Tennessee Commission On Aging And Disability

Tennessee Commission On Aging And Disability, a U.S. state government entity headquartered in Nashville, operates as the federal grant recipient and administrative hub for aging, disability, and caregiver support programs across all 95 Tennessee counties. The Commission is Tennessee's designated State Unit on Aging and receives formula grants directly from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living and the Center for Integrated Programs, distributing funds through nine Area Agencies on Aging and regional development districts that serve as sub-recipients.

The Commission's federal footprint centers on Older Americans Act programming and Medicare enrollment assistance. Recent major awards include $35.421 million (October 2025) under the Special Programs for the Aging, Title III, Part C, Nutrition Services program (CFDA 93.045) for congregate meals delivery; $25.758 million (October 2025) under the same program for home-delivered meals; $27.949 million (October 2025) under the Title III, Part B, Grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers program (CFDA 93.044); $8.908 million (October 2025) under the National Family Caregiver Support, Title III, Part E program (CFDA 93.052); and $2.737 million (October 2025) under the Nutrition Services Incentive Program (CFDA 93.053). The Commission also received $400,000 (September 2025) as a cooperative agreement recipient under the Lifespan Respite Care Program (CFDA 93.072) in partnership with the Tennessee Caregiver Coalition. Additional awards fund Medicare counseling and enrollment assistance through three formula grant tracks under the Medicare Enrollment Assistance Program (CFDA 93.071), elder abuse prevention under Older Americans Act Title VII (CFDA 93.041), and long-term care ombudsman services under Title VII, Chapter 2 (CFDA 93.042). Awards dated October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, represent the current performance period for nutrition, supportive services, and caregiver support programming.

Customer concentration is extreme: the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living dominates the portfolio at 97% of recent awards across 100 formula-grant awards, with the Administration on Aging (a sub-agency of ACL) delivering most Title III and Title VII Older Americans Act awards. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime accounts for 14 awards, and the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 5 awards. Combined obligated dollars across all awards since 1992 total $1.14 billion, with activity averaging 10–16 awards per year through 2025; three awards dated in 2026 reflect the most recent fiscal year slice. Seventeen awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, spanning current and legacy Older Americans Act formula grants, creating recompete exposure on recurring Title III and Title VII programs.

The Commission distributes sub-awards to nine Area Agencies on Aging and development districts operating across distinct Tennessee regions—Greater Nashville Regional Council, Shelby County Government, East Tennessee Human Resource Agency, First Tennessee Development District, Southwest Tennessee Development District, South Central Tennessee Development District, Northwest Tennessee Development District, Upper Cumberland Development District, and Southeast Tennessee Development District (Chattanooga Area Regional Council of Governments). Sub-recipients deliver direct services including congregate and home-delivered meals, family caregiver support, disease prevention and health promotion, elder abuse investigation and prevention, long-term care ombudsman advocacy, Medicare counseling, and respite care coordination. The Commission maintains administrative oversight, grant monitoring, compliance, and technical assistance through dedicated state office staff, including an Aging Program Director, State Program Development and Outreach Coordinator, and Statewide Volunteer Coordinator for the Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). The organizational structure reflects a pass-through administration model; the Commission holds formula grants as the state-level grantee and allocates funding to regional sub-recipients under statutory formulas and approved state plans, with no competitive procurement involvement and no federal contract prime or subcontractor role.