14 of the 303 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Tennessee (5%) are government-run, and all are listed below. They average 4.4 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.6 hours above the 3.8 for every home in Tennessee. Nurse staff turnover runs 44.7%, 4.2 points lower than the 48.9% across all homes there. W D Bill Manning Tennessee State Veterans Home in Humboldt grades highest at B (84 out of 100).
How government-run homes in Tennessee compare
This group set against every nursing home in Tennessee, from the current CMS release.
The state runs this 140-bed veterans home in Humboldt, and the numbers back up the operation. Nurse staffing sits at 4.24 hours per resident per day, roughly 10% above the national average, and weekend coverage dips only about 15% below its own weekday level, modest, as these gaps go. Staff turnover of 21.9% is less than half the national rate, which suggests people stay. On the record: 7 deficiencies, none at harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, with the last inspection in October 2023. All three CMS star ratings land at 4 out of 5. A stable, well-staffed home with a clean recent inspection history and no serious findings.
Jefferson Park At White Pine runs on a county-owned model with just 30 certified beds, and the staffing numbers are the real story here: 5.76 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 49% above the national average. Weekend coverage dips about 6% from its own weekday level, which is a modest gap. Staff turnover sits at 43.1%, slightly better than the 45.8% national figure, so this isn't a home bleeding workers. One deficiency on the current record, none at harm level, none abuse-related, with the last inspection in October 2023, an unusually clean sheet. Small county homes sometimes get overlooked, but the numbers here point to consistent, well-staffed care.
Brigadier General Wendell H Gilbert Tn State Veter runs on state government money, and the nurse staffing shows it: 5.34 hours per resident day, roughly 38% above the national average. That's real coverage, though weekends dip about 13% below the home's own weekday level, so the weekday numbers aren't the whole story. The inspection record is where things get more mixed, eight deficiencies on file, two serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and one tied to abuse. The last full inspection was in April 2022, so that record is getting stale. Three stars each for inspections, quality measures, and staffing puts this home squarely in the middle of the pack.
Senator Ben Atchley State Veterans' Home runs on 4.51 nursing hours per resident day, roughly 17% above the national average, and its weekend staffing dips about 11% below its own weekday level, a real gap if your family visits or calls on Saturdays. The state-run home in Knoxville holds a clean inspection record: five deficiencies total, none at harm or jeopardy level, though one is abuse-related. Turnover sits at 42.4%, slightly better than the 45.8% national figure, and its last inspection came in March 2026. The quality measure score of 2 out of 5 is the number worth asking about directly, staffing looks strong, but clinical outcomes tell a different story.
Overton County Health and Rehab Center runs on county government ownership, and the numbers show a home that's mostly steady. Nurse staffing sits at 4.36 hours per resident day, about 13% above the national average, with weekend coverage barely dipping below weekday levels, and turnover at 35.1% is well under the 45.8% national figure, which suggests people stick around. The record is clean where it counts: five deficiencies total, none at the harm level and none tied to abuse, with an inspection as recent as May 2025. The softer spot is quality measures, where the home scores 2 out of 5, so ask what specific conditions are driving that before you decide.
Hillview Health Center runs on federal ownership, which shapes how it operates. The 76-bed home in Elizabethton scores 4 out of 5 stars on all three CMS measures, health inspections, quality, and staffing, and its record shows 7 deficiencies with none at the harm or jeopardy level and nothing abuse-related. Staffing sits at 3.65 hours per resident day, about 5% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 20% below its own weekday coverage. Turnover is 41.2%, better than the 45.8% national figure. Its last inspection was November 2023, so the record is reasonably current. The weak spot is thin weekend staffing, not safety or quality.
Jefferson County Nursing Home is county-owned, and that shows up in the staffing numbers: 4.40 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 14% above the national average, with turnover at 28.4% against a national 45.8%. People tend to stay here. Weekend staffing drops about 18% below weekday levels, which is worth asking about if your family member needs more attention on Saturdays and Sundays. The health inspection record is clean where it counts, nine deficiencies on file, none at the harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and the most recent inspection was in December 2025. The weak spot is the quality measure rating, which sits near the bottom at 1 out of 5. That gap between good staffing and poor clinical outcomes is the thing to press the administrator on.
Park Rest Hardin County Health Center runs on county money, and the county's tax base shows up in the numbers. Total nurse staffing sits at 4.25 hours per resident day, about 10% above the national average, but weekends drop roughly 20% below the home's own weekday level, which means care thins out on Saturdays and Sundays. The current record lists 10 deficiencies, none at the level of actual harm or jeopardy, though 2 are abuse-related. That combination, decent weekday coverage, thinner weekends, a clean harm record, and a small cluster of abuse citations, is what keeps this from scoring higher.
Bledsoe County Nursing Home is a 50-bed county-run facility in Pikeville, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.26 hours per resident day, roughly 16 percent under the national average of 3.86. Weekends run about 12 percent lighter than weekdays there, so the leanest coverage lands when families tend to visit. Turnover is 46.2 percent, essentially tracking the national 45.8 percent. The current record shows four deficiencies, none at the harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, which is the reassuring part. Its last inspection was August 2023. What you're weighing: adequate but not generous staffing, average retention, and a clean serious-deficiency record. Ask how they cover weekends.
Hardin County Nh runs 4.77 total nurse hours per resident per day, roughly a quarter more staffing than the national average, and its 44.2% turnover sits just under the national rate. Those are the positives. Against them: eleven deficiencies on the current record, three serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and $67,490 in fines across two events. The quality measure rating sits at 1 out of 5, weekend staffing drops about 17% below weekday levels, and the last inspection was February 2026. County ownership is stable, but stable isn't the same as clean. If you're considering this one, ask what specifically drove those three harm-level findings and how weekend coverage actually looks in practice.
Obion County Nursing Home runs on a county government budget, and the numbers show where that leaves the floor: 22 deficiencies on its current record, including three tied to abuse and two serious enough to put a resident in harm's way. The last inspection was in February 2026, so that record is current, not stale, and it has drawn two fines totaling $23,963. Staffing is the one place it holds up, nurse hours per resident day come in just under the national average, and CMS gives it 4 of 5 stars there, but weekends drop about 15% below its own weekday coverage, and turnover sits at 47.1%. Roughly half the staff leaving each year makes consistent care hard.
Laughlin Health Care Center runs on thinner staffing than most homes its size. At 3.46 nurse hours per resident day, it sits about 10% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 14% below its own weekday levels, so the coverage gap widens exactly when families tend to visit. Annual turnover of 63.3% is well above the 45.8% national figure, meaning most of the aides and nurses working with residents are relatively new. Its inspection record is the harder problem: 16 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level, one abuse-related, and a one-star health inspection rating, with the last survey dating to October 2023. Two fines totaling $9,770.
The Tennessee Veterans Home in Murfreesboro puts more nursing hours per resident than most places, 4.83 a day against a national average of 3.86, so there's real bedside coverage here. The problem is who's providing it and how long they stay: turnover runs 67.1%, well above the 45.8% national figure, and weekend staffing drops about 19% from weekday levels.
That instability shows up in the inspection record. Twenty-three deficiencies, five serious enough to put residents in harm's way, four tied to abuse, and one $193,155 fine, with the most recent inspection in May 2026 earning the lowest possible health inspection rating. State-run and well-staffed on paper, but the care itself has repeatedly fallen short.
Tennessee State Veterans Home in Cleveland runs five hours of nursing care per resident per day, about 30% above the national average, and its last inspection in January 2026 came back clean enough to earn a top federal rating. The tradeoff is consistency: weekend staffing drops roughly 14% below weekday levels, and 56.1% of staff turned over in a year, well above the 45.8% national figure, that churn matters more in a home where five deficiencies sit on record, including one tied to harm or jeopardy and one abuse-related. As a state-run facility, it answers to public oversight rather than a private operator. Strong numbers overall, but ask how weekends and new hires are actually handled.
Frequently asked questions
How many government-run nursing homes are there in Tennessee?
There are 14 government-run Medicare-certified nursing homes in Tennessee, 5% of the 303 nursing homes there.
Are government-run nursing homes better staffed?
In Tennessee they average 4.4 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.8 for all nursing homes in Tennessee, a difference of +0.6 hours. Staff turnover averages 44.7% against 48.9%.
Which government-run nursing home grades best in Tennessee?