Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Human Services announced on Tuesday morning a new $17 million framework to provide supportive living services to more than 2,400 families currently on the state’s disability waiver waitlist.
The initiative aims to expand in-home care access for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the state’s PASSE program starting by January 2027. Read more below.
Under the plan unveiled in Dardanelle by Governor Sanders and DHS Secretary Janet Mann, the state will begin work to offer supportive living services to every eligible individual on the Community and Employment Support (CES) Waiver waiting list.
Families on the waitlist are automatically enrolled in the Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE) system, which will coordinate the expanded coverage.
“In my conversations with families enrolled in the CES waiver or on the CES waitlist, one request came up again and again: supportive living services for their loved ones. Today, we’re announcing a plan to provide those services to every eligible Arkansan, whether they’re enrolled in the CES waiver or not,” Governor Sanders said.
Currently, individuals on the CES Waiver waitlist can access 25 of the 29 services offered to fully enrolled waiver recipients, including various medical supplies, therapies, and specialized care coordination. However, supportive living—which funds direct in-home care so individuals can remain safely in their homes rather than moving into institutional facilities—has remained unavailable to those waiting for a full waiver slot.
The CES Waiver program currently has a maximum enrollment cap of 8,233 individuals and a waitlist of 2,464 Arkansans. State officials estimate that extending supportive living coverage to everyone on the waitlist will require approximately $17 million in funding. The Sanders administration notes that it plans to work with the Arkansas Legislature to secure both short-term and long-term funding mechanisms.
DHS expects PASSE organizations to begin delivering supportive living services to waitlist families by January 2027 at the latest. The state also intends to incorporate the change into its formal CES Waiver renewal application in February 2027 to ensure permanent federal approval when the new waiver takes effect in August 2027.
The policy update addresses long-standing concerns raised by disability rights advocates and family organizations. According to press statements from advocacy group Arkansas CES Waiver Families United, caregivers across the state have faced years-long delays for essential in-home assistance, creating severe physical and financial strain on families.
Furthermore, recent reporting by KUAF Public Radio highlighted a state-commissioned Department of Human Services rate study showing that reimbursement rates for supported living providers have lagged 23 percent below actual care costs, exacerbating workforce shortages among direct support professionals.
“We recognize the powerful impact that waiver services like supportive living have on families, and we are excited to develop a way to increase the availability of this critical support,” DHS Secretary Janet Mann said.
“We’ve been moved by the stories we’ve heard from families on the waitlist, and we look forward to making this change as expeditiously as possible.”
Arkansas residents may apply for public services by visiting https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/apply-for-services/.
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