ARKANSAS
FArkansas's system, honestly. A letter grade is a summary, not a verdict on your family — a low grade doesn't mean nothing is available, it means the path is narrower. What's behind it is below.
Do this first
Call DDS Intake and Referral at 501-683-5687 and apply for the CES Waiver today. The list runs strictly in the order people were added and can reach ten years, so the date is the only part you control. Then ask two more things: email DHS.DDS.Waiver.AU@dhs.arkansas.gov for your waitlist number so you know where you actually stand, and ask what you can receive through a PASSE while waiting — people on the waitlist who qualify for Medicaid are enrolled in one, and that opens 1915(i) home and community-based services that don't need a waiver slot.
Last verified 2026-07-03
HOW WE GRADE ARKANSAS
Full methodology (v2.1) →Arkansas's strongest area is waitlist burden; what pulls the grade down most is institutional vs. community balance.
Waitlist Burden
30% of grade77/10052 people waiting per 100,000 residents
Nobody waiting scores 100. 225 per 100,000 scores 0.
Source:KFF State Health Facts, People Waiting for HCBS by Target … (FY2025 (KFF Medicaid HCBS Waiver Program Survey, FY 2025))US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (2025-07)
HCBS Spending Per Capita
25% of grade8/100$239 spent per resident
$200 per resident scores 0. $675 scores 100.
Source:CMS / Mathematica — Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures and … (CY2023)
Self-Direction Index
20% of grade33/10033 out of 100 on the self-direction index
Scored directly on its own 0–100 scale.
Source:CMS approved 1915(c) waiver application (2026-08-05)CMS approved 1915(c) waiver application (2026-08-05)
Waiver Program Count & Breadth
15% of grade50/10050 out of 100 on program breadth
Scored directly on its own 0–100 scale.
Source:Medicaid.gov State Waivers List, Authority=1915(c), Status… (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)KFF Medicaid Home Care (HCBS) in 2025, Appendix Table 2 (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)KFF Medicaid Home Care (HCBS) in 2025, Appendix Table 1 (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)
Each factor is scored against a fixed bar, not against the other states, so Arkansas's grade moves when Arkansas moves. Think we have it wrong? Every number above links to its source — email hello@spectrumpathways.ai and we will correct it in public.
WHAT THINGS ARE CALLED IN ARKANSAS
Use these exact words when you search, call, or fill out forms — they're what Arkansas's own offices use.
- Medicaid here is
- Arkansas Medicaid (ARKids for children)
- The DD agency is
- Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DHS)
- You contact
- DDS Intake and Referral unit
- The plan is
- Person-Centered Service Plan
- Self-direction is
- Self-Directed Servicescontrolling your own budget and hiring your own people
- A denial arrives as a
- Notice of Actionthe letter that gives you the right to appeal
WHO TO CONTACT, IN ORDER
Five different offices, and they don't talk to each other. Disability services, health coverage, and income each run through a separate agency — applying to one does not start the others. Ask each office for the name of the person you spoke to and write down the date; if something is later denied, that record is what an appeal is built on.
- 1
Developmental disability services
This is the office that decides whether your child is eligible for disability services. Ask for "intake" or "eligibility determination" by name. In Arkansas, you contact DDS Intake and Referral unit.
Arkansas DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities Services
- 2
Health coverage — Arkansas Medicaid (ARKids for children)
Almost every waiver and personal-care route requires this first, and it is decided by a different office from the one above. Apply in parallel rather than waiting.
- 3
Help at home, and who can be paid for it
Unless you say otherwise, services come the traditional way: the agency picks and pays the providers. Self-direction — where you get a budget and hire your own people — is opt-in almost everywhere and is not offered automatically. Here it is called Self-Directed Services. Ask for it by that name.
- 4
Income — SSI
Federal, so it's the same everywhere: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). There is no minimum age — you can apply for a newborn. Until 18, the parents' income is deemed to the child, so an early denial is usually about that rather than the child's disability. In many states an SSI award also opens Medicaid automatically — ask when you call.
- 5
If you get told no
Every state has a Protection & Advocacy agency by federal law — free legal help on disability services and appeals. Most families never hear of it, and it is the number to have before a deadline, not after. Yours is Disability Rights Arkansas.
Disability Rights Arkansas · 1-800-482-1174
RUNNING IT YOURSELF
In many states you can control the budget and hire your own people — including, sometimes, family. Most families are never told this is an option. Here's what we've verified for Arkansas; where we haven't verified an answer we say so — it does not mean the answer is no, and it is worth asking.
Can you control the budget?
Yes — a cash allowance you decide how to spend (IndependentChoices)
Can a family member be paid to provide care?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Who is legally the employer of the people you hire?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
How freely can money move between services?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Can the budget buy things, not just staff time?
Yes — the allowance can buy items that support care, not just staff hours
Is your case manager independent of your providers?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Deadlines reflect this state’s rules as researched; they can change — always confirm the current deadline with your state agency or Protection & Advocacy office before relying on it.
HOW TO GET SERVICES & APPEAL IN ARKANSAS
- PASSE (managed care) members: adverse action by DMS/PASSE
- Request a fair hearing in writing to the DHS Office of Appeals and Hearings within 30 days of the date on the Notice of Action
- Fair hearing before DHS Office of Appeals and Hearings (OAH)
KEY AGENCIES & RESOURCES
NOTABLE WAIVERS
Community and Employment Supports (CES) Waiver
SourceChildren and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Waitlist: Multi-year waitlist; recent funding rounds have pulled thousands off — keep contact info current.
ARChoices in Homecare
SourceAdults with physical disabilities and seniors.
Waitlist: Apply through DHS; functional assessment determines hours.
TEFRA (Katie Beckett) Medicaid
SourceChildren with disabilities; only the child's income counts.
Waitlist: No waitlist; premium based on family income.
Full milestone guide
View the Arkansas Roadmap →
Six age-based stages — state-correct programs, benefits, and milestones from birth through adulthood.
