Emergency Rules for PRTF Effective June 20, 2025
Effective June 20, 2025, the Emergency Rules for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility Services for Under Age 21 were approved by the Arkansas Legislature.
To view a copy of the emergency rules currently in place, click here.
Overview
On April 16, 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Act 636 into law. With this act, all Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) in the state of Arkansas were redefined as a Long-Term Care Facility, effectively immediately, and are now licensed and overseen by the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance’s Office of Long-Term Care (OLTC). Key changes include:
- Requires survey and certification reviews conducted by the Office of Long-Term Care (OLTC), or their contractor, to include all residents receiving services at the facility, regardless of residency or payment source;
- Creates facility administrator requirements for a PRFT, including administrator training and licensure requirements;
- Changes in reporting requirements;
- Updates to the certification of need for services requirements to treat the condition of residents; and
- Made changes to bed capacity, uses, and fees for licensed facilities.
If you have any questions related to PRTFs, please email them to [email protected].
PRTF Administrators
PRTFs are now required to have an administrator licensed by DPSQA who meet training and licensing standards established in the PRTF Rules found in 20 CAR §415-205. The PRTF Administrator is the person who administers, manages, supervises, or is in general administrative charge of the PRTF.
Application
The PRTF Administrator application is now available. Applications should be submitted directly to [email protected].
Click here to view and download a copy of the PRTF Administrator application form (last updated 6/25/2025)
Administrator Training and Licensing Exam
Once DPSQA approves an application, the applicant will be notified to register for the multi-day administrator training. Once an applicant has completed the training, they may then register for the licensure examination.
An applicant has nine (9) months from the date of the application approval to complete the training and successfully pass the administrator licensing exam.
All questions relevant to training, testing, and the application can be emailed to [email protected].
Administrator Training Dates
| Dates | Times |
|---|---|
| July 21, 2025 – July 22, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST |
| August 4, 2025 – August 5, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST |
| October 6, 2025 – October 7, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST |
| December 15, 2025 – December 16, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST |
Administrator Exam Dates
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| August 25, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. CST |
| September 15, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. CST |
| November 17, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. CST |
| January 12, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. CST |
Important Note for the Initial Round of Applicants: The deadline to apply, complete the training, and take the licensure exam for the PRTF Administrator license is September 15, 2025. This will allow you to receive your administrator license by the September 18, 2025, provisional licensure rule waiver.
Administrator License Renewal
All PRTF administrator licenses must be renewed on, or before January 1 of each new calendar year and shall be renewable only by the submission of a renewal application.
Facility Licensure
Pursuant to 20 CAR §417-201, all Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities shall be licensed by the Office of Long-Term Care which is the sole licensing authority for PRTFs in the State of Arkansas. It shall be unlawful to operate a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility without possessing a current, valid license issued by the Office of Long-Term Care.
Attestation
PRTFs are required to provide OLTC with a copy of a completed attestation. While you may have previously sent a copy to the Division of Medical Services, OLTC does not have a copy of all of these forms a the moment. We are requesting that copies of the attestation be sent to OLTC each year by December 31 for the next year.
Click here to download the attestation form.
