The state has expanded the hours a call center is open to answer questions about a work requirement affecting Arkansas Works enrollees, the Department of Human Services said Tuesday.
The call center is now open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., the department said in a news release. Previously, its hours varied, with the closing time ranging from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., the department said.
“We heard that some clients were having difficulty getting calls answered in a timely manner,” Mary Franklin, director of the department’s Division of County Operations, said in the release. “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.”
The announcement came more than two months after the state started requiring Arkansans covered by the Medicaid expansion program to spend 80 hours a month on work or other approved activities unless they qualify for an exemption.
In June, the first month the requirement was in effect, more than 7,000 enrollees were found out of compliance. Those who fail to comply for three months will lose their coverage for the rest of the year.
The call center number is (855) 372-1084.