Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility Services for Under Age 21 (20 CAR pts. 417, 627, 651)

Statement of Necessity This rule is necessary pursuant to Act 636 of 2025. Currently, no licensure manual or Medicaid provider manual exists for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) providers. The Department of Human Services (DHS) finds certain minimum standards are necessary for providers to deliver services to enrolled beneficiaries who are admitted into a PRTF. This rule helps ensure the health and safety of beneficiaries who are admitted into a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility. Rule Summary DHS creates two new manuals for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Providers. The first is a licensure manual that sets the minimum standards for providers delivering services to enrolled beneficiaries who are admitted into a PRTF. The second is a companion Medicaid Provider Manual, “Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility Services for Under Age 21”. These new manuals necessitate removal of duplicative standards currently found within the “Inpatient Psychiatric Services for Under Age 21” provider manual.

A public hearing was held on this rule on July 9, 2025. The public comment period expired on July 21, 2025. The agency made changes to the rule based on public comment and released the rule for a second public comment period. A second public hearing was held on August 27, 2025. The second public comment period expired on September 6, 2025. 11 Due to its length, the public comment summary is attached separately. Lacey Johnson, an attorney with the Bureau of Legislative Research, asked the following questions and received the following responses: 1. Act 636, § 1 requires prior approval from the Health Services Permit Agency for any renovation project that exceeds $250,000 for an existing psychiatric residential treatment facility. Is this “prior approval” equivalent to a “permit” under 20 CAR § 417-202(a)(4)? If so, why does the rule not address renovations over $250,000? RESPONSE: It applies to both. See definition 22 New Construction where we define New Construction as construction OR renovation after January 1. 2. The list of minimum license posting requirements in 20 CAR § 417- 202(f)(1) mirrors the list in Act 636, § 10 [codified at § 20-46-403], with one exception. The Act incl

• ALC summary agenda Oct 16, 2025
• ALC agenda Oct 16, 2025
• ALC meeting video Oct 16, 2025
• Arkansas Register, November 2025