Tennessee home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes — Personal Support Services Agency (PSSA) license – TDMHSAS or DDA.
- License required?
- Yes
- License / pathway
- Personal Support Services Agency (PSSA) license – TDMHSAS or DDA
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
Tennessee requirements, item by item
Bracketed numbers link to the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency We could not confirm this item on an official state source during our review, so we did not estimate it.
| Item | What the guide found |
|---|---|
| License required? | A PSSA license is required for personal support services, subject to listed exemptions. Tennessee’s 2026 grid also lists a service license for specified ECF personal assistance and supportive home care program services. The sources reviewed do not establish one universal license rule for every private-pay companion, homemaker, or personal-care agency. [1][2] |
| License type / name | The personal-support pathway is a Personal Support Services Agency (PSSA) license through DDA or TDMHSAS, with the department determined by the population served. For the listed ECF personal assistance/supportive home care services, the 2026 grid also lists a Tennessee Department of Health Professional Support Services License (PSSL) or Home Care Organization license as alternatives. [2][1] |
| Licensing agency | PSSA licensing is through DDA when at least 50% of the agency’s client base has a developmental or intellectual disability diagnosis, or through TDMHSAS when at least 50% is aged and/or has a mental illness and/or substance abuse diagnosis. The 2026 grid also identifies the Tennessee Department of Health for the listed PSSL and Home Care Organization alternatives. [1][2] |
| Agency website | TDMHSAS licensing forms: https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/licensing/licensing-forms1.html DDA Office of Licensure: https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging/licensing/office-of-licensure.html. Tennessee Health Facilities Commission applications: https://www.tn.gov/hfc/division-of-licensure-and-regulation/hfc-licensure/licensure-applications.html. [3][4][5] |
| Initial application / license fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency — A TDMHSAS licensing fee is required, but the sources reviewed do not state its amount. The 2016 rules also state that the appropriate initial-license fee must be submitted under Rule 0940-05-02-.05; no amount is provided. [6][1] |
| Renewal fee | A renewal license fee is required under Rule 0940-05-02-.05, and submitted fees are non-refundable. The sources reviewed do not give the renewal-fee amount. [1] |
| Renewal cycle | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Typical approval timeline | DDA reports that initial licenses may take at least six months to process. No TDMHSAS initial-licensing processing duration is stated in the sources reviewed. [4] |
| Administrator qualifications | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Caregiver background checks | Personal-support workers must have criminal background checks before direct contact or responsibility for recipients; the 2016 rule says checks are due every two years, within 10 days of employment, or within 10 days of a qualifying change in responsibilities. The 2025 provider information says TDMHSAS licensure will not enforce the every-two-years portion. [1][3] |
| Caregiver training hours | No general training-hour total is specified. Workers must demonstrate competency in listed areas before starting and receive job-related training at least annually. An optional medication-administration certification is described as a 20-hour class; that is not stated as a general PSSA training requirement. [1][3] |
| Registry checks | Check workers’ status on both the Tennessee Abuse Registry and Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry annually and before direct contact with recipients. The sources reviewed state that workers listed on the registries may not provide services. [1][3] |
| General liability insurance | The licensee must have proof of liability insurance coverage for the agency, workers, and others providing personal support services. No coverage limits are stated in the sources reviewed. [1] |
| Workers' compensation | The worker notice must describe the agency’s responsibility for workers’ compensation payments. The sources reviewed do not specify a separate workers’ compensation insurance policy or coverage amount. [1] |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency — No specific substantive rule change dated 2025 or 2026 is established by the sources reviewed. The grids are dated Revised 6/30/25 and Revised 3.05.2026 and list licensing options, but do not identify those options as newly adopted or changed. [7][2] |
Source notes and conflicts
The 2016 rule states that criminal background checks are required every two years. The 2025 TDMHSAS provider information says licensure will not enforce the every-two-years portion, while also describing checks before direct contact and within the stated employment/change-of-duties periods. The PSSL/Home Care Organization options are listed for specified HCBS services; the sources reviewed do not establish that they are universal requirements for all non-medical home-care agencies.
Sources
- [PDF] 0940-05-38-.01 Definitions - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/documents/Homemaker_Rules_DMHSA_2016.pdf - [PDF] Program Service License/Certification Requirements - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/disability-and-aging/documents/provider-information/become-a-credentialed-provider/Attachment%202%20Licensure%20Grid%203.5.2026.pdf - [PPT] PowerPoint Presentation - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/mentalhealth/documents/PSSA_Provider_Information_2025.pptx - Licensure - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging/licensing/office-of-licensure.html - Tennessee HFC Licensure Applications and reports
https://www.tn.gov/hfc/division-of-licensure-and-regulation/hfc-licensure/licensure-applications.html - Become a Licensed Provider - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/licensing/become-a-licensed-provider.html - [PDF] Program Service License/Certification Requirements - TN.gov
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/disability-and-aging/documents/provider-information/become-a-credentialed-provider/attachment-2-licensuregridrevise070325-accessible.pdf
Limits: fees and forms change often. Agencies sometimes post conflicting figures (a statute vs. an older form); those conflicts are shown, not resolved by guessing. Confirm the current fee with the agency before filing. This guide is a research reference, not legal advice.
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