Assisted Living in Arkansas: A Family Guide
What assisted living is called in Arkansas, what it costs, how Medicaid can help, how to check a community’s license and inspections, and who to call if something goes wrong. Every fact links to the official source.
- Licensed by
- Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA), Office of Long Term Care (OLTC)1
- Licensed communities on Lilisity
- 130 assisted living
- Medicaid help
- Yes: Living Choices (assisted living services in Level II assisted living facilities)2
- Typical cost
- $4,637 a month (state median, CareScout 2025)
- File a complaint
- 1-800-582-48873
What assisted living is called in Arkansas
- Assisted Living Facility, Level I (ALF I)Arkansas's Level I assisted living license.1
- Assisted Living Facility, Level II (ALF II)Arkansas's Level II assisted living license. Medicaid can help pay for assisted living services in Level II facilities.1
- Residential Care Facility (RCF)Another residential long-term care setting licensed by DPSQA.1
What assisted living costs in Arkansas
The median cost of assisted living in Arkansas is $4,637 a month, below the national median of $6,200 (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, collected July to November 2025). Prices vary with the apartment, the level of care and the community, so ask each one for its current rate sheet, including care-level fees.
If more care is needed later: nursing home costs in Arkansas, with CareScout medians and the private-pay rates Arkansas nursing homes publish.
Plan with our free tools: how long will the money last? and home care or assisted living?
Paying for assisted living in Arkansas
Medicare does not pay for assisted living. Families pay from savings and income, long-term care insurance, or benefits such as VA Aid and Attendance (estimate it). Who actually pays for long-term care.
Medicaid. Arkansas Medicaid can pay for assisted living services in Level II assisted living facilities through the Living Choices program. You must be 65 or older, or 21 to 64 with a physical disability, meet financial rules, and need an intermediate (not skilled) level of care. Program: Living Choices (assisted living services in Level II assisted living facilities).2 Medicaid does not pay rent or meals in assisted living in any state, and not every community accepts it, so ask each one.
How to check a community in Arkansas
Look up a license. DHS has a county map for finding long-term care facilities by name and county. DPSQA also posts Freedom of Choice lists and printable provider reports by county. Search Arkansas’s records.4
Always visit in person, at a mealtime or in the evening if you can. Bring the tour scorecard and the 8 tour questions.
If something goes wrong
Complaints about care or conditions. The Office of Long Term Care investigates complaints against facilities, including abuse, neglect, theft of residents' property and poor care. You can file by phone, fax, email, letter or the Provider Portal, and you don't have to give your name. Call 1-800-582-4887 or file online.3
Abuse, neglect or exploitation. Call 1-800-482-8049. How to report.5 If someone is in danger, call 911.
The long-term care ombudsman is a free advocate for residents of assisted living and nursing homes: they help resolve problems with a community, including move-out notices. find your local ombudsman.6
Find assisted living in Arkansas
Assisted living by city
Every community and county in Arkansas
Common questions
Arkansas Medicaid can pay for assisted living services in Level II assisted living facilities through the Living Choices program. You must be 65 or older, or 21 to 64 with a physical disability, meet financial rules, and need an intermediate (not skilled) level of care. Medicaid does not pay rent or meals in assisted living.
The median is $4,637 a month (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025), compared with $6,200 nationally.
Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA), Office of Long Term Care (OLTC).
The Office of Long Term Care investigates complaints against facilities, including abuse, neglect, theft of residents' property and poor care. You can file by phone, fax, email, letter or the Provider Portal, and you don't have to give your name. Phone: 1-800-582-4887.
DHS has a county map for finding long-term care facilities by name and county. DPSQA also posts Freedom of Choice lists and printable provider reports by county.
Sources
- Licensing agency, license types (humanservices.arkansas.gov)
- Medicaid (humanservices.arkansas.gov)
- Complaints (humanservices.arkansas.gov)
- License lookup (humanservices.arkansas.gov)
- Reporting abuse (humanservices.arkansas.gov)
- Ombudsman (arombudsman.com)
- CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (state medians)
Facts checked against these official sources on September 28, 2026. Rules and programs change; confirm with the agency before making a decision. General information, not legal or financial advice.
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