With a vote of 97-0 and 2 members voting present, the House approved HB1096, an Act to Amend the Revenue Stabilization Act. This outlines the $5.9 billion budget for the next fiscal year. The House will convene again tomorrow at 10 am.

The Governor said that current models show the peak of cases in our state to occur on May 2.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved Arkansas’s request to use Medicaid funds to temporarily increase the weekly income of long-term services and supports (LTSS) direct-care workers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The additional care continuity pay will go to eligible non-physician direct-care workers employed by or contracted with institutional setting providers, such as nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, and assisted living facilities; and agencies for people who receive care in their homes and communities. Eligible workers include:
Registered Nurses
Licensed practical nurses
Certified nurse aides
Personal care aides assisting with activities of daily living under the supervision of a nurse or therapist
Home health aides assisting with activities of daily living under the supervision of a nurse or therapist
Nursing assistive personnel
Direct care workers providing services under home and community-based waiver
Intermediate Care Facility direct care staff including those that work for a state-run Human Development Center
Assisted Living direct care staff members
Hospice service direct care workers
Respiratory therapists
The weekly care continuity initiative payments are available to direct care workers as follows:
A) work 20-39 hours per week--$125.00
B) work 40+ hours per week--$250.00
C) work a regularly planned split shift schedule that overlap weeks that equal or exceed 150 hours per month, not including overtime--$250.00/week
If a client has tested positive for COVID-19, the direct care workers in that facility or home and community-based setting will receive an enhanced payment as follows:
A) work 1-19 hours per week--$125.00
B) work 20-39 hours per week--$250.00
C) work 40+ hours per week--$500.00
D) work a regularly planned split shift schedule that overlap weeks that equal or exceed 150 hours per month, not including overtime--$500.00/week
The payments will be made over a period of 8 weeks beginning the week of April 5, 2020.

Governor Hutchinson has also directed that DHS develop a similar care continuity payment package for non-physician direct care workers in hospital settings that can be presented to the state task force overseeing COVID-19- specific funding that the state will receive.

2020 Covid-19_infographic_2020-04-15.pdf