Press Release: Arkansas Forward savings reach $127.3 million # Press Release: Arkansas Forward savings reach $127.3 million News Provided By Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services September 08, 2026, 19:48 GMT Better service.
einpresswire.com · September 8, 2026
Press Release: Arkansas Forward savings reach $127.3 million
# Press Release: Arkansas Forward savings reach $127.3 million
News Provided By Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services September 08, 2026, 19:48 GMT
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PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release September 8, 2026
Media Contact Chris Price chris.price@arkansas.gov
Arkansas Forward savings reach $127.3 million Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs realizes $6.98 million in cost savings
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Forward, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ initiative to reduce government spending by $300 million through savings and cost avoidance by the end of 2030, has identified $6.98 million in savings at the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. Those savings bring Arkansas Forward’s verified total savings to $127.3 million.
Veterans Affairs negotiated a labor contract that reduced overtime payments from $1.2 million to $40,000 annually. The change is projected to save $6.8 million over the life of the initiative.
In addition, Veterans Affairs implemented a new timekeeping system to more accurately track contract employees’ work hours. The change will save more than $43,680 annually or more than $218,000 by the end of 2030.
Since its launch, Arkansas Forward has identified more than 300 opportunities to reduce costs and improve government services across the executive branch’s 15 cabinet-level departments. Those efforts span five key areas of state government: fleet management, information technology, personnel, procurement, and real estate.
The Arkansas Forward Dashboard gives taxpayers the ability to follow that progress in real time through a downloadable public dataset, making it easier than ever to see where state government is becoming more efficient and where taxpayer dollars are being saved.
The Arkansas Forward Dashboard is available here. The Arkansas Forward Progress Report is available here.