ADAP in Arkansas — AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility and enrollment
The number
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program supports 2,100 people living with HIV in Arkansas, with an income cap at 500% of the federal poverty line.
Ryan White Part B
Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section
State ADAP
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 500% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Not operated; federal Ready Set PrEP applies
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility + enrollment
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program serves 2,100 people, with an income eligibility cap at 500% of the federal poverty line. In Arkansas that means your gross annual income can be up to $76,255 for a household of one (at 2025 HHS poverty guidelines) and you still qualify. ADAP is the 'payer of last resort' for HIV medications: it covers people with no insurance, fills the gap for people on Medicare Part D, and pays co-pays for people on commercial insurance.
What ADAP covers: all FDA-approved antiretroviral medications on the state formulary (every ADAP covers the WHO-recommended first-line regimens), plus many opportunistic-infection prophylaxis drugs, lab work in states where the ADAP pays for labs directly, and in some states hepatitis B and C treatment. Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program's formulary is published on the state health department website and is updated at least annually.
How to enroll: a case manager at a Ryan White Part B or Part C clinic completes the application with you. You'll need proof of HIV diagnosis (a lab report or physician letter), proof of Arkansas residency, proof of income (pay stubs, tax return, benefit letter), and documentation of insurance status. Decisions typically return within two weeks; medications are dispensed through participating pharmacies at no cost once you're enrolled. Recertification is annual.
The state HIV info line is 1-501-661-2408; the case-management team can match you to the nearest Ryan White clinic for same-week intake. Long-time Black residents name Arkansas AIDS Foundation and UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Arkansas AIDS Foundation. The Arkansas AIDS Foundation in Little Rock is the state's Ryan White Part B case-management grantee and operates a walk-in rapid-testing clinic on West Asher Avenue with evening and Saturday hours targeted at working-age Black men.
UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic. The UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic in Little Rock is Arkansas's largest Ryan White Part C site, operating the Delta AIDS Education and Training Center which trains primary-care providers across the Delta counties where Black HIV burden is highest.
For Black families in Arkansas
The South carries the heaviest HIV burden in the country: Black Southern residents make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population but account for more than half of new Black HIV diagnoses nationally. Of the 6,500 people living with HIV in Arkansas, a disproportionate share are Black residents — 55% of the new diagnoses each year, same proportion or higher of the cumulative prevalence. ADAP is what keeps many of those residents virally suppressed, because the alternative — paying retail for daily antiretrovirals — would run roughly $30,000-$40,000 a year. If your income has you worried about whether you qualify, call the state HIV line first. Ryan White case managers know the eligibility rules better than most insurance navigators and will pull you through the application rather than bouncing you to paperwork.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Arkansas
Arkansas AIDS Foundation
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-663-7833
UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-686-5000
Arkansas Department of Health Pulaski County Health Unit
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-280-3100
Living Affected Corporation Delta Outreach
Jonesboro, AR • 1-870-932-6262
Washington County Health Unit (Fayetteville)
Fayetteville, AR • 1-479-521-8181
Where to get help in Arkansas
- Arkansas HIV info line: 1-501-661-2408 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section landing page: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/hiv-std-hepatitis-c-section.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Arkansas: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ar/.
- State health data for Arkansas: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/arkansas/.
- Arkansas Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/arkansas/ for eligibility + enrollment.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project — the current national ADAP eligibility + formulary reference.
References & primary sources
- Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/hiv-std-hepatitis-c-section.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/arkansas/.
- Kaiser Family Foundation, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program fact sheet: kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-ryan-white-hivaids-program.
Data refreshed: