyway. “Level of care” counts behavioral and functional needs — supervision for safety, elopement, self-injury, feeding, toileting, communication — not just tubes and monitors. Plenty of autistic kids qualify. Worst case, you’re out an afternoon of paperwork.
How long does it take?
Plan on months, not weeks — reviews are thorough and volume is high. Apply before you’re desperate, keep copies of everything, and follow up if you hear nothing. (And while you wait, the DDA Family Support Program may help — note you can’t receive both at once.)
The official links
TennCare — Katie Beckett Program
The official program page: eligibility, family materials, and current details. If anything on our page ever disagrees with this one, trust this one.
Part A vs. Part B — state flyer (PDF)
A one-page, plain-language comparison of the two tracks, straight from the state. Good to print for the folder.
DDA — Intake & how to apply
The application process explained by the agency that runs the review — including the requirement to start at TennCare Connect.
TennCare Connect (apply here)
The state portal where every Katie Beckett application begins. Set aside a quiet hour, and save your login — you’ll use it again.
Family Voices TN — Katie Beckett 101
Parent-written walkthroughs of the application, medical-necessity letters, and level-of-care requirements — from families who’ve done it.
New to all of this? (our guide)
Katie Beckett is step four of six. If you just got a diagnosis and don’t know where anything starts, back up one page — we’ll walk you in order.
From the parents in the room
Several Village families have been through this application. If you’re staring at the TennCare Connect screen at midnight wondering what “level of care” means for your kid — reach out or bring your laptop on a Wednesday. Someone here has answered that exact question.