Arkansas plans to offer supportive living services, which pay for in-home care, to the 2,464 people waiting for its Community and Employment Support (CES) Waiver, at an estimated cost of about $17 million. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the state Department of Human Services announced the plan on Sept. 15, 2026.
Who is on the waitlist
The CES Waiver serves Arkansans of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has room for 8,233 people. People on the waitlist are already enrolled in the state's PASSE managed care plans and can get 25 of the waiver's 29 services. Supportive living is the one families ask for most.
Timeline and cost
The state says it will talk with legislators about how to pay for the service. The PASSE plans are expected to start offering it by January 2027 at the latest. Arkansas also plans to add the change to its waiver renewal next February, to take effect when the renewed waiver starts in August. The move followed months of public advocacy by parents, many of them caring for children with complex needs.
Why this matters for providers and DSPs
If this moves forward, Arkansas providers will need more supportive living staff, often for people with complex needs who have been waiting a long time. Reporting from the Arkansas Advocate points out that much of this care is now provided by parents, and one mother said her paid caregiver rate recently dropped from $14 to $11 an hour. Agencies should watch for PASSE rate and authorization details before they plan hiring.