ARChoices or PACE? Two Ways Arkansas Medicaid Helps a Parent Stay Home

What do the two programs have in common?

Both are for people who meet nursing home level of care but can live safely at home with support. Both are paid by Arkansas Medicaid for people who qualify financially, under the 2026 income cap of $2,982 a month and the $2,000 resource limit. And both exist to delay or prevent a nursing home move, which is what most families want.

How do they differ?

In short, ARChoices adds help to the life a parent already has, while PACE reorganizes the parent's care around one team.

Who is ARChoices right for?

ARChoices suits a parent with trusted doctors, a family willing to manage some coordination, and needs that center on help with daily activities. Through Independent Choices, a parent can hire a relative other than a spouse as an attendant, with payroll handled by a financial management service. That can make it possible for a daughter in Benton or a son in Cabot to cut back paid work and be paid for part of the care.

It is also the main home-care option for Grant and Perry County families, who are outside PACE's central region.

Who is PACE right for?

PACE suits a parent with several medical conditions, frequent hospital visits, or dementia, and a family that would welcome one team handling appointments, prescriptions, transportation and day programs. Baptist Health PACE, with a center in North Little Rock, serves the central region. A dementia diagnosis with cognitive impairment can meet DHS's functional test on its own.

The adjustment is real: a participant generally switches to PACE's own providers, and outside care must be authorized by PACE except in emergencies. Ask how often your parent would attend the day center and how transport works from your neighborhood.

How do we apply for either?

For ARChoices, apply for Medicaid through Access Arkansas at 1-855-372-1084 and ask the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services at 1-866-801-3435 about the waiver. For PACE, call the PACE program first to confirm your parent's address is in the service area, then complete enrollment and the Medicaid application with their help. CareLink at (501) 372-5300 can help Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke County families sort out which fits.

What if neither is enough?

When safety depends on someone being awake all night, or when two people are needed for every transfer, home care programs usually cannot fill the gap. That is the point to look at Level II assisted living with Living Choices or a nursing home. PACE can pay for nursing home care for its participants if it becomes necessary.

What does a week look like on each program?

On ARChoices, a typical week might bring an attendant three or four mornings for bathing, dressing and breakfast, a home-delivered meal on weekdays, and a day or two at an adult day program while the family caregiver works. The parent still drives, or is driven, to the same doctor in Conway or Benton, and the family coordinates appointments and prescriptions.

On PACE, the week is organized around the center. A van picks the participant up two or three days a week for meals, activities, therapy and visits with the PACE physician or nurse, and home care aides cover other days as the team decides. Prescriptions arrive through PACE, and the team arranges specialists and hospital care when needed. Families often describe the difference as fewer phone calls, with less say over which doctor.

What questions should we ask before choosing?

For ARChoices, ask how many attendant hours your parent's assessment is likely to support, how long services take to start, and which agencies actually staff your parent's area. For PACE, ask how long the van ride is from your parent's address, which specialists PACE uses, and how the team handles an after-hours emergency. Either way, ask what happens if needs grow: both programs can lead to a nursing home, and PACE continues to pay if that day comes.