Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program (TN SHIP)
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Tennessee. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
Food
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for seniors in Tennessee
The Tennessee Department of Human Services runs SNAP, formerly called food stamps, which puts money for groceries on an EBT card each month.
Tennessee keeps a savings limit, so a household with someone 60 or older or disabled may have up to $4,750 in countable savings. You can apply online through the One DHS Customer Portal, at the TDHS office in your county, or by mail.
How to apply in Tennessee
- By phone
- 1-833-772-8347
- In person
- Visit the TDHS office in your county to get and turn in a paper application. Offices also have tools to upload your documents.
- By mail
- Download and print an application, then mail it to Family Assistance, TN Dept. of Human Services, 1843 Foreman Dr., Suite 102, Cookeville, TN 38501. Send copies, not originals, of your documents in the same envelope.
Applying is free. Nobody should charge you to apply.
Apply on the official siteWho may qualify in Tennessee
| Savings limit, household with someone 60+ or disabled (Oct. 2026 to Sept. 2027) | $4,750 |
|---|
Good to know
- Tennessee says adults 18 to 64 who are able to work and have no dependents can get only a limited number of months of SNAP in three years unless they work 80 hours a month or are exempt.
- Tennessee's planned ban on using SNAP for foods and drinks that list sugar first (Healthy SNAP Tennessee) is on hold: on June 22, 2026, a federal court in Washington, D.C., vacated the federal approval and said it may not go ahead.
Free help
Free help with this in Tennessee
Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
More help in Tennessee
SNAP food benefits in another state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
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- Maine
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- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Human Services, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Tennessee Department of Human Services, Applying for SNAP in Tennessee (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Tennessee Department of Human Services, SNAP Eligibility Information (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Tennessee Department of Human Services, Healthy SNAP Tennessee (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information: FY 2027 standards (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
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