• New Coding Requirements for FY20: Ark. Code Ann. § 6-20-2207

Superintendents, Business Managers, ARMAC Coordinators

As of August 2019, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) will implement a new updated version of the Arkansas Medicaid Administrative Claiming (ARMAC) online system. The updated ARMAC system was designed with input from school district personnel. The updated system results in several changes in ARMAC operational procedures for school district personnel. The purpose of this memo is to provide detailed guidance of these operation procedure changes for the district level ARMAC program.

The Arkansas Medicaid Administrative Claiming (ARMAC) program is a federally funded program administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This program provides school districts the ability to receive reimbursements for certain administrative services, which addresses student health needs. ARMAC is the online Random Moment Time Study system used to identify and categorize Medicaid administrative activities performed by Arkansas public school employees. The time study serves as the base for developing claims based on the cost of administrative activities that may be reimbursed by Medicaid.

The most significant changes in the ARMAC system include the utilization of the ADE eFinance system to prepopulate the ARMAC database with district ARMAC Coordinator information and to load district ARMAC Participant salary and benefit costs. The ADE will update the ARMAC system each quarter using ARMAC information pulled from eFinance. Secondly, the ARMAC random moment time study system has been merged with the ARMAC training database, as well as the certification reporting software. The system will provide a seamless approach to the operation of the program both at the state level, as well as the district level.

Below is a detailed account of the changes district administrators, business managers, and ARMAC Coordinators should take into consideration for the 2019-2020 school year.

ARMAC Coordinator Designation and Responsibilities

Each participating school district is required to designate a district employee to act as the ARMAC Coordinator. This designation must be made using the MAC-C Job Assignment Code in eFinance. Districts must complete the ARMAC Coordinator designation no later than August 9^th, 2019. Only one ARMAC Coordinator may be designated per district. For more detailed guidance regarding the MAC-C job assignment designation in eFinance, see the attachment entitled APSCN 5.2 Procedural Outline.

The key responsibility of the district ARMAC Coordinator is to oversee the daily operation of the ARMAC program and to ensure regulatory compliance. ARMAC Coordinator duties include:

• Working with the district’s administrator and business manager to develop the ARMAC participant roster, according to the following criteria:
• ARMAC participants must be employed by the district.
• ARMAC participants must be, at least, partially paid from a state funding source.
• ARMAC participants should include those employees whose job duties encompass some type of administrative oversight of health services for students. For more detailed guidance regarding recommended ARMAC participants, see attachment ARMAC Roster Participant Recommendations.
• The Coordinator must ensure the district’s ARMAC participant roster is updated in eFinance one week prior to the first date of each quarter beginning. Districts will have a one-week verification period to ensure the ARMAC Participant roster is accurate prior to the ADE transferring roster data from eFinance into the ARMAC system.
• The Coordinator must act as a liaison to the ADE for ensuring district participants are compliant with the ARMAC requirements, such as completing the ARMAC training and responding to ARMAC random moments within the allotted timeframe.
• The Coordinator must oversee the submission of the signed, quarterly ARMAC Reimbursement Certification form to the ADE.
• The Coordinator is responsible for submitting mid-quarter adjustments to the ADE when participant information changes during an active quarter. See the attached ARMAC Mid-Quarter Participant Adjustment Form. The purpose of the Mid-Quarter Participant Adjustment Form is ONLY to make changes to the district’s current roster for the current quarter. Districts should utilize eFinance to add participants, not the mid-quarter adjustment form. Mid-quarter adjustments forms should be submitted to the ADE ARMAC Specialist, Richard Harper, Richard.Harper@arkansas.gov, within 10-days of the occurred change.
• The Coordinator must retain any records pertaining to the responses provided by participants to the random moment time study, as well as all ARMAC official documentation including the participant quarterly roster, quarterly reimbursement certifications and mid-quarter adjustments.

ARMAC Participant Designation and Responsibilities

Each participating school district is required to designate an ARMAC Participant roster consisting of all district employees who are, at least, partially paid from a state funded sources and whose job duties most likely include some type of administrative oversight of health services for students. This designation must be made using the MAC-P Job Assignment Code in eFinance. Districts must complete the ARMAC Participant Roster designation for Quarter 1 no later than August 9^th, 2019. For more detailed guidance regarding the MAC-P job assignment designation in eFinance, see the attachment entitled APSCN 5.2 Procedural Outline.

ARMAC roster submissions will no longer be accepted via hardcopy. The ADE will utilize information from eFinance to access each district’s participant roster information. The ADE will pull the following information for each participant designated by the district:

• Employee ID
• Job Assignment Code
• Job Description
• Employee Last Name
• Employee First Name
• Employee Email Address
• Budget Unit
• Salary
• Benefits
• Class Title
• Function Title

2019-2020 ARMAC QUARTER 1 DETAILS

ARMAC Participant Cost Reporting- Business Managers

In order to accurately determine costs incurred by the district for Quarter 1 ONLY, the ADE will utilize the Personnel Budgeting portion of the eFinance system to pre-populate the ARMAC databased. The ADE will load district ARMAC Participant salary and benefit costs into the ARMAC database the first day of school each year. District business managers must ensure that all designated ARMAC participant designations have been made and participant’s salary and benefits costs are updated in the Personnel Budgeting portion of the eFinance system to reflect the total cost to the district each year for the Quarter 1 ARMAC Roster report. See attachment entitled ARMAC Personnel Budgeting for guidance regarding updating the Personnel Budgeting portion of eFinance.

ARMAC Roster Verification for Quarter 1  (August 5^th-August 9^th, 2019)

Participating districts will have 7-days prior to the first day of quarter 1 to review and make final participant adjustments to the district roster and personnel budgeting. Districts should utilize the Cognos Report entitled “ARMAC Roster Report: Qtr 1” to assist with the verification process. ARMAC Coordinators and district business managers should review the following information provided on the Cognos report for accuracy:

• The participant list is accurate (ie ensure all deactivated participants are no longer listed on the report and new participants appear on the report).
• All participant costs are accurately reflected in the report, including budget units.
• All participant email addresses reflects accurate information for each participant
• All participant Class Title reflects accurate information for each participant

ARMAC Mandatory Participant & Coordinator Training (August 13^th-August 24^th, 2019)

Federal CMS guidelines require all ARMAC participants and coordinators to complete a program specific training annually. On August 12^th, 2019 (first day of the 2019-2020 school year), the ADE will pre-populate the ARMAC database for Quarter 1 with information provided via eFinance. All ARMAC participants and coordinators, statewide, should receive an email from the ARMAC system containing a unique link, which may only be used by the intended recipient. The email will prompt the recipient to complete the online ARMAC training module. Each participant will be required to successfully complete the ARMAC test prior to being included in the random moment time study. Participants not successfully completing the ARMAC training by August 24^th, 2019, will not be included in the Quarter 1 random moment time study. ARMAC Coordinators not successfully completing the ARMAC training by August 24^th, 2019, will deem the district ineligible for the Quarter 1 random moment time study.

2019-2020 ARMAC QUARTERS 2, 3, & 4 DETAILS

ARMAC Participant Cost Reporting-Business Managers

In order to accurately determine costs incurred by the district for Quarters 2, 3, & 4, the ADE will load “ live eFinance payroll data” for each participant to pre-populate the ARMAC databased the first day of each quarter. The ADE will not use the Personnel Budgeting portion of eFinance to inform ARMAC quarters 2, 3, & 4.

ARMAC Roster Verification for Quarters 2, 3, & 4  (7-Days prior to the start of each quarter)

Participating districts will have 7-days prior to the first day of each quarter to review and make final adjustments to the district participant roster. Districts should utilize the Cognos Report entitled “ARMAC Roster Report: Qtr 2, 3, & 4” to assist with the verification process. ARMAC Coordinators and district business managers should review the following information provided on the Cognos report for accuracy:

• The participant list is accurate (ie ensure all deactivated participants are no longer listed on the report and new participants appear on the report).
• All participant costs are accurately reflected in the report, including budget units.
• All participant email addresses reflects accurate information for each participant
• All participant Class Title reflects accurate information for each participant

ARMAC Mandatory Participant & Coordinator Training (5 Business Days from the Quarter Start Date)

Federal CMS guidelines require all ARMAC participants and coordinators to complete a program specific training annually. On the first day of each subsequent quarter (Quarter 2, 3 & 4), the ADE will pre-populate the ARMAC database with information provided via eFinance. Only newly designed ARMAC participants and coordinators will receive an email from the ARMAC system containing a unique link, which may be used ONLY by the intended recipient. The email will prompt the completion of the online ARMAC training module. Participants are required to successfully complete the ARMAC test prior to being included in the random moment time study. Participants not successfully completing the ARMAC training within 5 business days from the first day of the quarter, will not be included in the Quarter 1 random moment time study.

2019-2020 ARMAC Quarters

ARMAC Webinar Sessions

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) School Health Services Unit has scheduled the following webinars to review the ARMAC program updates provided in this commissioner’s memo. ARMAC Coordinators and District Business Managers are encouraged to attend a webinar session. Select a date below to register for the preferred webinar session.

Attachments