State Policy · AR
Arkansas Expands Medicaid Waiver Services to Children on Disability Waitlist
Arkansas will provide supportive living services to over 2,400 children with disabilities currently on the waitlist for the Community and Employment Services Medicaid waiver, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced September 15, 2026. The state's four PASSE managed care plans must begin offering in-home care services to waitlist families by January 2027 at the latest, at an estimated cost of $17 million. The change responds to sustained public advocacy from families whose children receive coverage through Arkansas's PASSE managed care program but lack access to supportive living services available to waiver enrollees. Arkansas will incorporate the expansion into its federal waiver renewal request next year.
Why it mattersArkansas is extending high-cost LTSS benefits to Medicaid managed care enrollees not formally on the waiver, creating immediate capitation and actuarial implications for the state's four PASSE plans and requiring federal waiver amendment approval.
Also covered by:arkansasadvocate.com