Arkansas at a Glance

The Office of Long Term Care licenses Arkansas nursing facilities and investigates complaints and abuse allegations.

• Licenses and certifies Arkansas nursing facilities
• Investigates complaints, abuse, neglect, and theft allegations
• Residents’ rights law appears at Ark. Code § 20-10-1201 et seq.

Visit the state agency site →

Families can speak with a Arkansas nursing home lawyer to understand if rights may have been violated.

Arkansas resident rights include:

• Right to be fully informed of available services, charges, and bed reservation and refund policies
• Right to examine the facility’s most recent inspection results and any plan of correction
• Right to copies of the facility’s rules and regulations
• Right to choose their own pharmacy
• Right to manage their own financial affairs
• Right to be adequately informed of their medical condition and proposed treatment
• Right to participate in planning all medical treatment
• Right to refuse medication and treatment and to know the consequences
• Right to report rights violations with immunity from civil liability for good-faith complaints
• Right to sue a facility directly for rights violations (Ark. Code § 20-10-1209)

Source: Ark. Code § 20-10-1204 (Residents’ rights)

Phone: 501-682-2441
Website: https://arombudsman.dhs.arkansas.gov/

Learn more about nursing home ombudsmen →

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. To report nursing home abuse or neglect in Arkansas, contact the DHS Office of Long Term Care.

Families can:

• File a complaint with the Office of Long Term Care, which investigates abuse, neglect, and poor care
• Contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 501-682-2441 for resident advocacy
• Report suspected crimes to local law enforcement

Include the facility name, resident name, dates, injuries, witnesses, and photos if available.

Full reporting guide →

Families may be able to sue an Arkansas nursing home when poor care caused injury or death. Arkansas’s residents’ rights law also lets residents sue facilities directly.

Common claims include:

• Personal injury: The resident was harmed by neglect or abuse.
• Wrongful death: Poor care contributed to the resident’s death.

Arkansas has strict legal deadlines, so families should speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible. Don’t wait — get started right now.

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Nursing home settlements and trial verdicts in Arkansas can vary depending on the situation. Some cases have resulted in payouts of more than $1 million.

See nursing home settlement amounts in Arkansas →