Getting paid to care for a parent in Arkansas

One or more details on this page could not be fully confirmed against official sources at publish time — confirm specifics with the agency below.

Who can be the paid caregiver

Adult children, siblings, other relatives, and friends — anyone 18+, able to do the job, who passes Adult/Child Maltreatment Registry checks. The person needing care (or their representative) hires and supervises the caregiver as an employer; a fiscal agent runs payroll. Excluded: anyone "legally responsible" for the person — spouse, court-appointed legal guardian — plus anyone acting as power of attorney or income payee for the person.

The spouse question

No. Arkansas explicitly bars spouses from being the paid IndependentChoices caregiver (DHS provider manual: "A court appointed legal guardian, spouse, power of attorney or income payee may not serve as a caregiver/employee"). This also means an adult child holding POA for a parent needs to check that role carefully before enrolling as the paid caregiver. Spouses of veterans CAN be paid through VA programs (PCAFC, Veteran-Directed Care) — that is the main workaround for married couples.

Waitlist reality

Two doors, two answers. Door 1 — State Plan Personal Care: an entitlement, no waitlist, but the strictest money rules (income around $1,043/month single, 2026) and capped at ~14.75 hrs/week. Door 2 — ARChoices in Homecare waiver: higher income limit ($2,982/month single, 2026) and more hours, but NOT an entitlement — roughly 11,500 slots per year, and a waiting list forms when slots fill. Arkansas has had ARChoices waitlists and allocation disputes in past years; ask DHS directly where the list stands when you apply. IndependentChoices itself adds no separate waitlist — it rides on whichever program the parent qualifies for.

Other doors in Arkansas

Wartime veteran or surviving spouse in the family? VA Aid & Attendance stacks on top of state programs — see the national guide.

How to apply — step by step

1. 1. Call the Choices in Living Resource Center at 1-866-801-3435 (Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00, choices.in.living@dhs.arkansas.gov) — this is DHS's front door for ARChoices, Personal Care, and IndependentChoices. Say you want home care with self-direction so a family member can be the paid caregiver.
2. 2. Apply for Medicaid long-term services and supports online at access.arkansas.gov, at your parent's local DHS county office, or by phone at 1-800-482-8988. Expect the eligibility decision to take up to 3 months.
3. 3. A DHS-arranged independent nurse assessment determines whether your parent meets nursing-facility level of care (for ARChoices) or needs hands-on help with daily activities (for Personal Care), and sets the authorized hours/budget.
4. 4. Choose IndependentChoices as the service option. An IndependentChoices counselor helps build the Cash Expenditure Plan (the monthly allowance budget).
5. 5. The parent (or representative) formally hires the family caregiver: age 18+, registry background checks, employment paperwork through the program's fiscal agent, which then runs payroll from the monthly allowance. Visits are logged through electronic visit verification (EVV).

Where to start: Choices in Living Resource Center (Arkansas DHS ADRC): 1-866-801-3435, choices.in.living@dhs.arkansas.gov — humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/aging-adult-behavioral-health-services/choices-in-living-resource-center/. Medicaid application: access.arkansas.gov or 1-800-482-8988.

Do it yourself vs. get help

Free, accredited help first, always: your Area Agency on Aging (eldercare.acl.gov) walks families through these applications at no charge, and your county Veterans Service Officer files VA claims free. Where Resbit fits: if you're working a job and don't have hours for hold music, Resbit finds what your family qualifies for, fills out the paperwork down to the signature line, and does the chasing — flat $49/month, and the screener that starts it is free.