Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – The Arkansas Department of Human Services has town halls scheduled across the state to explain a new federally mandated work/community engagement requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries, with Jonesboro included in the lineup.

The town halls are intended to educate beneficiaries of ARHOME, which stands for Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, about the new work requirement and how to retain coverage. ARHOME is Arkansas’s Medicaid program, providing health plans for qualifying individuals.

The work/community engagement is required to be implemented in states with expanded Medicaid under the federal budget bill signed into law in 2025.

Per the new requirement, enrollees must work, volunteer, or take classes for 20 hours per week, or 80 hours a month. Some enrollees are exempt from this requirement, which are listed below:

  • Pregnant women or those entitled to postpartum assistance through Medicaid
  • Those under 19 or over 64
  • Former foster children under 26
  • Tribal members or Alaskan natives
  • Veterans with rated disabilities
  • Those considered “medically frail”
  • Those participating in substance abuse disorder treatment programs
  • Those who already benefit from TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits
  • Parents/caregivers of a dependent child or children aged 13 or younger
  • Those entitled to Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B

The work requirement will not take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. Those who are not exempt and do not comply with the new requirement could lose their coverage or be denied an application.

However, beginning July 1, Arkansas DHS will soft launch the requirement, in which beneficiaries will be processed and educated as if the requirement were in effect. During this soft launch period, they will be at no risk of losing benefits.

During the town hall, Arkansas DHS officials will speak about the program as a whole, walk participants through the soft launch and full launch timelines, and take questions.

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“The big takeaway is we want to educate people that this is coming, and we want to do it now because we’ve got more than six months before the full [requirement] goes into effect. So, we want to have a long runway of making sure that people are aware of this program,” said Gavin Lesnick, chief of communications at Arkansas DHS.

Lesnick said Arkansas DHS would continue to provide communication regarding the work/community engagement requirement throughout the year, especially as the Jan. 1, 2027, launch date drew closer.

The Jonesboro town hall is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the St. Bernards Auditorium, located at 505 E. Washington Ave. It is free to attend, and registration is not required. For those who cannot attend, the town hall held in Little Rock is available to stream on the Arkansas DHS Facebook page. It can be viewed here.

“We think this is a really positive program that will make a difference in our state, but we also recognize that it’s a change. We want to make sure that we let everybody know about it because individuals in ARHOME will have to comply with this unless they are exempt, and we don’t want anyone to lose coverage because they’re unaware,” Lesnick said. “That’s why we’re starting it now, more than six months ahead of time, to get the word out, to answer questions and to make sure that it’s something that people are aware of.”

To learn more about the work/community engagement requirement, click here.

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