Yesterday, with the expertise of our members and Policy Team, the Tennessee Disability Coalition released our inaugural Tennessee Disability Scorecard. Inspired by the tremendous amount of phone calls we receive from current and future Tennesseans, as well as policy priorities voiced by our membership; the 2022 Scorecard outlines eight policy priority areas for working Tennesseans with disabilities. Across these priorities, letter grades were given to the State of Tennessee based on primary and secondary research compiled by the TDC, and will be reviewed and released annually to ensure the lived experiences of our community are at the forefront of all policy decisions made by state leaders including lawmakers, appointed commissioners, and municipalities.
Overall, the State of Tennessee received a grade of D+ for working adults with disabilities, and was comprised from the following: Priority: Housing Grade: F 80 of Tennessee’s 95 counties do not have affordable housing for working people with disabilities. Priority: Employment Grade: D+ 33% of Tennessee workers with disabilities are employed, compared to 78% of workers without disabilities. This ranks Tennessee 44th out of all 50 states. Priority: Transportation Grade: C- Tennessee ranks 39th in the US for quality of public transportation. Priority: Medical Debt Grade: F Tennessee has the 5th highest percentage of adults with medical debt in the country. Priority: Home Healthcare Worker Crisis Grade: F Tennessee ranks 43rd in the US for the availability of home healthcare workers, with only 13 workers for every 100 Tennesseans needing care. Priority: Sales Tax Burden Grade: A
Like nearly all states, Tennessee does not tax the sale of durable medical equipment, prescriptions, and mobility devices. Priority: Affordability of Care Grade C+ The AARP ranked Tennessee 35th in the affordability of care for people with disabilities based on relatively low home health care costs, but 49th in consumers’ ability to access these home healthcare services. Priority: Support for Family Caregivers Grade: F Given the critical shortage of home healthcare workers across the country, AARP ranked Tennessee 49th in supporting family members caring for loved ones with disabilities based on state policies.
We hope you will share this report with your communities, stakeholders, and people of influence. In a spirit of coalition, we look forward to working together to improve these outcomes on behalf of all Tennesseans both present, and future. More information can be found in the full Scorecard including citations and graphics, and is available on the TDC’s website using the following link: https://www.tndisability.org/tennessee-disability-scorecard. -TDC Policy Team | 
