Does Arkansas Medicaid pay for assisted living?
Yes, for the care part. In Arkansas, Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver can pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are generally paid by the resident. There can be a waitlist.
Arkansas · checked September 2026
Senior care help in Arkansas
How Arkansas helps pay for long-term care, who to call when you need help or something's wrong, and how to check a facility before you sign.
The first question
Is there public help paying for assisted living in Arkansas?
Yes, for the care. Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver helps pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are usually still paid by the resident, often from Social Security. There can be a waitlist, so ask to be screened early, before savings run out.
Paying for senior care in Arkansas
Arkansas's Medicaid rules for long-term care, and the programs that pay for care outside a nursing home.
Monthly income limit
$2,982
2026
Limit for nursing home, assisted living (Living Choices), ARChoices and PACE. Every applicant is counted as an individual for income. People with income above the limit may qualify by setting up an Income Trust (Miller trust).
Asset limit (single person)
$2,000
2026
$3,000 for a couple. When one spouse needs care, the spouse at home may keep up to $162,660 of resources based on a formula.
If income is over the limit
Arkansas uses a hard income cap. People over it can still qualify by putting the extra income into a Qualified Income Trust (a "Miller trust") each month.
Apply for Arkansas Medicaid
Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS)
Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver
Can pay in assisted livingMedicaid pays for personal care, medication oversight, limited nursing and activities in a Level II assisted living facility for people 65+ (or 21 to 64 with a physical disability) who need nursing home level care. Your parent pays room and board themselves.
Waitlist: Sometimes. Slots are first come, first served. When all slots are full a waiting list is used, with priority for people leaving a nursing home or already living in assisted living for six months.
ARChoices in Homecare
Not for assisted livingMedicaid help at home for people 65+ (or 21 to 64 with a physical disability) who need nursing home level care: attendant care, adult day, home-delivered meals, respite, emergency response buttons and home changes. Apply through Access Arkansas.
Waitlist: The DHS fact sheet does not say whether there is a waitlist.
IndependentChoices (self-direction)
A self-directed option where your parent recruits, hires, trains and supervises their own in-home care worker instead of using an agency.
PACE (all-inclusive care for 55+)
PACE provides all medical and long-term care for people 55+ who need nursing-home-level care but can live in the community. Programs in Arkansas:
- Baptist Health PACE, North Little Rock area
- PACE (Northeast Arkansas), Select Northeast Arkansas counties 1-855-207-7500
- PACE (Central Arkansas), Select Central Arkansas counties 501-376-8852
Who to call in Arkansas
Free, and on your side. Start with the aging office if you don't know where to begin.
Arkansas DHS Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS)
Start hereThe state's aging office and its local agencies explain your options, screen for programs and help with applications.
Report abuse, neglect or exploitation
Adult protective servicesYou don't need proof to report. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)
Unbiased Medicare help from counselors who don't sell anything: plans, bills, appeals, and programs that lower costs.
Senior Medicare Patrol
Help spotting and reporting Medicare fraud, billing errors and scams.
How to check a Arkansas assisted living or nursing home
In Arkansas, assisted living is licensed as: Assisted Living Facility (Level I and Level II). Read inspection reports before you sign anything.
Arkansas DHS Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance, Office of Long Term Care (OLTC)
Look up any licensed community and read its inspection reports online.
Nursing homes
Medicare rates every nursing home on staffing, inspections and quality, with full inspection reports.
Arkansas veterans homes and benefits
State veterans homes are often far cheaper than private care for eligible veterans and, in many states, their spouses.
Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA)
Free legal help and paperwork in Arkansas
Legal Aid of Arkansas Helpline
Free legal help for older adults on issues like benefits, housing, powers of attorney and elder abuse.
Documents and forms
Arkansas help for caregivers and people with dementia
Can a family member be paid to provide care?
Arkansas has a self-directed option, IndependentChoices, where the person receiving care hires and supervises their own worker. Ask the Choices in Living Resource Center at 1-866-801-3435 whether a family member or spouse can be the paid worker.
Arkansas Lifespan Respite
Offers respite vouchers so family caregivers can take a planned or emergency break, plus a registry of respite workers.
Choices in Living Resource Center
The state's Aging and Disability Resource Center. Call for help understanding long-term care options, Medicaid programs and caregiver support. Open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Families and Dementia (DHS Adult Protective Services)
A DHS information page for families caring for someone with dementia.
Arkansas senior care questions
What is the Medicaid asset limit in Arkansas?
$2,000 for a single person (2026). $3,000 for a couple. When one spouse needs care, the spouse at home may keep up to $162,660 of resources based on a formula.
National help that works in Arkansas too
Senior living in Arkansas cities
Senior care guides for other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Researched from 39 sources, official pages first. Last checked .