Under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, all public records shall be open to inspection and copying by any citizen of the State of Arkansas during the regular business hours of the custodian of the records. DHS must make public records available upon request unless the records are in active use or storage, in which case, DHS must do so within 3 working days. Disclosures are subject to various exemptions under federal and state law. You can request records by using the form below. If you have questions, please email them to DHS.FOIA@dhs.arkansas.gov. Commonly requested materials can be found here.
If you want copies of state or federal surveys of nursing homes in Arkansas or staffing reports, you no longer have to put in a request for those documents. You can find them for all facilities for the last five years here and beginning in 2021, Plans of Correction will be included with surveys.
Child maltreatment investigation and child protective services information and records are confidential by law and cannot be released under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. However, some records can be released to certain people and entities, such as other state child protective services agencies, attorney ad litems, and individuals who are the subject of the records.
These individuals should work with the DHS Division of Children and Family Services Central Registry Unit to request child maltreatment central registry statuses and maltreatment/protective services case information and records. You can find contact information and answers to other questions and forms here.
