Tennessee Code Title 71. Welfare § 71-4-1102

(1) “Assistance” means money payments made to or in behalf of totally disabled persons in need, or medical care, or both, including hospitalization, outpatient care and treatment, nursing home care, drugs or any other type of remedial care recognized under state law in behalf of permanently and totally disabled persons in need, but does not include subdivisions (1)(A)-(1)(D) unless the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.), is amended to include one (1) or more of the following:

(2) “Department” means the department of human services;

(3) “Permanently and totally disabled” means that the individual has been determined to have a permanent physical or mental impairment, disease or loss that substantially precludes the individual from engaging in useful occupations within the individual's competence, such as holding a job or homemaking. Such determinations shall be made in accordance with standards that shall be established by the department in consultation with an advisory committee, which committee shall include physicians nominated by the state medical society, and after review of the medical findings by a reviewing physician or physicians;

(4) “Recipient” means a person who was receiving aid to the permanently and totally disabled benefits during the month of December, 1973, and is now qualified under Public Law 93-66 to continue to receive a state money payment as a supplement to the federally provided supplemental security income benefits; and

(5) “Regional director” means the director of a region, or a designated agent in a county office, under chapter 1, part 1, of this title.