Arkansas Medicaid: Eligibility, How to Apply, and Appeals

Arkansas Medicaid eligibility depends on which of several programs fits your household. Adults aged 19 through 64 qualify for ARHOME with income up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level — roughly $22,025 a year for one person or $45,540 for a family of four in 2026.¹² Children can qualify with household income up to 211% FPL, pregnant women up to 209% FPL, and people 65 or older, blind, or disabled through separate programs that also apply an asset test.³ The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) runs every program, and one application covers the whole household.

Adults 19 to 64: ARHOME

The Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) program is the state’s Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. It covers non-disabled adults aged 19 through 64 whose household income is at or below 138% FPL and who don’t qualify for traditional Medicaid.¹ There’s no asset test.

Rather than putting enrollees in traditional Medicaid managed care, DHS uses federal funds to buy them a private Qualified Health Plan through the state marketplace.¹ You’d be seeing the same provider networks as people with employer coverage. DHS pays the plan directly, so you aren’t billed a monthly premium. Copayments apply to some services above 20% FPL, but they’re capped each quarter based on income.⁴

Children Under 19: ARKids First

ARKids has two tiers, neither with an asset limit:³

ARKids A provides full Medicaid coverage for children in households up to 142% FPL.
ARKids B extends coverage up to 211% FPL, with copayments on some services.

For a family of three in 2026, 142% FPL is about $38,795 and 211% FPL is roughly $57,645.² A 5% income disregard may apply if the child has existing insurance, effectively raising the thresholds to 147% and 216% FPL.³

Both tiers include 12 months of continuous eligibility, so a child’s coverage stays active for the year even if household income rises above the limit mid-year.⁵ Retroactive coverage can also reach back up to three months before the application date, which sometimes picks up bills incurred before you applied.³

Pregnant Women

Pregnancy-related Medicaid is available with household income up to 209% FPL, plus a 5% disregard that raises the effective threshold to 214% FPL.³ There’s no asset test. Coverage includes prenatal care, delivery, postpartum services, and treatment for conditions that complicate the pregnancy.⁶

One limit matters up front: Arkansas ends pregnancy-related coverage at the end of the month containing the 60th postpartum day.⁶ Most states have extended postpartum coverage to a full 12 months; Arkansas has not as of early 2026. If your income qualifies for ARHOME, you’ll need to transition into that program to avoid a gap.

Seniors, Blind, or Disabled

Traditional Medicaid for people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled applies both an income test and an asset test. Countable assets are capped at $2,000 for one person or $3,000 for a couple.³ Your home, one vehicle, burial spaces, and irrevocable burial arrangements are excluded. Cash, bank balances, stocks, bonds, additional vehicles, and life insurance with a cash surrender value above $1,500 count.⁷

ARSeniors

ARSeniors provides full Medicaid benefits to people 65 or older with income at or below $1,004 per month (single) or $1,362.67 (couple) and resources at or below $9,660 (individual) or $14,470 (couple).³ Retroactive coverage can go back three months.

Medicare Savings Programs

If you have Medicare and are 65 or older, blind, or disabled, a Medicare Savings Program can help pay Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copays. QMB covers the most costs but has the lowest income limit ($1,255 per month for an individual). QI-1 covers only the Part B premium but allows income up to $1,694.25 per month.³

ARChoices

Adults 21 through 64 with a physical disability and seniors 65 or older may qualify for ARChoices in Homecare, a waiver that provides in-home services instead of nursing facility care. You must meet the financial criteria, need at least one covered service, and meet the nursing-home level of care standard.⁸

Over the Income Limit With High Medical Bills

The medically needy spend-down program lets you subtract unpaid medical bills from your income to get under the eligibility threshold. The base income limit is very low — $108.33 per month for a single person — so it mainly helps people whose medical costs are large relative to income.³ Spend-down coverage is temporary: you must re-enroll every three months, and no coverage period exceeds three months.⁹ Your local DHS county office can tell you whether your bills are high enough to qualify.

How to Apply

One application through DHS covers every family member. You can submit it in any of these ways:¹⁰

Online through the Access Arkansas portal at access.arkansas.gov, which handles Medicaid, ARHOME, ARKids, and other DHS benefits.
By phone at the Access Arkansas Call Center, 1-855-372-1084, or the general customer assistance line, 1-800-482-8988.¹¹
In person at any local DHS county office, or by mailing a paper application to DHS.

Have your Social Security number (or immigration document number) ready, along with employer and income information such as recent pay stubs or W-2s, and policy numbers for any existing health insurance.¹² DHS verifies answers against IRS, Social Security, and Department of Homeland Security records. If something doesn’t match, you’ll be asked for supporting documents, which you can upload through Access Arkansas.

Keeping Coverage After You’re Approved

Every enrollee must complete an annual renewal, called a redetermination. DHS starts the process by contacting you through the mail or the Access Arkansas portal, and you have to return the requested information by the deadline on the notice.

Traditional Medicaid and ARKids First-A enrollees must also report household changes within 10 calendar days. That includes income changes, an address change, someone moving in or out, a birth, or a death.¹³

If your coverage closes because you missed the renewal paperwork, there’s a grace period. Under MAGI-based rules (ARHOME, ARKids, pregnant women), you have 90 days after the closing date to send in the missing information and have coverage reopened without a new application. For long-term services and supports categories, the window is 30 days.¹⁴ Miss both, and you start over with a fresh application.

If You’re Denied

A denial arrives as a Notice of Action explaining the reason. You have 30 calendar days from the date on that letter to request an administrative hearing through the DHS Office of Appeals and Hearings.¹⁵ Miss that deadline and the request is denied automatically.

The appeal must be in writing. After DHS receives it, the office assigns a case number, schedules a hearing, and mails you notice of the time, date, and location at least 13 days out. You can bring a representative, but you must give the office that person’s name and contact information at least 10 business days before the hearing. The same 10-business-day notice applies to interpreter requests. You must appear in person, or by phone if arranged, and if you don’t show up within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, the appeal is treated as abandoned.¹⁶ It can be reopened only if you can show you tried to attend but couldn’t due to circumstances beyond your control.

1
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Summary
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
3
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Health Care Eligibility – Quick Reference
4
Arkansas Insurance Department. Plan Management Frequently Asked Questions – Calendar Year 2026
5
Medicaid.gov. Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP Coverage
6
Legal Information Institute / Cornell Law School. 016.28.22 Ark. Code R. 008 – Expansion of Pregnant Women Medicaid
7
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Quick Reference Medicaid Chart 1.24
8
Arkansas Department of Human Services. ARChoices in Homecare
9
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Frequently Asked Questions
10
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Apply For Services – Health Care, SNAP, and TEA
11
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Hotlines
12
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Household Health Coverage Application
13
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Your Responsibilities
14
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Cover Arkansas – If You Have Lost Health Care Coverage
15
Arkansas Department of Human Services. File an Appeal
16
Department of Human Services (DHS). Appeals and Hearings Procedures