You have EEOICPA medical benefits. Here’s what that actually means for care at home.
A free guide for Tennessee energy workers and their families — written in plain language, with no appointment required.
If you worked at Oak Ridge or another covered facility and the Department of Labor has accepted a condition, your medical benefits may cover care in your own home. But having those benefits does not approve that care. Something else has to happen first, and most people are never told what.
This guide explains it in about ten minutes of reading.
Inside the guide
- What EEOICPA is, in plain language
- What the medical benefits letter you received does — and what it doesn’t do
- Why having benefits does not authorize home care
- The difference between help with daily activities and skilled nursing
- Why accepted conditions, your doctor’s documentation, and DOL authorization all matter
- That you are free to choose your own provider
- 12 questions to ask any home care agency before you decide
Sent to your email right away. You can also download it on the next page.
Get your free copy
No appointment. Just the guide. A phone number is completely optional — add one only if you’d like a call.
We’ll send the guide and nothing else. We will not call you unless you give us a phone number — that’s entirely your choice, and the guide is yours either way. We don’t ask for your Social Security number, your claim number, or your medical records — and you shouldn’t send them to us by email.
Why we wrote this
Most of the people who call us have had their benefits for years and have never been told how home care gets approved. Some were told their benefits cover everything. Some were told they had to use a particular agency. Neither is correct.
We provide home care, so we’re not neutral — you should know that up front. But we’d rather you understand the process and then choose, including choosing someone else, than have you agree to something you don’t understand.
The Department of Labor’s own materials say that once payment for home care is approved, you may choose any licensed provider, and you may change providers at any time. A lot of people don’t know that. We think they should.
Home care options for Tennessee energy workers
Nonmedical home care
Throughout Tennessee
Help with the everyday things: bathing, dressing, moving around the house safely, using the bathroom, meal preparation, and companionship. Provided by trained caregivers.
Skilled nursing
Select service areas
Licensed nurse visits for things like medication administration, wound care, and clinical assessment. Currently available to EEOICPA beneficiaries in Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette counties.
Nonmedical home care is available statewide; skilled nursing is available in select service areas. We’ll confirm exactly what’s available at your address when we talk — we won’t guess, and we won’t promise coverage we can’t staff.
What we can’t do
We want to be straight with you, because plenty of places aren’t:
- We can’t approve your care. Only the Department of Labor can authorize payment for home care under EEOICPA.
- We can’t get you more hours or more benefits. The level of care comes from your treating physician’s documentation and the Department of Labor’s review of it.
- We can’t act as your representative on your claim. We’re a provider, so the program treats that as a conflict of interest. If you need help with your claim itself, the DOL Resource Center that serves Tennessee can help, free of charge.
- We can’t promise you’ll qualify. Home care has to be medically necessary for a condition the Department of Labor has already accepted.
What we can do is explain how the process works, tell you honestly whether we serve your area, and provide good care if and when it’s authorized.
Ready to read it?
Get the GuideWould you rather just talk to someone?
Request a Home Care Information CallA short, no-pressure conversation. We’ll ask about your situation and tell you what we can and can’t do. Nothing is decided on that call.
Common questions
Is the guide really free?
Yes. There’s nothing to buy, and you don’t have to schedule anything. Enter your name, email, and ZIP code and it’s yours.
Do I have to talk to someone to get it?
No. The guide arrives by email and you can also download it on the next page. If you’d like a call, there’s a separate place to ask for one — but it’s your choice, not a condition.
Will you call me if I just want the guide?
No. The phone number is optional, and leaving it blank is a complete answer — you still get the guide. If you do give us a number, that’s you asking us to call, and a person will ring you about home care information. No automated calls, no recorded messages. Change your mind and tell us to stop, and we will.
Do my benefits mean home care is already covered?
No. Having accepted EEOICPA conditions is the starting point, not the approval. The Department of Labor has to pre-approve payment for home and residential health care, and that approval is based on your treating physician’s documentation. The guide walks through the whole sequence.
Do you serve my county?
Nonmedical home care is available throughout Tennessee. Skilled nursing is currently available in Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette counties. Enter your ZIP code and we’ll tell you what applies to your address — or call us at 901-430-9186.
Does this cost me anything?
We are enrolled with the EEOICPA program. For care the Department of Labor authorizes as medically necessary for your accepted conditions, DOL pays us directly under its fee schedule — there is nothing for you to pay and nothing to claim back. Care that isn’t related to your accepted conditions is not covered by the program — that would be yours to pay, or to bill to other insurance. We’ll go over the specifics for your situation rather than guessing here.
Are you part of the Department of Labor?
No. We’re an independent home care agency in Memphis. The Department of Labor does not endorse or sponsor any home care provider, including us.
Can you help me file a claim or appeal a denial?
No, and we shouldn’t. Because we’re a provider, the program treats a provider acting as your representative as a conflict of interest. For help with the claim itself, contact the DOL Resource Center that serves Tennessee — it’s part of the program and it’s free.
What if I’m not sure whether I have accepted conditions?
That’s common, and the guide covers how to find out. The short version: look at your decision letter from the Department of Labor, or call the Resource Center. We can’t tell you what’s been accepted on your claim — we don’t have access to it, and we wouldn’t want you to send us your records.
About The Good Care Helpers
An independent home care agency based in Memphis, Tennessee, providing nonmedical home care throughout Tennessee and skilled nursing in select service areas.
The Good Care Helpers
5865 Ridgeway Center Pkwy, STE 300
Memphis, TN 38120
901-430-9186