Patiently waiting....aaahhh

I'm a nurse with 7 years experience in LTC, & Psych. I have had very good job reviews during this time, and have no infractions on my licensure. I was granted license in the State of Ca., but recently moved to Arkansas, and I'm currently trying to change my license to AR. I do have a past that is 25-30 years old and have gone through rehabilitation for addictive behaviors. I consider myself a product of success. I have had no problems whatsoever since then. However, Arkansas is taking so long to grant my licensure. I know I have to comply to their application process, and have no problem with that, but its been almost a year now. Their representative does update me accorrdingly, but does it really take this long? Has anyone else gone through similar circumstances? I just want to get back to work.