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Arkansas committee hears $5,000 nurse retention bonus, adopts scope-of-practice ISPs to grow workforce
Summary
State officials told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee about a special compensation program that gives incumbent direct-care nurses a $5,000 lump-sum retention bonus and a $5,000 recruitment bonus paid over five months. The committee adopted two ISPs expanding medication-assistant and dialysis technician duties to bolster staffing.
Janet Mann, deputy secretary and Medicaid director at the Department of Human Services, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that the department has approved a special compensation award program for nurses that includes a $5,000 lump-sum retention bonus for currently employed direct-care nurses and a $5,000 recruitment bonus paid over five months to encourage longer stays while a permanent pay plan is developed.
"They're eligible for a $5,000, bonus ... as of Friday November 1, all of our currently employed nurses will be eligible and then it will be paid on the 11 15 payroll," Mann said. She described the recruitment bonus as paid out over five months to "hopefully keep them longer" while the state works on base compensation changes.
Why it matters: Committee members repeatedly said pay and supply issues are driving nurse shortages. Multiple lawmakers pressed the agency on how the new pay plan will compare to travel or contract nursing rates; Mann said the department aims to be competitive but noted an "apples-to-apples" comparison must account for fringe benefits (which she described as roughly 30–32% personal-service matching).
Legislative response and workforce steps: Representative Bentley presented two individual-sponsor proposals (ISPs) intended to expand the state’s pipeline and scope of practice. One ISP refines the Medicaid Medication Assistant Certified (MAC) program to allow MACs to administer insulin under LPN verification and includes training pathways to help CNAs become LPNs. The committee adopted that ISP "without objection."
Bentley also presented an ISP to clarify duties for patient care technicians in dialysis centers, including allowing those technicians to administer heparin to keep dialysis ports open so RNs can focus on higher-acuity care; that ISP also passed without objection.
Other changes noted: During the meeting Senator Boyd asked about a longstanding TB-testing rule for long-term care; Mann said the TB-testing requirement in one long-term-care manual is being sunsetted on Oct. 31, which committee members said may remove a barrier to staffing.
What’s next: Mann told the committee the retention and recruitment bonuses are temporary measures while the administration finalizes a broader pay plan and continues recruiting efforts. The ISPs will proceed as adopted and sponsors may pursue subcommittee hearings for further collaboration.
Attribution: Direct quotes come from Janet Mann and Representative Bentley during the committee meeting.
