Resource Library/Katie Beckett Program

The Katie Beckett Program, explained by parents

TennCare's Katie Beckett Program covers children with significant disabilities based on the child's needs, not family income.

Reviewed Aug. 2026

Families finding community resources and support.

Using your Katie Beckett funds: Practical Tennessee Katie Beckett Part B ideas for therapy, respite, equipment, supplies, activities, and documentation.

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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:

Part A

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.

Part B · “Medicaid Diversion”

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

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 (opens in a new tab), click “Apply Now” for Medicaid, and answer “Yes” when it asks if you want to apply for Katie Beckett. One application does it all: TennCare checks your child’s regular Medicaid eligibility and DDA reviews your child’s needs at the same time. You may hear that a family “must be denied TennCare first” — the truth is simpler: that check happens inside this same application (the state must determine financial eligibility even when you already know you earn too much), so you don’t file a separate application and wait for a denial letter before starting.
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).
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.
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.
If you’re denied — appeal within 30 days

Denials happen, sometimes on paperwork technicalities, and families win on appeal. You have 30 days from the date on the denial notice to appeal a Part A or Part B decision — 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.

What’s Part C? And is there a waiting list?

Two honest wrinkles. Part C (“Continued Eligibility”) is a bridge category that keeps a child on Medicaid when they qualify for Part A but no slot is open yet. And yes — enrollment is capped: the program has enrollment targets, waiting lists form once a part fills, and Part A slots are prioritized by a level-of-care score (children with the highest medical needs first). Applicants are considered for Part B before Part A. None of this is a reason not to apply — it’s a reason to apply sooner.

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 (opens in a new tab) may help — note you can’t receive both at once.)

The official links

Sources and review information

This guide was reviewed in August 2026. Confirm time-sensitive details with the linked official organization.

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