Relief coming for Arkansans with disabilities

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced plans Tuesday to eliminate the waitlist for Medicaid waivers for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

State of play: As of Dec. 1, about 3,200 residents were on a waitlist for Medicaid waivers to cover services, such as behavioral health counseling, Hutchinson said at a news conference.

• Of those, about 1,860 are low-income and eligible to receive basic medical services. But the rest are managing without services entirely.

Driving the news: Hutchinson, along with the state's Department of Human Services, submitted a request to the federal government Tuesday to allow Arkansas to immediately serve 200 more people on the waitlist.

What's next: Hutchinson also plans to ask the Arkansas General Assembly to put $37.6 million toward creating enough slots to serve everyone on the waiting list by June 2025.

• The governor's plan would use funds from the $60 million approved for DHS this year.