TN Comptroller’s Office suspends COVID-19 exemptions

TENNESSEE (WATE) — A preliminary injunction has put a freeze on vaccine requirements in three states and Tennessee has responded. Initially, a federal court in Kentucky on Tuesday blocked vaccine mandates for federal contractors and subcontractors through a court order — that affects not only Kentucky but Tennessee and Ohio as well.

Wednesday, Tennessee’s Comptroller’s Office suspended all of the exemptions it had been issuing, including those to Medicare and Medicaid providers. In a recent special session, Tennessee businesses and schools were blocked from requiring vaccinations. However, it allowed the exemption system for groups who rely on federal funding to not put the money at risk.

Those exemptions allowed businesses, government entities, schools and other employers with federally awarded or amended contracts, subcontracts, or postsecondary grants to impose COVID-19 vaccine requirements as a condition to receive federal funds, according to the TN Comptroller’s Office.

The state’s Comptroller’s Office will be accepting and processing notices for exemption during this suspension, but will not grant exemptions until it is legally allowed. Want to submit a notice? Go here: https://comptroller.tn.gov/covidexemption.