Appeals and Hearings

Eligibility Requirements

The Division of Appeals and Hearings processes appeals for all programs administered by the Department of Human Services as well as disqualification hearings covering the SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) and Families First programs. When an applicant for or recipient of assistance or services is dissatisfied with any action taken by the Department of Human Services, he/she has the right to file an appeal for a fair hearing before an impartial hearing official. 

Appeal Filing Methods 
An appellant or his/her representative may request a hearing by any clear expression, oral or written except in the following cases:
1. Appeals of the denial, revocation, restriction or probation involving an adult day care center license or the placement of an adult day care center on probation. 
2. Non-administrative child support action/enforcement appeals. 
3. Child care agency appeals of license denials, restrictions, revocations, civil penalties and safety plans which shall be made in writing to the Director of Child Care Licensing and are heard only by the Child Care Agency Board of Review. 
4. Child care agency appeals of report card assessments. 
5. Child care agency license probation and suspensions. 
6. Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program appeals. 
7. Tennessee Blind Enterprises appeals. 

Appeal Forms can be obtained at: https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/division-ofappeals-and-hearings/dhs-appeals-file-an-appeal.html 
To file an appeal by telephone call: 1-866-311-4287
Fax Submissions should be sent to: 1-866-355-6136 
E-mail Submission Method: Send Appeal Request Forms to the Appeals and Hearings Clerk's Office at AppealsClerksOffice.DHS@tn.gov. 

The Clerk’s Office is a neutral entity that performs many of the administrative functions associated with the appeals process. As a convenience factor, any documents that need to be filed with the Department in association with an appeal can be emailed to the address above.