Tennessee program
Respite money to pay someone to take over
A respite voucher helps pay someone to take over caring for a while so you can have a break.
What it is
A respite voucher helps pay someone to take over caring for a while so you can have a break.
Caregiving can leave little room to rest or handle other family needs. The Tennessee Caregiver Coalition offers a regular respite voucher and a separate emergency route. A sudden health crisis can be a reason to discuss the emergency route.
Eligibility rules
- The regular program is statewide and has no income limit.
- A sudden health crisis needing urgent medical attention is a possible emergency qualifying event.
What you get
- Up to $600 a household each year through the regular respite voucher.
- An emergency voucher route for qualifying sudden crises.
What the help covers
- Each voucher is up to $600 and the two cannot be combined; an emergency award has to be 12 months apart from a regular one. The paid helper must be an adult who lives outside your home, and the money can go to a sitter, a camp or an after-school program. You pay first and are reimbursed.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the Tennessee Caregiver Coalition about the regular application window or the emergency route.
- Ask the social worker to help explain a sudden admission or health crisis if that is the reason for the request.
Tennessee Caregiver Coalition respite voucher program. · Official page ↗
After you ask
- The coalition reviews the request and explains how the voucher can be used.
Good to know
Regular applications open April 1 through June 30. Emergency help has separate crisis and waiting-period rules. The two awards cannot simply be combined; the coalition confirms approval and payment timing.
Other details
- An emergency request is a separate conversation from the annual regular application window.
“Could a respite voucher help someone take over the care for a while? What costs and carers qualify, and could you help us decide whether the regular or emergency route fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to find a manageable way to get a break from caring.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Apply in the window, or ask about the emergency route now.
Your social worker
The social worker can write that the admission was a sudden crisis.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The Tennessee Caregiver Coalition.
- Ask the agency
- “My child was suddenly admitted for cancer treatment. Does that qualify for an emergency respite voucher, and when do regular applications open?”
How to apply
First step: Go to the Tennessee Caregiver Coalition respite voucher page and apply if it is between April and June; otherwise ask about the emergency voucher.
- If it is between April and June, apply now.
- Otherwise ask about the emergency respite voucher and put April 1 in the diary.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Apply on the coalition’s respite voucher page in the April to June window, or ask about the emergency voucher outside it.
What to gather
- Who is doing the caring and roughly how many hours
- A letter saying your child was admitted, for the emergency route
How long: Not published. Ask when you apply.
What a yes looks like
A voucher you use to pay for respite hours.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask whether the window or the funding was the problem, and when to try again.
Watch out
- The regular window is only April to June. Diary April 1 if you have missed it.
- Regular and emergency vouchers can each be up to $600, but they cannot be stacked in the same fiscal year. A prior voucher can also trigger a 12-month waiting period. The Coalition confirms eligibility and funding.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Up to $600 a household a year for respite, with no income limit.
- $600/year — Maximum respite assistance per household per year
Covers: Paid respite hours arranged by the family
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Income
- no income limit
- Geography
- statewide
- Window
- regular applications April 1 to June 30 each year
- Emergency
- a sudden health crisis needing urgent medical attention is named as a possible qualifying event
Expect friction on: The regular window is April 1 to June 30 each year · Regular and emergency vouchers can each be up to $600, but they cannot be stacked in the same fiscal year. A prior voucher can also trigger a 12-month waiting period. The Coalition confirms eligibility and funding.
The trap: Regular applications open April 1–June 30. Emergency eligibility is a separate test, not an automatic alternative whenever the regular window is closed. Prior awards can limit access.
Where I read this
- Family Directed Respite Voucher program — Tennessee Caregiver Coalition, read September 10, 2026
- Emergency Respite Voucher program — Tennessee Caregiver Coalition, read September 10, 2026