CALLER: Our family is moving to Tennessee from Kansas to be near relatives. They live just outside of Ripley in the Lauderdale County area, and we are looking for a place close by. My adult son is on the spectrum, and he will be moving with us and living with us, at least at first. He has KanCare health insurance and receives SSI. I’m his rep payee. How do we change his health insurance when we move? He also gets food stamps, and I also want to assist him in continuing to get them.
PATHFINDER: It is great thing that you are asking these questions before you move. Many programs vary from state to state, even when they are federally funded programs. Different states set up and run benefit programs differently.
In Tennessee, Medicaid is known as TennCare. Someone who has Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from Social Security, will automatically be covered by TennCare. Once you have moved, or possibly when you have a new address and move date, you need to change your contact information and the SSI recipient’s contact information with the Social Security Administration (SSA).
You can visit your local Social Security office in Kansas, or you can make an appointment with the Social Security office closest to your new home after you move. The SSA office in Dyersburg is the one closest to Ripley, TN, about 25 miles. You will need to take documentation of your new address, such as a utility bill, lease, and/or other documents.
Social Security Administration, Dyersburg
Calling the national Social Security helpline – 1-800-772-1213 — is another option, but you may need to be prepared for a terribly long wait on hold, or you may be able to request a callback. Whether you call or visit an office, it will also be helpful to have your son’s new bank name, address, routing number and account number, so that Social Security can change his SSI direct deposits.
If you have an account on the SSA website https://www.ssa.gov/ you are able to change the contact details on your profile. But when you sign into your account and access the Representative Payee section, you are not able to change the SSI recipient’s contact information without a call or visit to an office.
One can apply for TennCare, or update contact information on TennCare’s website, which is known as TennCare Connect.
If you are not able to go online, their phone number is 855-259-0701. It is very important for all TennCare members to make sure that TennCare Connect always has their correct address. Currently, a huge Redetermination process is underway, and people who do not respond to the necessary paperwork, or who do not receive it due to a move and an outdated address, can lose their health insurance. Even though people who receive SSI do not have to do the Redetermination paperwork in order to keep TennCare, it is extremely important to keep a member’s contact information up to date.
In Tennessee, there are three managed care organizations (MCOs) that have TennCare plans. They are Amerigroup, BlueCare, and United HealthCare. Your son will be assigned one of those. TennCare has a computer feed from SSA, whereby they can access contact information from everyone in the state who is on SSI.
There is an online application for food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), on the state website here:
https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/for-families/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.html
Alternatively, you can ask the local Department of Human Services office to send you a printed application, which you can mail back. Their contact information is on their Pathfinder listing:
https://www.tnpathfinder.org/view/provider/3490/department-of-human-services-lauderdale-county
Best of luck with finding your new home and your move. Remember to Call Pathfinder at 800-640-4636 when you have additional resource questions; we can help. Welcome to Tennessee!
| Questions and scenarios found in the Call Pathfinder column represent questions received by Pathfinder but are not taken from actual Pathfinder calls. Actual resource information provided varies based on the specific situation and needs of each individual. |