For Immediate Release:
Aug. 14, 2018
Media Contact: Marci Manley
DHS Deputy Chief of Communications
501-320-6036
As of Today, Call Center Hours Expanded to Align with Availability of Reporting Site
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) – Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) clients will now have the ability to call the Access Arkansas Call Center seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for assistance. This is a move that makes the center’s operating hours the same as the hours the www.access.arkansas.gov website is available to the public for reporting work requirement activities and exemptions.
The hours the call center is open have varied over the last year, closing between 4:30 and 7 p.m. The Access Arkansas website is available between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily for the purpose of reporting work activities and exemptions for the Arkansas Works work requirement. Between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., the supporting computer system updates and generates client notices. System fixes also are generally done at this time, if possible.
“We heard that some clients were having difficulty getting calls answered in a timely manner,” said DHS Division of County Operations Director Mary Franklin. “Though that has not been a widespread issue, we wanted to expand the call center’s hours to ensure people can get their questions answered.”
For those who have difficulty accessing the Internet or using a computer, DHS has a registered reporter process to help those Arkansas Works clients meet the work requirement. A registered reporter is a trusted individual, like an insurance carrier representative or those involved in community organizations, that a client can authorize to enter his or her information onto the access.arkansas.gov website.
To learn more about becoming a registered reporter, please visit the DHS website (humanservices.arkansas.gov) and click on the AR Works button on the right side of the page or the banner at the top.
Clients who have questions about their Medicaid coverage (including ARKids and Arkansas Works) should call 1 -855-372-1084.
-30-
