DHS withdraws proposed updates to personal care and independent-assessment provider manuals after committee questions

Little Rock — Department of Human Services officials presented proposed administrative rule changes to a joint meeting of the Senate and House committees on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor on Jan. 7, 2026, but the agency withdrew the proposal after committee questions.

Jay Hill, director of the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services at DHS, accompanied by Debora Inman, assistant director of DAABHS, and Melissa Weatherton, director of Specialty Medicaid Services, outlined a package of rule updates intended to repeal the current Personal Care and Arkansas Independent Assessment Provider Manuals and issue streamlined replacement manuals. The presentation described the changes as a consolidation of existing materials into new, shorter manuals.

Committee members pressed the presenters with questions about specifics of the proposed revisions. According to the meeting record, "in response to the Committees' questions, the rule was pulldown by the agency," meaning DHS withdrew the proposal from immediate consideration to address concerns raised during the hearing.

The transcript does not record the detailed questions from committee members, any vote on the rule, or a timeline for resubmission. The record also does not specify the exact textual changes DHS planned to make to the manuals or whether the revisions would change eligibility, service levels, or provider payment rules. DHS staff present at the meeting are Jay Hill (Director, DAABHS), Debora Inman (Assistant Director, DAABHS), and Melissa Weatherton (Director, Specialty Medicaid Services). The committee did not take further action on the rule at that meeting.

The joint committee adjourned at 1:55 p.m.