Letters will include whether a person must report activities or is exempt.
Beneficiaries encouraged to create online accounts and report exemptions before June 1.
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2018
For more information contact:
Amy Webb, Chief of Communications
[email protected]
Marci Manley, Deputy Chief of Communications
[email protected]
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This week the Department of Human Services is mailing Arkansas Works letters to beneficiaries who are subject to the work requirement in June and must begin reporting activities unless they are exempt.
DHS has produced this informational video explaining where Arkansas Works beneficiaries will find the important information in the letter coming this week.
The letter will say whether beneficiaries are required to report activities or have an exemption recorded in the DHS system. The full list of activities and exemptions can be found here. A sample of the letter people who are required to report activities will receive this week can be viewed here. For those who are exempt, they will receive a letter similar to the one here.
For those who do not have an exemption and are required to report activities, they must report 80 hours of activities for the month of June. Those activities could be work, education, volunteer, or job training activities. Some people may have an exemption that DHS does not know about. Beneficiaries should report work activities and exemptions to DHS through the www.access.arkansas.gov website.
If beneficiaries have not created an online account and linked it to their healthcare coverage, they should do that now. To learn how to create an online account through www.access.arkansas.gov and link it to a beneficiary’s Arkansas Works coverage, you can watch this DHS video for step-by-step instructions or follow this written guide that walks through the process.
If someone believes they need help with reporting their hours, DHS has created a process that allows beneficiaries to choose a trusted individual to help them report their work activities or exemptions – just as they would today with family, insurance carriers, and hospital financial staff when applying for Arkansas Works.
The designated person will be called a registered reporter and will be required to complete a short online training that explains what information is required, how often work activities/exemptions need to be reported, and the importance of keeping people’s information confidential. Registered reporters will not have access to a beneficiary’s Social Security number. Both Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield and Arkansas Health and Wellness, two of the insurance carriers that cover Arkansas Works recipients, have voluntarily agreed to have registered reporters available to assist beneficiaries. For in-person assistance from DHS, beneficiaries can go to their local county offices.
Arkansas Works beneficiaries with BlueCross BlueShield coverage who need assistance from a registered reporter can call (800) 800-4298. Beneficiaries with Ambetter (Arkansas Health and Wellness) coverage who need assistance from a registered reporter can call (877) 617-0390.
To become a registered reporter, you will need to review training on reporting work activities and exemptions and linking accounts. You’ll also need access to the authorization, acknowledgement, and revocation forms.
More information about ARWorks can be found on the DHS home page by clicking the “Arkansas Works” button on the right-hand side of the page at www.humanservices.arkansas.gov.
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