How to start an IDD waiver provider in Arkansas

Arkansas requires a DDS CES Waiver provider certification (or Community Support System Provider (CSSP) certification) from Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) to operate an IDD waiver provider. Processing time: DDS says review and approval of an application may take up to 90 days.

License required

Yes

License

DDS CES Waiver provider certification (or Community Support System Provider (CSSP) certification)

Issuing agency

Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS)

Processing time

DDS says review and approval of an application may take up to 90 days.

Regulation

DDS Certification Standards for Waiver Services; CES Waiver Medicaid Provider Manual

1. Decide which CES Waiver services to offer, directly or through subcontracts with certified providers, and which counties and how many people you will serve
2. Study the DDS Certification Standards for Waiver Services and the CES waiver document
3. Complete the Waiver Service Provider Application with policies and service descriptions showing how you will meet the standards
4. Mail the application and requested documents to DDS (P.O. Box 1437, Slot N-203, Little Rock)
5. After DDS certification, enroll with the Division of Medical Services as an Arkansas Medicaid provider

Program

Arkansas Medicaid

Enrollment portal

Arkansas Medicaid Health Care Provider Portal (MMIS provider enrollment)

Fiscal agent

Gainwell Technologies (Medicaid Provider Enrollment Unit for the Division of Medical Services)

Application fee

Arkansas collects the fee only from the provider types on its ACA-fee list; it is payable once every five years. Individual practitioners and groups of individual practitioners (physician, dental, therapy groups) do not pay, nor do providers that already paid Medicare or another state's Medicaid. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.

Fingerprinting

Arkansas requires fingerprint checks for all high-risk providers and their 5%+ owners (provider manual section 141.103) and notifies applicants by letter with instructions. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Site visit

Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.

Revalidation

Arkansas requires all providers to revalidate every five years; the portal mails notices ahead of the due date and the state asks for revalidations at least 60 days early. Licenses and certifications must also be resubmitted each year. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.

Full Arkansas Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Permit of Approval (POA)

Agency

Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency (under the Arkansas Department of Health), directed by the Health Services Permit Commission

Services covered

• nursing facilities
• assisted living facilities
• residential care facilities
• home health agencies
• hospice agencies and hospice facilities
• ICF/IID
• psychiatric residential treatment facilities

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.

Arkansas certificate of need details →

Model

hybrid

State vendor

Fiserv AuthentiCare (personal care); Sandata (home health)

Services in scope

• personal care
• attendant care
• respite
• home health

Alternate EVV allowed

Yes

Program

https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/medical-services/evv-info/

Arkansas EVV requirements →

State minimum wage

$11.00 an hour

Effective

2021-01-01

Scheduled increases

No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Intellectual/developmental disability residential facilities — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

55 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

773,838 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Arkansas IDD / waiver Medicaid rates, ranked →

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• Community and Employment Support Waiver (1915(c))
• Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver (1915(c))

Arkansas waivers and waiting lists →