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Part 505. Community Services Block Grant Rule
Ark. R. 2025-26 (eff. November 1, 2025) provided:
"DO NOT CODIFY. Uncodified language of 20 CAR pt. 505 is amended to read as follows:
"SECTION I – PROGRAM SCOPE OF THE STATE LEAD AGENCY
The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is a place where we tackle big social issues with compassion, courage, respect, integrity, and action. This is not always easy, but the work we do is so important — to our neighbors and people in every community in the state. It matters because we:
• Ensure childcare centers and nursing homes are safe for everyone regardless of income.
• Provide health care and support for eligible Arkansans of all ages and abilities. That means we infuse billions of dollars into communities when we pay local doctors, hospitals, therapists, nursing homes, and others who keep people healthy and thriving.
• Provide a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens and for families or individuals who are facing difficult times and need a little help to get back on their feet.
• Operate the only state-funded psychiatric nursing home for people with specialized long- term care needs, the only state-funded psychiatric hospital for people with acute behavioral health needs, and five (5) facilities that provide ‘round-the-clock support and care for residents with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Oversee the state’s public mental health system, helping thousands of people access
critical care each year.
• Serve, protect, empower, educate, and encourage children, at-risk youth, families, adults, aging adults and seniors, and people with disabilities so they move toward a better future, and so much more.
Whether our employees are processing applications, answering phones, conducting investigations, crunching numbers, working directly with clients, supporting other staff, or being part of a team to make big policy changes, we know that we could not accomplish our mission without each and every one of them.
We are not just a government agency. We are a tight-knit community of more than seven thousand (7,000) strong. We push each other to be better, to think outside the box to solve problems, and to never be OK with "good enough." Together we improve the quality of life of all Arkansans by protecting the vulnerable, fostering independence, and promoting better health.
We do all of this work through eight (8) divisions and seven (7) support offices headquartered in Little Rock and in eighty (80) offices across the state. There is at least one (1) office in every county.
We Care. We Act. We Change Lives.
The Division of County Operations (DCO) is here to make sure Arkansans who need food assistance, health care, and other services can access help. DCO processes applications for several public assistance programs, including: Health Care (Medicaid), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program. SNAP and TEA beneficiaries can access their benefits through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. In addition, DCO oversees the Community Services Block Grant program, which provides funding to support services to help low-income families become self-sufficient. Services are provided through the fifteen (15) Community Action Agencies in the state. DCO also investigates potential Health Care (Medicaid), SNAP, and TEA beneficiary fraud.
DCO is divided into three (3) focus areas:
• Program and Grant Management– This unit oversees policy related to the programs that DCO administers as well as the training that they receive. In addition, this unit oversees the Community Service Block Grant program and ensures that subgrantee comply with all state and federal regulations.
• Field Operations – This unit is responsible for the day-to-day management of all DHS county offices as well as the employees who process applications for assistance.
• Administrative Support – This unit oversees the units that investigates beneficiary fraud, the client assistance unit, the quality assurance unit, and system support for the Division.
DHS has one or more offices in every county in the State. DCO oversees all eighty (80) of those offices as well as the Access Arkansas Processing Center in Batesville. You can find a list of county offices on our website.
You can apply for Health Care, SNAP, and TEA and manage your benefits by visiting www.Access.Arkansas.gov.
Community Grant Program
Overview
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is an anti-poverty block grant which provides the core funding to more than one thousand (1,000) Eligible Entities across the United States for services that reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency, and revitalize low-income communities.
CSBG funding supports projects that:
• Lessen or eliminate poverty in communities and foster self-sufficiency.
• Address the needs of low-income individuals including the homeless, migrants, and the elderly.
• Provide services and activities addressing employment, education, better use of available income, housing, nutrition, emergency services, and health.
The CSBG is federally funded and administered by the state through the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). The CSBG funds are distributed to a network of local organizations known as Eligible Entities or Community Action Agencies. There are fifteen (15) Community Action Agencies in Arkansas that assist low to moderate-income individuals in all seventy five (75) counties.
The Community Action Agencies are characterized by their tri-partite board of elected public officials, representatives from the low-income community and from the private sector, to maintain the network’s focus on community representation and accountability. They have a designated geographic service area not served by another Community Action Agency.
We care. We act. We change lives."
"Severability
The provisions of these rules are severable, and if any provision is held unconstitutional or a violation of statute by any court of competent jurisdiction, or shall otherwise cease
to be effective, all other provisions of these rules shall remain in effect."
"DO NOT CODIFY. Uncodified language of 20 CAR pt. 505 is amended to read as follows:
"SECTION I – PROGRAM SCOPE OF THE STATE LEAD AGENCY
The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is a place where we tackle big social issues with compassion, courage, respect, integrity, and action. This is not always easy, but the work we do is so important — to our neighbors and people in every community in the state. It matters because we:
• Ensure childcare centers and nursing homes are safe for everyone regardless of income.
• Provide health care and support for eligible Arkansans of all ages and abilities. That means we infuse billions of dollars into communities when we pay local doctors, hospitals, therapists, nursing homes, and others who keep people healthy and thriving.
• Provide a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens and for families or individuals who are facing difficult times and need a little help to get back on their feet.
• Operate the only state-funded psychiatric nursing home for people with specialized long- term care needs, the only state-funded psychiatric hospital for people with acute behavioral health needs, and five (5) facilities that provide ‘round-the-clock support and care for residents with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Oversee the state’s public mental health system, helping thousands of people access
critical care each year.
• Serve, protect, empower, educate, and encourage children, at-risk youth, families, adults, aging adults and seniors, and people with disabilities so they move toward a better future, and so much more.
Whether our employees are processing applications, answering phones, conducting investigations, crunching numbers, working directly with clients, supporting other staff, or being part of a team to make big policy changes, we know that we could not accomplish our mission without each and every one of them.
We are not just a government agency. We are a tight-knit community of more than seven thousand (7,000) strong. We push each other to be better, to think outside the box to solve problems, and to never be OK with "good enough." Together we improve the quality of life of all Arkansans by protecting the vulnerable, fostering independence, and promoting better health.
We do all of this work through eight (8) divisions and seven (7) support offices headquartered in Little Rock and in eighty (80) offices across the state. There is at least one (1) office in every county.
We Care. We Act. We Change Lives.
The Division of County Operations (DCO) is here to make sure Arkansans who need food assistance, health care, and other services can access help. DCO processes applications for several public assistance programs, including: Health Care (Medicaid), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program. SNAP and TEA beneficiaries can access their benefits through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. In addition, DCO oversees the Community Services Block Grant program, which provides funding to support services to help low-income families become self-sufficient. Services are provided through the fifteen (15) Community Action Agencies in the state. DCO also investigates potential Health Care (Medicaid), SNAP, and TEA beneficiary fraud.
DCO is divided into three (3) focus areas:
• Program and Grant Management– This unit oversees policy related to the programs that DCO administers as well as the training that they receive. In addition, this unit oversees the Community Service Block Grant program and ensures that subgrantee comply with all state and federal regulations.
• Field Operations – This unit is responsible for the day-to-day management of all DHS county offices as well as the employees who process applications for assistance.
• Administrative Support – This unit oversees the units that investigates beneficiary fraud, the client assistance unit, the quality assurance unit, and system support for the Division.
DHS has one or more offices in every county in the State. DCO oversees all eighty (80) of those offices as well as the Access Arkansas Processing Center in Batesville. You can find a list of county offices on our website.
You can apply for Health Care, SNAP, and TEA and manage your benefits by visiting www.Access.Arkansas.gov.
Community Grant Program
Overview
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is an anti-poverty block grant which provides the core funding to more than one thousand (1,000) Eligible Entities across the United States for services that reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency, and revitalize low-income communities.
CSBG funding supports projects that:
• Lessen or eliminate poverty in communities and foster self-sufficiency.
• Address the needs of low-income individuals including the homeless, migrants, and the elderly.
• Provide services and activities addressing employment, education, better use of available income, housing, nutrition, emergency services, and health.
The CSBG is federally funded and administered by the state through the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). The CSBG funds are distributed to a network of local organizations known as Eligible Entities or Community Action Agencies. There are fifteen (15) Community Action Agencies in Arkansas that assist low to moderate-income individuals in all seventy five (75) counties.
The Community Action Agencies are characterized by their tri-partite board of elected public officials, representatives from the low-income community and from the private sector, to maintain the network’s focus on community representation and accountability. They have a designated geographic service area not served by another Community Action Agency.
We care. We act. We change lives."
"Severability
The provisions of these rules are severable, and if any provision is held unconstitutional or a violation of statute by any court of competent jurisdiction, or shall otherwise cease
to be effective, all other provisions of these rules shall remain in effect."