Let’s coordinate, share ideas, and learn from our individual customer groups on how we can work together to better serve Tennessee’s low-income families.

As I reflect on another remarkable year within the Department of Human Services, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you who played a pivotal role in facilitating our transition to modernize our outdated eligibility technology system. Your efforts have been instrumental in the successful launch of our new Eligibility Benefits Management System (EBMS), designed to streamline the management of Family Assistance programs such as SNAP and Families First, along with various other TDHS programs and services.

The six-month rollout of EBMS has presented its challenges, but I commend our staff for their unwavering dedication. Learning a new system while simultaneously serving thousands of Tennesseans daily underscores your commitment to ensuring our customers have needed resources.

In addition to EBMS, I am delighted to share that our department has had many successes this year including, improving our One DHS Customer portal - a virtual tool that encourages autonomy and empowers customers to manage multiple TDHS administered resources from one online login. Furthermore, we streamlined our customer service call options, allowing customers to connect with multiple programs through a centralized call line, eliminating the burden of researching specific phone numbers.

With a continued dedication to better serve our customers, we’ve centered our focus on how to improve Tennessee’s safety net in effort to reduce dependency and truly uplift individuals beyond economic vulnerability. We have implemented several innovative strategies to help us achieve this goal including the TANF Opportunity Act, the Fatherhood Initiative, Public and Private Partnerships, and creating innovative Employer-Sponsored Child Care solutions to provide needed child care within our state.  To further our goal of transforming Tennessee’s Safety Net, we also unveiled a fresh new mission and vision for the department to “Strengthen Tennessee by Strengthening Tennesseans.”

At TDHS, we remain dedicated to ensuring that our investments, programs, and services in communities statewide receive the support they need. Our goal is to successfully guide families from crisis to and through career pathways. As we embark on our journey into 2024, let us carry forward the momentum of our achievements, united in our commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.

TDHS celebrates recent graduates of the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center (TRC) Smyrna. TRC-Smyrna is a state-operated training center that provides career and technical education to prepare individuals with disabilities for greater independence and competitive integrated employment in their local communities. 

This year marked a significant milestone for the department as we undertook our largest technology transition since 1992. In June, TDHS launched the new Eligibility Benefits Management System (EBMS), a cornerstone of the department’s broader modernization efforts.

With any major technological shift, there has been a period of adjustment as the department transitioned from the old system to the new one, which has temporarily increased our processing times. However, staff is working diligently to process cases promptly, ensuring our valued customers receive their benefits within a timely manner.

As we aim to streamline processing for SNAP benefits, we encourage customers to now track and manage their cases online using the One DHS Customer portal. This user-friendly portal allows customers to create an online account and upload necessary documents for case completion. To expedite the process, customers can upload all required documents before scheduled interviews.

To learn more about how customers can manage and track their cases using the One DHS Customer Portal, please review the video below.  

Update for Our Partners: ACCENT Transitions to Read Only Mode

With the Eligibility Benefits Management System (EBMS) now fully functional, final steps to decommission ACCENT are underway. ACCENT/COTS will transition to a READ-ONLY mode on Thursday, December 28.  In Read Only mode, users will be able to see information in ACCENT, but not take any action. 

Reminder: If you have access questions regarding ACCENT, COTS or EBMS, please refer to your usual point of contact for guidance.

TDHS is here to ensure every Tennessean has the tools they need to become financially stable. Many of our programs provide benefits based on documented need and some programs utilize Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards to deliver food or cash benefits. Unfortunately, some criminals are willing to steal benefits meant to help families on their way to financial stability. 

Common Types of Benefit Theft and Fraud

As of November 6, 2023, TDHS accepts and processes replacement requests of SNAP and D-SNAP benefits from households impacted by EBT card skimming, cloning, and similar fraud occuring between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024.

Customers can file for replacement requests within the One DHS Customer Portal at OneDHS.tn.gov. Customers that cannot access the online portal to submit a request can retrieve a paper form at their local TDHS office.

For more information on replacement benefits related to fraud, please visit https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/need-help-/tdhs-fraud.html.

At TDHS, we believe that child care is an essential part of the foundational support needed among working families to help them achieve economic prosperity.

At the department we are actively working to explore innovative strategies to deploy regular Child Care Development Funds to promote stability and sustainability of child care providers.  Supports that are available include enhancement grants and the WAGE$ salary supplement program. Information on these programs can be found on the TDHS website.

We also believe this is a critical time to focus on and expand upon investment from the private sector.  Engagement from employers is a key strategy for long-term access and affordability. Fortunately, we have a wide range of resources that we can deploy to help employers in this area. A good example of this is our collaboration with Tyson Foods. It is our goal to increase employer-led efforts across the state to expand access to affordable child care that is tailored to the needs of working families.

To learn more about TDHS grant programs and other resources to assist child care providers, please visit the TDHS website.

This season, Don’t Pay to File your Taxes – VITA can do it for FREE

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) helps families who make less than $70,000 get the tax credits they deserve without the fees. You can file in-person, virtually, or do-it-yourself all for free. VITA is a program of United Way of Greater Nashville in partnership with the IRS.

What customers should know about their taxes:

For more information, visit VITA Free Tax Prep to learn more.

At TDHS, we are consistently looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who are eager to make a meaningful difference in our state. If you are interested in joining our team, please review new career opportunities on the Tennessee State Government website.

Child Care and Community Services

Adult Protective Services Intake Counselor 2
New Davidson County - 53336 (3) (Closing Date 1/17/24)

Adult Protective Services Investigative Support Coordinator
New Madison County – 53247 (Closing Date 1/17/24)

 

Family Assistance           

Eligibility Assistant
New Rhea County – 53202 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

Eligibility Counselor 1*
New Campbell County - 53090 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Carroll County - 53115 (2) (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Hamblen County - 53116 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Hamilton County - 53130 (2) (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Marion County – 53193 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Monroe County – 53129 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Sevier County – 53111 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Sevier County – 53118 (2) (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

New Trousdale County – 53151 (Closing Date 1/3/2024)

 

Detailed listings on all open positions (Preferred and Executive Service) can be found at https://www.tn.gov/careers/apply-here.html. 

Everyone can be a recruiter! Please help us by tapping into your network of talented friends, family and associates.

NOTE: You may now find TDHS jobs also posted on the TDHS LinkedIn page

Tennessee Department of Human Services: Overview | LinkedIn

Please encourage your friends and colleagues to visit our site for opportunities at TDHS.

This Newsletter will be distributed on the last Wednesday of each month, and we kindly ask that all news be approved by leadership and submitted at least three weeks in advance.

Let’s coordinate, share ideas, and learn from our individual customer groups on how we can work together to better serve Tennessee’s low-income families.

You are receiving this email because you are a partner of a TDHS administered program, communications partner, state agency partner, or have signed up to receive our emails through our website or by contacting one of our staff members.