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Behavioral Health Safety Net of Tennessee

In an effort to help Tennesseans with serious and persistent mental illness who are poor and uninsured, TDMH has worked with community mental health agencies across the state to provide key mental health services. This is a limited set of mental health services, but evidence shows that these services are the core, vital services that people with serious mental illness must retain to continue leading functional, productive lives.

TDMH encourages Tennesseans with severe and persistent mental illness who are poor and uninsured to register with a participating community mental health agency in order to immediately begin receiving key services including assessment, evaluation, diagnostic, therapeutic intervention, case management, psychiatric medication management, labs related to medication management, and pharmacy assistance and coordination.

What are the eligibility criteria for Behavioral Health Safety Net of TN assistance?

  • Been determined ineligible for TennCare or have a pending TennCare application; and
  • Not have access to private health insurance, or the private health insurance lacks mental health coverage or all mental health benefits under private health insurance has been exhausted; and
  • Not have Medicare coverage*; and
  • Not be actively receiving benefits through the Veteran’s Administration; and
  • Be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident alien; and
  • Be a resident of Tennessee; and
  • Have been diagnosed with a Qualifying Primary Mental Health ICD9 Diagnosis; and
  • Have family income no greater than 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL); and
  • Must not be an inmate; and
  • Must be aged 19 to 64*

* These criteria not applicable to members of the Daniels class; from the lawsuit Daniels v. Goetz, Case No. 3:79-cv-03107, US District Court, Middle District of Tennessee.

For a List of Partipcating Community Mental Health Agencies and Manual for Behavioral Health Safety Net of TN click here.

Links:
For information on pharmacy assistance visit Cover Rx and Cover TN at: http://www.covertn.gov/web/cover_rx.html.

For clients in need of housing services visit: http://www.tnhousingsearch.org/

SOAR info: http://www.prainc.com/SOAR/soar101/what_is_soar.asp

For Employment assistance, visit: http://tennessee.gov/labor-wfd/cc/ccpartners.htm.

For consumer peer support, see listing of peer support centers at: http://tn.gov/mental/recovery/PSCenters.html.

For general inquiries of a consumer advocacy nature, please contact the TDMH Office of Consumer Affairs at: http://tennessee.gov/mental/recovery/oca1.html.

If you need to confirm a client's TennCare status please call TPAL at: 1-800-758-1638.

For general inquiries about all other available resources, please contact the local county DHS office; a listing of local DHS offices can be found at: http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/st_map.html.

To find out what services your client might qualify for, visit: http://www.earnbenefits.org/

Division of Mental Health Services Links