Critical IT upgrade to social services eligibility system will impact online benefits application portals, statewide call centers and in-person services in August
Impacts to Washington Connection and Healthplanfinder beginning after 5 p.m. Aug. 11 and runs through 8 a.m. Aug. 16; some statewide health and human services and related offices will be unavailable Aug. 14–15
OLYMPIA — One of Washington state’s public benefits eligibility systems, the Automated Client Eligibility System, will undergo a critical IT upgrade next month that will impact the primary portals Washingtonians use to apply for public benefits like food, cash assistance and health care. The upgrade will begin after 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 and runs through 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.
During this time, Washington Connection will be unavailable and as a result, a number of social services and health and human services offices that rely on the ACES system will be closed to the public Aug. 14–15. This includes the Department of Social and Health Services’ in-person Community Services Offices, telephone Customer Service Contact Center, Health Care Authority’s phone lines for Apple Health eligibility and Medical Eligibility Determination Services. ProviderOne will also be available for normal operations except for adding or updating Medicaid eligibility.
Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s marketplace for health plans, and their Customer Support Center (call center) will remain open to help customers with limited services during the outage. Once the upgrade is complete, eligibility for health insurance coverage will be run. Customers will receive an email or mail directing them back to Washington Healthplanfinder to see their eligibility results.
All impacted services and office closures are expected to be restored by 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16. We will inform you of any additional closures or systems impacts as they are identified.
“While this upgrade is crucial to our long-term ability to provide vital services to Washingtonians who need them the most, we realize it means a significant impact to getting those services in the short-term. We are grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding during the upgrade,” said Dan Renfroe, Deputy Program Director for the Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment Modernization program of the Washington State Health and Human Services Enterprise Coalition (HHS Coalition).
The HHS Coalition is a group of state organizations — Department of Children, Youth & Families; Department of Corrections; Department of Health; Department of Social and Health Services; Health Care Authority; Washington Health Benefit Exchange; and Washington Technology Solutions — aligned to improve collaboration, including the development of an integrated eligibility and enrollment (IE&E) system for public benefits. This system upgrade is part of the HHS Coalition’s IE&E Modernization Program. “This upgrade is a behind-the-scenes change only,” explained Renfroe. “Once the upgrade is complete, people will not notice a difference in how their cases are managed, and ACES users will not experience any changes to their daily use of the system. We will simply have a more stable system in place as we work towards a solution where people can access public benefits through a familiar experience that is personalized, welcoming and comprehensive.”
If people need public assistance during the system upgrade Aug. 11–15, they can call 211 or visit wa211.org to get connected with resources in their communities. For more information on the IMS to DB2 system upgrade as it happens, follow updates on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Reporters with questions about the IMS to DB2 system upgrade can contact Jessica Nelson at Jessica.Nelson1@dshs.wa.gov or 360–628–1043. For more information on the IE&E Modernization Program, please contact IE&EProgram@dshs.wa.gov.