Living Choices is the assisted-living alternative
DHS describes Living Choices as an assisted-living program intended as an alternative to institutional care. It says residents can receive help with bathing, toileting, eating, drinking, medication assistance, social activities, and other supports in an assisted-living setting (DHS Living Choices).
Living Choices uses the same broad age, disability, financial, intermediate-level-of-care, and service-need criteria DHS states for the program. DHS directs people to a local county office or the Choices in Living Resource Center to explore the application route (DHS Living Choices).
Functional classification is a gating issue
DHS policy states that ARChoices and Living Choices participants must be classified as needing an Intermediate I-A, II-B, or III-C level of care, and that people classified as requiring Skilled Care are not eligible for those waiver programs. The Office of Long-Term Care makes the classification described in the policy (DHS Medical Services Policy Manual, F-155).
The 2026 DHS chart places ARChoices and Assisted Living alongside nursing-facility coverage for a $2,982 individual income limit and $2,000 individual resource limit, with a $3,000 couple resource limit. Program-specific functional and other rules still apply beyond those financial figures (DHS 2026 Medicaid Quick Reference Chart).
Waitlist information needs live confirmation
The current DHS ARChoices and Living Choices consumer pages and the CMS waiver factsheet reviewed for this page do not state a current waitlist, enrollment cap, or available-slot count. That absence is not proof of immediate enrollment; ask DHS or the Choices in Living Resource Center about live capacity and assessment timing (DHS ARChoices in Homecare; DHS Living Choices; CMS Arkansas waiver factsheet).
ARChoices: in-home HCBS for eligible older adults and adults with physical disabilities.
Living Choices: assisted-living alternative.
Both: financial criteria plus intermediate nursing-home level of care (
DHS ARChoices).
Plan for the setting you actually need
Home-care planning needs a service plan, caregiver reality check, and current capacity inquiry in addition to a Medicaid financial screen. A person who needs Skilled Care may need a different pathway from the ARChoices or Living Choices route.
Not mutually exclusive. Most families combine two or three funding pillars — this one rarely stands alone.
The
Journey Assessment ranks all ten pillars against your specific situation and
recommends the top three.
