Arkansas certificate of need
Arkansas has a certificate of need program, run by Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency (under the Arkansas Department of Health), directed by the Health Services Permit Commission. It covers 7 kinds of services, listed below.
- CON program
- Yes
- Services covered
- 7
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Arkansas CON program
Arkansas has a certificate of need program, run by Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency (under the Arkansas Department of Health), directed by the Health Services Permit Commission. It covers 7 kinds of services, listed below.
- CON program
- Yes
- Program
- Permit of Approval (POA)
- Application fee
- $3,000 review fee per POA application (raised from $1,500 in 2012).
- Review timeline
- The agency approves or denies within 90 days after an application is deemed complete; applications are filed on a batching schedule. Agency decisions become final after 30 days unless appealed; the Commission hears appeals within 90 days and rules within 15 days of the hearing.
- Moratoria
- New permits are under moratorium for ICF/IID (since 1987; data table dates it to 03/1994), residential care facilities (since 2005, except replacement RCFs of 16 beds or fewer) and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (since 2008), per the agency's SFY 2024 annual report.
- Recent changes
- Arkansas abolished its original 1975 CON law in 1987 and replaced it with the Permit of Approval program, which reviews long-term care and home-based services rather than hospitals. Act 1800 of 2001 renamed the agency and let it decide applications in the first instance.
- Statute
- Ark. Code Ann. §20-8-101 et seq. (Act 593 of 1987, as amended; Act 1800 of 2001)
Services that need a certificate of need
- nursing facilities
- assisted living facilities
- residential care facilities
- home health agencies
- hospice agencies and hospice facilities
- ICF/IID
- psychiatric residential treatment facilities
Frequently asked questions
Does Arkansas have a certificate of need law?
Arkansas has a certificate of need program, run by Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency (under the Arkansas Department of Health), directed by the Health Services Permit Commission. It covers 7 kinds of services, listed below.
How long does a Arkansas CON review take?
The agency approves or denies within 90 days after an application is deemed complete; applications are filed on a batching schedule. Agency decisions become final after 30 days unless appealed; the Commission hears appeals within 90 days and rules within 15 days of the hearing.
How much is a Arkansas CON application?
$3,000 review fee per POA application (raised from $1,500 in 2012).