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# Arkansas Plans $17 Million Expansion for Disability Waitlist
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-arkansas-2026-09-23-b/
- Published: 2026-09-23T17:49:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T17:49:51.000Z
- Description: Arkansas is preparing a $17 million expansion of in-home supportive living services for 2,464 people on its disability waiver waitlist, with interim coverage targeted for January 2027 and a permanent waiver change to follow.
- Author: Kenneth R. Deans Jr.
- Tags: Healthcare, Arkansas

Arkansas plans to extend in-home supportive living services to every eligible person on the state’s Community and Employment Support waiver waitlist, a $17 million proposal that would address the service families request most while the state pursues a permanent federal waiver change.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Department of Human Services Secretary Janet Mann announced the framework on Sept. 15\. Under the plan, Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entities, or PASSEs, would begin offering the service by January 2027 at the latest, according to the [governor’s announcement](https://governor.arkansas.gov/news%5Fpost/sanders-announces-framework-to-assist-families-on-ces-waitlist/?ref=theamericanquorum.com). Supportive living pays for in-home assistance that can help people with intellectual or developmental disabilities remain with their families or live independently.

The change would reach a defined but sizable group. The CES waiver is capped at 8,233 participants, while 2,464 people are waiting for full enrollment, [KAIT reported](https://www.kait8.com/2026/09/15/sanders-dhs-announce-plan-expand-supportive-living-services-ces-waitlist/?ref=theamericanquorum.com). Waitlisted residents are automatically enrolled in a PASSE and can use 25 of the waiver’s 29 services. Supportive living is among the four currently unavailable and is the most frequently requested.

The state’s [official waiver overview](https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/developmental-disabilities-services/adult-developmental-day-treatment-services/waiver-services/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) describes the broader program as a Medicaid home- and community-based alternative to institutional care. It includes services tied to daily living, employment and community participation. Adding supportive living before a person receives a full waiver slot would narrow the practical gap between the waitlist and full enrollment, but it would not eliminate the waitlist itself.

Financing remains the immediate policy question. DHS estimated the annual cost at about $17 million, and the administration said it would work with legislators on short- and long-term funding. [Axios reported](https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/09/17/state-plans-home-health-coverage-for-waitlisted-arkansans-with-disabilities?ref=theamericanquorum.com) that the announcement followed sustained pressure from families, including an online petition with more than 2,900 signatures seeking a special legislative session to end the waitlist.

The administration’s timetable has two tracks. The PASSE organizations are expected to launch coverage no later than January, which would provide an interim route to care. Separately, Arkansas plans to include the service in its CES waiver renewal application in February. Officials expect the renewed waiver to take effect in August 2027, making the benefit a permanent part of the program if federal Medicaid authorities approve it.

The plan’s scale is also significant for providers. Serving the full waitlist would require enough qualified in-home workers across urban and rural areas, not only an appropriation. DHS will therefore need to specify payment rates, eligibility checks and how families select or change providers before the January target.

For families, the distinction matters: the proposal promises a specific service on a specific schedule, not immediate placement into every benefit available under the CES waiver. The next measurable steps are a funding agreement with the General Assembly, implementation details from DHS and the PASSEs, and federal approval of the 2027 waiver renewal. Until those pieces are completed, the framework is a commitment rather than an operating benefit.