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Over 250,000 people in Tennessee receive Social Security disability benefits. And if you’re struggling to work due to a medical condition — you should also qualify.
This guide will help you understand how Social Security Disability benefits work in Tennessee and what steps you should take to give yourself the best chance of being approved.
Tennessee does not have its own statewide disability program. The way that you apply for disability in Tennessee is through federal programs or private disability benefits.
Below are the four most common disability benefits programs.
This remainder of this guide will cover only SSDI and SSI, as they’re the most common type of disability benefits for Tennesseans. Even if you qualify for private disability or veterans disability benefits, you may still need to apply for SSDI or SSI — some private insurance programs even require it.
Qualifying for SSDI or SSI comes with both medical and non-medical eligibility requirements. The medical requirements are the same for both SSDI and SSI, but each program has different work and income requirements.
If you have a medical condition that prevents you from being able to work for at least a year, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
SSA released the most common conditions to qualify for disability benefits in Tennessee (as a percentage of benefits recipients), and they are as follows:
The SSA considers mental health conditions when granting disability. A few of the most common mental health disorders people qualified for benefits for were:
Learn more about the medical conditions that qualify for disability benefits, or read our guide on all the conditions that may qualify.
To qualify for SSDI, you must:
Learn more about SSDI eligibility.
To qualify for SSI, you must:
Learn more about SSI eligibility.
You will need to fill out multiple forms to apply for disability. The first is the main application form with all of your background and basic information. Then there are supplementary forms where you fill out your employment history, daily physical limitations, and any medical treatment you receive for your condition. You can fill out these forms on your own, though most people who win disability benefits get legal help from a disability lawyer.
There are three ways to file your disability benefits application:
If you decide not to work with a lawyer, applying in person may increase your chances of receiving benefits. The SSA employees won’t be able to counsel you on how to answer questions in your favor, but they can advise you on how to fill out the forms accurately and completely.
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your disability benefits application. People often say the paperwork takes longer than they thought, because so many pieces are involved.
If your condition is complex, you likely have multiple doctors and records to gather. If you work with a lawyer, they will often collect these for you and keep track of everything so that nothing falls through the cracks.
If you choose to apply on your own, here are some steps you’ll need to take to prepare and submit your application:
A disability lawyer handles these steps and acts on your behalf to ensure that everything is tracked and followed up on immediately.
Atticus provides free legal advice and can match you with a lawyer if you choose to use one. Take our 2-minute disability quiz to see if you qualify.
While you may receive benefits after your initial application, it is rare. Only about 30% of applications are accepted on the first round of submission. Most people have to file for reconsideration. Even then, some 90% of applications are rejected again. At that point, you would need to go in front of a judge to review your case during a hearing.
The good news is that half of the people who go to hearing are approved for benefits. And that number goes up even further when you have legal representation from a disability lawyer.
If your case goes to a hearing, there is some work to do to prepare to give yourself the best chance of winning. Here’s what to expect at a disability hearing and how to set yourself up for success.
If your application is accepted, it takes 5-6 months to get disability benefits in Tennessee. If your application is initially rejected, it takes an average of ~22 months, or just under 2 years.
(Luckily, the SSA reimburse you for the time you spent waiting, and should have been receiving benefits — this is called back pay. More on back pay here).
Here's how the wait times breakdown:
In 2021, applicants received an initial decision, on average, in 5.5 months. If they were rejected, and applied for reconsideration, it took another 4.9 months to receive that decision.
After that, the average wait time for a hearing in Tennessee is 11.58 months. Depending on which office handles your hearing, this number could be higher or lower.
Here are the average wait times, by hearing office, in Tennessee.
Hearing office | Wait time |
CHATTANOOGA | 9 months |
FRANKLIN TN | 12 months |
KINGSPORT | 13 months |
KNOXVILLE | 11 months |
MEMPHIS | 13.5 months |
NASHVILLE | 11 months |
You can speed up the process only by sending the requested documentation to the SSA as soon as possible. Your lawyer will help ensure you meet deadlines and respond to the SSA with all the necessary information.
The amount of disability depends on which type of benefits you receive. Below are the averages for Tennessee.
According to the most recent SSA data, the average monthly SSDI benefit Tennessee disabled workers receive is $1,325 — about $30 lower than the national average. However, your exact SSDI benefit check depends on your work history, and the maximum monthly SSDI payment is about $3,600 in 2023.
To learn what your potential SSDI payout will be, visit SSA.gov and create an account using the following steps:
The average monthly SSI payment in Tennessee is $565, which is very close to the national average of $568 per month.
The maximum disability anyone can receive from SSI is $914 per month, regardless of the state in which you live. SSA uses your monthly income to determine the amount of your SSI benefits.
While it’s not required, working with a disability lawyer can save you a lot of stress and help speed up your SSI and SSDI filings and determinations. They help from start to finish — from preparing your application to preparing and representing you for a hearing.
Your chances of winning disability benefits are three times higher when you have legal representation.
When searching for a Tennessee disability lawyer, consider asking them these questions before choosing one.
We know that choosing a lawyer from the pool of them that exists can be daunting. If you need some help, we can match you with a lawyer who is a good fit for your specific claim — free of charge.
We carefully vet our disability lawyers from an extensive professional legal network and trust them to treat your case with care. Take the first step by filling out our disability quiz.
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Jackie Jakab
Lead Attorney
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