Arkansas grants
& benefits: ARHOME, Amendment 79 and Academic Challenge.

Arkansas expanded Medicaid, and adults in the expansion group are covered through ARHOME, short for Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me. Medicaid money buys you a private health plan, but you remain a Medicaid member. The federal table puts the adult income limit at 133% of the poverty level.

From January 1, 2027, ARHOME members ages 19 to 64 need 80 combined hours each month of a job, volunteer work, classes or job training, or monthly earnings of at least $580. A soft launch began July 1, 2026, and DHS says no one loses benefits during it.

Exempt groups include pregnant and postpartum women, tribal members, veterans with rated disabilities, people with special medical needs, people in addiction treatment, and people caring for a child age 13 or under or a disabled person. SSDI recipients and anyone on Medicare are exempt as well.

DHS checks wage and SNAP records first. If it cannot confirm your status, you get a notice and 30 days to send proof. Separately, Centene is leaving ARHOME in 2027 and the current waiver ends this year, but DHS says coverage continues on January 1 and beyond.

Amendment 79 to the state constitution gives two breaks on your primary residence. The first is the homestead credit, open to any homeowner. It was up to $500 a year, and lawmakers raised the cap to $600 starting with 2026 tax bills. You can claim only one homestead credit a year.

The second is the assessment freeze. Once you turn 65 or become disabled, the taxable assessed value of your home can be locked at the next assessment date. If you are already 65 or disabled when you buy a home, the freeze applies at the next assessment after the purchase.

A freeze does not lock your bill. Taxes can still rise when local millage rates go up, and new construction or improvements adding 25% or more to the value are assessed in full. The freeze also cannot pass to the next owner when you sell.

Both are claimed through the county assessor. Homeowners without a freeze still get a cap: after a countywide reappraisal, a homestead's taxable value can rise no more than 5% a year until it reaches full assessed value.

The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs runs a 90-bed skilled nursing home in Fayetteville and a 96-bed home in North Little Rock. Veterans, their spouses and Gold Star parents may apply. Applicants need an honorable discharge and a medical need for nursing home care.

Fayetteville answers at 479-444-7001 and North Little Rock at 501-683-1406. Both homes offer nursing around the clock, physical, occupational and speech therapy, hospice care and transportation, and personal laundry costs nothing extra.

Under Arkansas Code 26-3-306, a veteran rated 100% service-connected and totally and permanently disabled, or paid special monthly compensation for loss of a limb or blindness, owes no state taxes on the homestead and personal property. Claim it by giving the county collector a letter from the VA.

After the veteran dies, the exemption passes to the surviving spouse and minor dependent children, who add a signed affidavit. A spouse keeps it while unmarried, and it returns if a later marriage ends. Families of service members killed on duty or missing in action also qualify.

The Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, funded largely by the state lottery, pays $2,000 in year one, $4,000 in years two and three, and $5,000 in year four at a four-year school. At a two-year college it pays $2,000, then $3,000. Income does not count, but you must file the FAFSA.

New high school graduates qualify with a Diploma of Merit, a 3.00 GPA plus any test score on record, or a lower GPA with an ACT of 19 or an SAT of 990. Adults with some college need a 2.5 college GPA and can attend part time for a prorated award. All applicants need 12 months of state residency.

Students with a Student Aid Index of 7,999 or below get extra Challenge PLUS money, capped at $2,500 a semester in total. Apply in the SAMS portal by July 1. The award renews each spring without a new application if you keep a 2.5 GPA and earn the required hours.

Arkansas runs LIHEAP through the Arkansas Energy Office, part of the Division of Environmental Quality. The office does not process applications. You apply through the community-based organization that serves your county, and a network of 15 covers all 75 counties.

Applications are usually taken from January to April 30 and from July to September 30, first come, first served, and the program is closed right now. For federal fiscal year 2026, the monthly countable income limit is $2,347 for one person and $4,514 for a family of four.

Bring photo ID, Social Security cards for adults, recent utility bills and proof of income. Food stamps (SNAP) and TEA cash help are DHS programs instead: apply on Access Arkansas, or call its hotline, 1-855-372-1084.

Income limits, the $5,500 savings window and deposit days are in our Arkansas food stamps guide.