Arkansas
Residential care facilities provide room, board and 24-hour supervision to independently mobile adults who do not need nursing home care. RCF residents must be able to take their own medications, and RCFs may not provide nursing services. Assisted living facilities must be licensed when they provide assisted living services to more than three unrelated adults. Level I serves residents who are not medically eligible for nursing home care, while Level II may serve nursing-home-eligible or Medicaid waiver residents and provide limited nursing services with RN/LPN staff.
License categories
Residential care facilityAssisted living facility Level IAssisted living facility Level II
Key laws
20 CAR Part 401
Rules for the Licensure of Residential Long-Term Care Facilities — official text
20 CAR Part 410
Rules for Assisted Living Facilities Level I — official text
20 CAR Part 411
Rules for Assisted Living Facilities Level II — official text
Key requirements
- Full-time administrator (21+, high school diploma/GED) holding state-approved administrator certification
- Criminal record checks for employees under Ark. Code Ann. ยง 20-33-201 et seq. and Adult Maltreatment Registry checks
- ALF staff orientation within 7 days of hire, medication-assistance training within 30 days, and at least 6 hours of annual in-service for direct care staff
- ALF Level II must employ or contract with an RN and use LPNs for nursing services
Sources
- https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/provider-services-quality-assurance/office-of-long-term-care/
- https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Assisted-Living-Facilities-Level-1_01012024_.pdf
- https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Assisted-Living-Facilities-Level-2.pdf
- https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/DPSQA_Rules-for-the-Licensure-of-Residential-Long-Term-Care-Facilities_01012020.pdf
- https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=part&titleID=20&chapterID=38&subChapterID=50&partID=473&subPartID=null§ionID=null
- https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=part&titleID=20&chapterID=38&subChapterID=50&partID=1288&subPartID=null§ionID=null
- https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=20&chapterID=38&subChapterID=50&partID=1288&subPartID=8132§ionID=53583
- https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=20&chapterID=98&subChapterID=129&partID=470&subPartID=4098§ionID=25362