PASSE Arkansas: How the Managed Care System Works for Disability Services

What Is a PASSE?

PASSE stands for Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity. It is the managed care model Arkansas uses to coordinate physical health, behavioral health, and home and community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs.

If your child is assessed at Tier 2 or Tier 3 through the state's independent assessment process — conducted by Optum — they are enrolled in a PASSE. This means a single organization manages all of their care rather than the family juggling separate providers across different agencies.

The PASSE model replaced the older fee-for-service structure. Before PASSEs, families had to coordinate their own care across multiple state agencies with no central point of contact. Now, the assigned PASSE is responsible for building a care network around each enrolled individual.

How the Tier System Determines PASSE Enrollment

The Optum independent assessment evaluates functional support needs across five areas: self-care, language use, learning, mobility, and self-direction.

Based on that evaluation, individuals are assigned a tier:

• Tier 1 — Low support needs. Standard Medicaid state plan services only. No PASSE enrollment.
• Tier 2 — Moderate support needs. The individual needs coordinated care to remain in the community. PASSE enrollment begins.
• Tier 3 — High support needs. Complex behavioral or intellectual needs requiring continuous supervision or specialized behavioral support.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 individuals are assigned to one of the active PASSE organizations. The initial assignment is random, but families have 90 days from that date to switch to a different PASSE for any reason. After that, switching is available during the annual open enrollment period each October.

What the PASSE Care Coordinator Does

Every PASSE enrollee is assigned a care coordinator. This person is the family's main point of contact for navigating services.

The care coordinator is responsible for:

• Developing and maintaining the Person-Centered Service Plan (PCSP)
• Connecting the individual with traditional Medicaid services while on the CES waiver waitlist
• Coordinating with providers across physical health, behavioral health, and day treatment programs
• Conducting at least monthly contact and quarterly face-to-face visits

If the individual is later awarded an active CES waiver slot, the coordinator revises the PCSP to include comprehensive home and community-based supports like supported living, job coaching, and specialized equipment.

PASSE Enrollment While on the CES Waiver Waitlist

Being assigned to a PASSE does not mean the individual has a CES waiver slot. The CES waiver waitlist in Arkansas has historically ranged from 3 to 10 years, with approximately 2,000 individuals currently waiting.

While on the waitlist, PASSE-enrolled individuals still have access to:

• Adult Developmental Day Treatment (ADDT) programs
• Personal care services in the home
• Outpatient behavioral health counseling
• Durable medical equipment through Medicaid
• Therapy services (occupational, physical, speech)

The PASSE is not a waitlist bypass — it is a care coordination structure that operates whether the individual has an active waiver slot or is still waiting for one.

How to Work With Your PASSE

The care coordinator relationship is meant to be ongoing, not one-and-done. Families should keep a record of every interaction — date, what was discussed, any service authorizations requested. If a service is denied or delayed, the PASSE has its own internal appeals process separate from the SSA or DHS appeals systems.

If you are unsatisfied with your current PASSE after the initial 90-day window, mark your calendar for October open enrollment. Switching is straightforward and does not affect the individual's place on the CES waiver waitlist.

The Arkansas SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a full PASSE comparison framework and an agency communication log for tracking care coordinator contacts, service requests, and follow-ups across all your state and federal touchpoints.

See more Arkansas guides →