The last 25 years have brought sweeping changes to Public Assistance programs such as TANF, SNAP and Medicaid. A number of challenges have hampered states in their efforts to respond to change and redesign the service delivery model: increasing program costs, fraud and abuse, incompatible legacy systems and the loss of experienced personnel all add to the problem. A reengineered service delivery model is needed—one that offers citizens simplified access to all Health and Human Services (HHS) programs.
ACS is responding with HHS Modernization solutions that include client-facing services for eligibility processing and customer care, as well as back-office functions such as imaging and document management. And our @Vantage HHS framework is a client-centric, Web-based solution that integrates eligibility determination and case management. With over 30 years of HHS program administration experience, ACS has the expertise to address all your modernization goals—including improved service, increased productivity, overall agency efficiency, reduced costs, and government regulation compliance.
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Child Support Systems and Services
Like so many government programs, Child Support is facing increased service demands with limited budgets and more stringent federal performance requirements. Caseloads keep expanding, new program regulations require enhanced services, and the public demands longer hours and that more information be made available through better customer service channels.
ACS offers increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness to your child support program by providing subject matter experts, best practices, and the latest technology that’s the best fit for your program. Our solutions integrate the departments or units within a program office to ensure effective communications. Our focus is on quality customer service, and providing accurate, timely services and information to custodial parents. Ultimately, we understand that each state or local child support program has its unique challenges and requirements. ACS customizes our solutions to meet your needs rather than redefining your situation to meet our solution. And our track record shows we consistently meet or exceed contract performance standards.
Human services program agencies are continually faced with high volumes of calls from clients, potential applicants and third parties. Caseworkers and specialized staff end up spending too much time answering routine questions, leaving too little time for direct service delivery. ACS relieves this burden by providing comprehensive human services customer care solutions. By centralizing customer inquiries and process tasks, we increase efficiency which increases citizen satisfaction.
We compile call data, analyze trends, and help improve program operations. When our trained customer care professionals handle customer requests and inquiries, service improves and call response time and call resolution time decrease. We provide call center solutions to support a range of programs, including Medicaid, TANF, Food Stamps, 211 and 311 hotlines, and post-disaster assistance. Read the Denver Human Services Customer Care Case Study.
High-quality subsidized child care is essential to children's social and educational development and the economic well-being of a state; however, there are challenges for any state government in providing this service to its citizens, such as slow payments to providers, cumbersome invoicing, improper payments and state fiscal constraints. To overcome such challenges while best serving the needs of all stakeholders, ACS has created e-Childcare—an innovative, paperless, Web-based time and attendance system that results in accurate and timely payments to providers of subsidized child care.
By using e-Childcare, a state can document and pay for child care at the point of service, verify eligibility in real time and compensate providers for actual services rendered. In addition, paperwork is reduced and provider payments are more accurate—resulting in increased record accuracy, reduced payment errors, faster payments for providers, decreased administrative burden and less fraud and program abuse.
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)
Overview: Electronic Benefits Transfer
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Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) was designed to streamline food benefit distribution, offer better recipient access and eliminate inefficiencies in the program. The reality is that states are continually challenged by issues of fraud and abuse, changing government regulations and reporting requirements and the need to keep up with new technologies and processes to maintain efficiency and seamlessness of the program.
ACS is a market leader in electronic payment services, including EBT programs—delivering benefits using a debit-type electronic card rather than paper checks or food coupons. Drawing on our experience, we can offer your state government reliability and quality customer service in a changing EBT benefits environment—thanks to the industry's only Web-based system specifically designed for EBT that can deliver increased efficiency, future adaptability, unparalleled accuracy, and decreased administrative burden.
Electronic Payment Services
Overview: Electronic Payment Card Services
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Many government agencies are recognizing that they can save money by disbursing government benefits and payment to citizens using a debit card. Whether it’s unemployment insurance, TANF, child support, employee payroll, or other payments, eliminating paper checks and using a debit card or electronic payment card (EPC) instead can save the issuing agency between $2 and $10 per check. EPC is one of the most exciting untapped areas of potential savings for government. In most cases, the government pays no cost for implementation and operation. Read an article about EPC from the Ash Institute.
By working with ACS to convert from a paper check printing-and-mailing operation to an EPC solution, governments can save millions of dollars annually because they eliminate postage, printing, administrative costs and the potential for loss or theft—all while improving delivery time and overall service to clients. ACS’ EPC solution goes far beyond commercial bank card programs because it is tailored to government programs and our people are experts in human services program operations as well as electronic payment technologies.
Human service agencies face many unique challenges within their eligibility-based programs as they strive to administer programs in a more cost-effective manner while updating the service delivery model to meet the changing needs of today’s clientele. Traditional in-house eligibility visits and local office hours are rarely practical for today’s HHS program participants. Traditional service delivery models often require multiple visits to different offices and repeated submission of the same documentation to different agencies administering various benefits. Compounding the challenge for a more effective and efficient model, agencies face high staff turnover and steep learning curves for complex and ever-changing eligibility rules.
ACS brings real-world operational expertise to modernizing human services eligibility processing built from 30 years of experience with HHS program administration nationwide. We offer a range of services and solutions that combine to provide the best fit for achieving your modernization goals. Some states undertake an enterprise-wide transformation. Others may be looking to modernize their eligibility systems first. Our approach is flexible, practical and results-driven—helping you to modernize your program with the least amount of risk.
Many states are looking at ways to streamline their paper-based, cumbersome and costly Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program—while making it more accurate and more user friendly for all stakeholders. In response, the technology and program experts at ACS have created the most advanced, efficient and secure online WIC EBT system available for state use. Read more.
ACS’ solution provides state administrators with online, real-time access to WIC information through a feature-rich and easy-to-use browser-based administrative application that offers advantages over traditional systems. ACS’ WIC solution automates the distribution of benefits, streamlines the process and gives program recipients wider access to benefits while eliminating inefficiencies and cost-intensive printing and distribution functions of the program. Participating WIC vendors save time, money, and experience fewer errors and faster settlement.