Find your path forward

Adult Developmental Day Treatment (ADDT)

Medicaid day program for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities: assessments, supervised living skills, and educational services.

Financial Aid

AR ABLE Accounts

Tax-advantaged savings account for people with disabilities that doesn't count against SSI (up to $100,000) or Medicaid. Since Jan 1, 2026, disability must have begun before age 46 (was 26).

AR HIPP (Health Insurance Premium Payment)

If someone in your family has Medicaid and you can get health insurance through a job or COBRA, Medicaid may pay the premiums — and sometimes deductibles and copays. They keep Medicaid as backup coverage.

ARChoices in Homecare Waiver

Medicaid waiver for adults 21-64 with physical disabilities and people 65+ who need nursing-home level care but want to stay at home.

ARHOME (adult Medicaid expansion)

Health coverage for low-income adults 19-64, including adults with disabilities and family caregivers who don't qualify through another category.

Helplines & Guides

Arkansas 211

Free, confidential, 24/7 helpline and searchable directory of 19,000+ local resources: food, housing, utilities, health programs, support groups.

Arkansas Autism Resource & Outreach Center (AAROC)

Free information, referral, training and navigation help for families of children with autism, including school and services paperwork.

Arkansas Disability Coalition (Family-to-Family Health Information Center)

Statewide family-led support for all disabilities; runs Arkansas's Family-to-Family Health Information Center for families of children with special health care needs.

Helplines & Guides

Arkansas Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities

Publishes plain-language guides (PASSE, ABLE, guardianship alternatives) and funds advocacy projects for Arkansans with developmental disabilities.

Arkansas Lifespan Respite Voucher Program

Reimbursement vouchers (up to $300/quarter, $1,200/year) so family caregivers can pay a respite provider of their choice.

Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind (ARDB)

State school serving deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind and visually impaired students ages 3-21, plus statewide outreach services (including for families of babies 0-3).

Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission

Free lifelong case management for Arkansans of any age with spinal cord disabilities, plus possible financial help for disability-related equipment or services.

Family SupportNorthwest Arkansas

Arkansas Support Network (ASN)

Family-founded provider of supported living, personal care, supported employment and a flexible Family Support Program for people with developmental disabilities.

Tax Credits

Arkansas Tax Credit for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

$500 state income tax credit per dependent with a developmental disability, on top of the regular dependent credit.

Arkansas Transition Services (school-to-adult planning)

Supports transition planning for students with IEPs. Transition goals must be in the IEP that is in effect when the student turns 16 (earlier if the team decides).

ARKids First (A and B)

Arkansas Medicaid/CHIP health coverage for children under 19 based on family income. ARKids A is free full Medicaid; ARKids B is lower-cost coverage with small copays for somewhat higher incomes.

Autism Waiver (intensive early intervention)

Medicaid waiver providing up to 3 years of intensive, one-on-one autism intervention for young children. Child must enroll by age 5 and services end by age 8.

CES Waiver (Community and Employment Supports)

Medicaid home- and community-based waiver for people of any age with intellectual or developmental disabilities, providing supports like respite, supportive living, and supported employment. There is a long waitlist.

Children's Special Services (CSS) / Title V

Care coordination for children and youth (birth-21) with special health care needs, plus limited Title V financial help for SSI and TEFRA children.

Helplines & Guides

Choices in Living Resource Center (Aging and Disability Resource Center)

State helpline for long-term services and supports for adults with disabilities and seniors: ARChoices, IndependentChoices, Workers with Disabilities, and more.

Dennis Developmental Center (UAMS / Arkansas Children's) and Schmieding Developmental Center

Multidisciplinary developmental and autism diagnostic evaluations for children birth-21. Dennis is in Little Rock; Schmieding is in Springdale.

Transportation

Disability Parking Placard / License Plate

Accessible parking placard for people with qualifying disabilities (including children). Permanent placards are free and valid 4 years.

Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA)

Free legal advocacy for Arkansans with disabilities: information and referral, short-term help, legal representation, including special education and benefits issues.

Disabled Adult Child (DAC) Medicaid

Keeps Medicaid for adults disabled before 22 who lost SSI because they started receiving (or got an increase in) Social Security child benefits on a parent's record.

Work & Independence

Division of Services for the Blind (DSB)

Vocational rehabilitation, transition, and independent-living services for Arkansans who are blind or visually impaired, including older individuals.

Early Childhood Special Education (ages 3-5)

Free special education and related services (IDEA Part B) for preschoolers with disabilities, provided through the local school district or area education cooperative.

Early Childhood

Early Intervention Day Treatment (EIDT)

Medicaid-funded developmental day program for young children with delays: therapies and developmental services in a licensed pediatric clinic setting. The most-used service among TEFRA children.

Easterseals Arkansas

Developmental preschools (Little Rock, Stuttgart), pediatric speech/OT/PT, and adult job training and skills programs.

Education Freedom Accounts (EFA)

State-funded accounts for private school or homeschool expenses. It absorbed the former Succeed Scholarship for students with disabilities.

Early Childhood

First Connections (Early Intervention, Part C)

Free early intervention for infants and toddlers (birth to 3) with developmental delays or disabilities. Anyone, including parents, can refer.

Guardianship and Alternatives (incl. Supported Decision-Making)

At 18, parents lose legal decision-making authority. Arkansas options range from supported decision-making agreements (law passed 2021) and powers of attorney to limited or full guardianship through probate court.

Human Development Centers (state ICF/IID)

State-run residential facilities (e.g., Conway, Booneville) for people with intellectual disabilities needing intensive, 24-hour support.

Equipment & Technology

iCAN (Increasing Capabilities Access Network) - Assistive Technology

Statewide assistive technology program: free device loans, demonstrations, and a reuse program for refurbished durable medical equipment and AT, open to any Arkansan.

IndependentChoices (self-directed personal care)

Lets Medicaid adults (18+) who get personal care or ARChoices attendant care manage a monthly cash allowance and hire their own caregiver, including certain relatives.

Legal Aid of Arkansas / Center for Arkansas Legal Services

Free civil legal help for eligible low-income Arkansans, including public benefits (Medicaid, SSI, SNAP), disability rights, and guardianship.

Medicaid ABA Therapy (EPSDT)

Applied behavior analysis therapy for Medicaid-enrolled children and youth with autism, ages 18 months to 21.

Transportation

Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation (NET)

Free rides to Medicaid-covered medical appointments, scheduled through your region's broker.

Medicaid Personal Care and Private Duty Nursing (children)

In-home help with daily activities (personal care) and in-home nursing for children with high medical needs (private duty nursing), for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21.

Medicare Savings Programs (ARSeniors, QMB, SMB, QI-1, QDWI)

Helps people on Medicare (including those on SSDI) pay Medicare premiums, deductibles and copays; ARSeniors gives full Medicaid to people 65+.

PASSE (Provider-led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity)

Medicaid managed-care system for people with IDD or complex behavioral health needs. Not a separate eligibility category; it's how your Medicaid services are coordinated, with an assigned care coordinator and person-centered service plan.

Work & Independence

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Job exploration, work-based learning and work-readiness training for high school students with an IEP or 504 plan, ages 14-22.

Special Education and IEPs (K-12, through age 21)

Public schools must evaluate and provide a free appropriate public education, with an IEP, for eligible students with disabilities ages 3-21.

Special Education Dispute Resolution

Free options when you disagree with the school: IEP facilitation, mediation, state complaints, and due process hearings.

Financial Aid

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Monthly cash benefit for children and adults with disabilities (and people 65+) who have limited income and resources. In Arkansas, SSI recipients automatically receive full Medicaid.

Supportive Living for CES Waitlist Families (new, 2027)

Announced September 2026: people on the CES Waiver waitlist who are enrolled in a PASSE will be able to get in-home supportive living services, starting no later than January 2027.

TEFRA (Medicaid for children with disabilities)

Full Medicaid for children 18 and under with significant disabilities who live at home, regardless of parent income. Families above $25,000/yr (and 150% FPL) pay a sliding-scale monthly premium.

The Center for Exceptional Families (Parent Training and Information Center)

Free help for parents of children with disabilities: understanding IEPs and special education rights, county parent mentors, and transition support for youth 14-26.

Workers with Disabilities Medicaid

Full Medicaid for working adults (16-64) with disabilities, with no limit on earnings and no resource limit. Lets people work without losing health coverage.