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ARMAC

Program Training

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Ronnie Elizabeth Scott

ARMAC Specialist

ade.armacspecialist@ade.arkansas.gov

ronnie.scott@ade.arkansas.gov

501-295-8649

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What is ARMAC?

Arkansas Medicaid Administrative Claiming

Medicaid Administrative Claiming is a federally funded program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This program provides school districts with the ability to receive reimbursement for certain administrative services which address student health needs.

The revenue generated by the ARMAC program may be used to facilitate, improve and expand the level and quality of health, and medical services provided to all students within the district.

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ARMAC FY 26

Statewide Stats

14,100 Average Active Participants
265 School Districts
$32,347,003.17 Total Reimbursements

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How do I get started?

Contact the ARMAC Specialist at:

ade.armacspecialist@ade.arkansas.gov
501-295-8649

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Sign Interagency Agreement with AR DMS and DESE

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Select Coordinator

Requirements

District/Co-op Employee
Designate with MAC-C job assignment code
One per district/co-op
Complete ARMAC training

Responsibilities

Email participants to inform of importance of ARMAC and add ade.armac@ade.arkansas.gov to email contacts
Ensure ALL participants complete annual training during testing period
Submit participant changes to DESE
Ensure participants respond to RMTS in a timely manner
Expedite Quarterly Claim Certification
Retain records

Resources

MAC-C Job Assignment Code

https://apscn.ade.arkansas.gov /

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TO DO:�● MAC-C job assignment code-August 7th�● Coordinator testing-August 11th

thru August 17th

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“Why can’t I log on to the Dashboard?”

DASHBOARD Access

If you make 3 wrong attempts, your password will be locked. Please follow the steps below:

Click on the "Forgot Password" link under the username and password.
You will receive a reset password link in your email.
Click that link and set a new password.

Sometime in July, we will clear the dashboard to get ready for the new year. You will NOT have access to your dashboard during this time.

Side note: I have received many emails asking why they are unable to log in to the dashboard. Once the dashboard is cleared out usually mid to late July, you will be unable to access the dashboard until you have successfully passed the coordinator training/test for the new year. When you receive your email that you have successfully passed your test, there will be a link in that email to set your password. If you do not receive this email, you did not pass 100%.
��If you have tried to log on 3 times, it will lock you out you can then do the following:
�If you make 3 wrong attempts, your password will be locked. Please follow the steps below:
1.Click on the "Forgot Password" link.
2. You will receive a reset password link in your email.
3. Click that link and set a new password.
��If this does not work, you will need to then email us, and we will have to contact the dashboard administrator.
�

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Criteria

Administrative oversight for health needs.
Employed by district/co-op
Partially paid from state or local funding sources
MAC-P assignment code
MAC-P Job Assignment Code Directions

Responsibilities

Save ade.armac@ade.arkansas.gov as a contact
Complete annual ARMAC training
Provide timely response to RMTS

Participant Selection

The 4th step in getting started with ARMAC is probably the most important! Participant selection should be based on employees whose daily activities would most likely include administrative oversight for addressing student health needs. Participants must be employed by the district or co-op, be paid partially from state or local funding services, and be given a MAC-P assignment code in eFinance. Participant responsibilities include saving the ade random moment email address as a contact, complete the annual training and provide timely responses to RMTS.
�Link is in the presentation for directions on how to add a MAC-P job assignment code. As a reminder, please remember to add the MAC-P code with every participant you add, even throughout the school year. This way your eFinance system is more up-to-date for the next year pull. Also, delete them if they are removed.
�

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ARMAC Roster Participant Recommendations �The following list is a compilation of recommended positions to include as participants in the ARMAC Time Study System under the federally approved ARMAC guidelines. This is not an inclusive list. The participant selection should be based on activities that would most likely include administrative oversight for addressing student health needs. All participants must be an employee of the district and at least partially paid from state/local funds.

This is not an inclusive list

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2026-2027 ARMAC Timeline

Timeline is subject to change

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Roster Verification Period

August 3rd - 11th

MAC-P Job Assignment Code Directions

Roster Verification Period

■ eFinance>e-Forms & Tools>CognosReporting>Team Content>Financial

ManagementSystem>Personnel>ARMAC>ARMAC

Roster Verification Report

■ Add or Remove MAC-P job assignment code as needed

■ DESE will upload information generated from eFinance using the ARMAC Roster Verification COGNOS Report into the ARMAC system.

Let’s step through what the ARMAC launch looks like…it will be around the same time each year.

1st step is the Roster Verification Period (this year August 3-August 11)

•Annually in August, one to two weeks before the school year begins Coordinators will need to pull the ARMAC Participant Verification Report in COGNOS and review their rosters.

•The purpose of this report is to allow the district to review a list of MAC-C and MAC-P designations in eFinance.

DESE will upload information generated from eFinance using the ARMAC Roster Verification COGNOS Report into the ARMAC system. Therefore, it is very important that this information is correct!

If you do not have access to COGNOS, you must work with your finance team to run this report for you.

�Efinance is the most accurate for the beginning rosters.

�

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Roster Verification Report

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Q1 Participant

ARMAC Training

8/17-8/21

The next step, is to complete the ARMAC annual online training. This training is intended to ensure ARMAC coordinators and participants understand the basic operation and purpose of the ARMAC program. As a reminder, Coordinators will test first (August 11-17) as we discussed earlier. However, if the coordinator is also a participant they will receive the test again to be active as a participant as well.

Once participants have been uploaded to the dashboard, they will receive a link via email sometime on August 17 prompting them to access and complete the training process. Training must be completed within 5 days after the start of each quarter. Participants who do not complete the training will have an inactive status in the system for the rest of the quarter. As a result, that participant will not be included in the cost pool and they will be ineligible to receive random moments. This will result in a decreased claim for the district that quarter.

The goal is 100% of participants tested for each district at the end of the Quarter 1 testing period. We were closer this year to the 100% goal, but still did not meet it. This of course leaves participants inactive, and reduces the funding amount for districts! However, if they remain inactive, they can test during the following quarter testing period and be included in the cost pool for that quarter.

One of the duties of a coordinator is to encourage testing!

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RMTS

(Random Moment Time Study)

�

RMTS

3500

A means of determining what portion of time a group of people spend performing specific tasks

Names randomly selected and assigned a specific moment in time

3 Categories

Non-Discounted
Discounted
Non-Payable

The activity is directly related to Medicaid, but not a billable service

Non-Discounted

Discounted

Non-Payable

The activity is not directly related to Medicaid, but is related to student health and wellness

The activity is related to an educational or personal activity

Once the participant testing period has ended for the quarter, there will be a Random Moment Time Study release date.

Out of the 14 to 16000 participants, 3,500 names are randomly selected from the ARMAC system and each one is assigned a specific minute of time on a certain date. The Random Moment Time Study System is a means of determining what portion of time ARMAC participants spend performing specific tasks. Because it is a random system, a single participant may be selected more than once, while others may not be selected at all. Those who are selected will receive an email with a specific time stamp, asking what they are doing in that moment. I believe I had a few districts reach out stating they didn’t have a moment for Q1. Because this is random, this can happen! Some districts may not even receive one.

All responses from the moments collected in a quarter are classified into one of 3 reimbursement categories:

The non-discounted category activity is directly related to Medicaid but not a billable service, is fully reimbursable from the ARMAC program.

An example is: Informing potential Medicaid eligible family about Medicaid services

The discounted category, activities that are not directly related to Medicaid but are related to student health and wellness.

An example is: Meeting regarding Speech, OT, PT, personal care or school based mental health services for a student

The third and final category is made up of non-payable activities. These are neither related to Medicaid nor student health and are typically general administration or educational activities. Examples are:

Teaching
Breaks/On leave

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Random Moment Release Day

Coordinator To Do List:

August 27^th

October 15^th

January 11^th

April 8th

Print and SAVE Participant Status Report from Dashboard

Dashboard>Participants>Select Current Quarter> Export Participants (open file using prompts on top right portion of screen)

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Participant Status Report

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Random Moment Progression

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3 Days Prior to Moment:

Participants will receive an email notification that they have been selected to respond to a random moment.

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Actual Random Moment

Participant has 5 days to answer
Click on Date and Time Stamp link to respond

Click the link!

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What were you doing?
Who were you with?
Why were you performing this activity?

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GREEN

ORANGE

RED

Day 1 or 2

Moment has

been sent and/or

participant has

responded.

Day 3 or 4

Participant has not responded. Coordinator should contact participant.

Day 5

Participant has not responded. Coordinator should contact participant and facilitate response.

(1,012 total expired in FY26)

Moment Progression

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Moment Progression

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Rejected Moments

Not enough information

5 additional days to respond

Rejected Moments

�Sometimes DESE will reject moments for additional information. This is usually because an answer is too vague or with just a little more information, could possibly be a payable moment. This example is one we receive very often. “Helping students” what were you helping students with, their schedule, opening a milk carton, or completing a Medicaid application? We also receive “in a meeting” or “answering an email” Which is normally rejected and asked if the meeting was regarding speech, OT, PT, personal care or school based mental health services for the student. Participants have 5 additional days to respond after a moment is rejected. District coordinators will also receive a copy of this email. As a coordinator, you may want to reach out to the individual and encourage them to provide more information. As you can see in the above example, the original response is included in the email.

� If a participant follows the 3 guiding questions:

What were you doing?
Who were you with?
Why were you performing this activity?

There should be enough information to accurately code a moment.

�

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DESE will upload September Salary and Benefit Costs from eFinance 10/5
Verify ARMAC Cost Report to Participant Status Report

eFinance>e-Forms & Tools>Cognos Reporting>Team Content>Financial Management System>Personnel>ARMAC>ARMAC Cost Report
Dashboard>Participants>Select Quarter>Export Participants (open the file using the prompts on the top right portion of the screen)

Check for Participants with zero salaries/benefits

Partially paid from state or local funds-submit an adjustment form with amounts
Not partially paid from state or local-submit adjustment form to remove
Participants without salary and benefit amounts will not be included in Quarter 3

COST UPLOAD

Salaries will rollover quarters 2-4 unless adjustment form is submitted

In August, the salary and benefit information is not pulled or uploaded. This comes later in October after the September payrolls have been ran for the districts. We will then receive a Cost report from APSCN that comes from the eFinance information. When these are uploaded in October, it is extremely important that you check for accuracy and to ensure that all participants have a salary and benefit enter and are not zeros. If we get to the 3rd quarter and any participant is still at zeros, they will be removed. If they don’t have a salary or benefit, that can’t count toward the claim or funding.

The first week in October, DESE will upload Participant salary and benefit costs from eFinance using September payroll data

Coordinators will need to Verify ARMAC Cost Report to Dashboard for Quarter 1

I have given the file paths for these reports here
Check for Participants with zero salaries/benefits

If partially paid from state or local funds, submit an adjustment form with amounts
If NOT partially paid from state or local funds, submit an adjustment form to remove
Participants without salary and benefit amounts will not be included in Quarter 3

We had lots of schools add participants back with salaries after they were removed at the end of quarter 2. Please be sure to update these salaries and benefits as soon as possible.

Salaries will rollover to quarters 2-4 unless an adjustment form is submitted.

�

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The way moments are answered makes a difference:

If just 50 of the 3,500 quarterly moments had been answered and coded as a discounted payable moment instead of a non-payable code, the Statewide Claim could have increased as much as $500,000!

The number of participants on your roster matters:

Having an additional $100,000 in claimable salary and benefits could increase a district’s claim $5,000 for one quarter.

Inactive participants are NOT included in claimable salaries:

If a participant is INACTIVE, their salary is not included in the calculation of your district’s reimbursement.

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Change of:

Email
Salary/Benefits
Job Title
RemoveParticipant
Add Participant

Online Adjustment Form

So how do you add participants or make changes? Once the school year gets going, after the initial upload, to add Participants or make any adjustments, you will need to submit an adjustment form. What is an adjustment form? Let's click on this link and open one up!

Top line is very important and is often left blank!! (The notorious line 4)

There are drop down boxes for the school/LEA number and quarter.

Date submitted should be the date the form is emailed

Coordinator name

Participant adjustment line - Drop down box for adjustment type

Effective date it is very important that the correct date is entered here!

The date the change happened- if someone starts on 10/19 put that date not the date submitted or the first of the quarter.

The next columns is for STATE ID not Employee ID or SS number (must be 10 digits), then name, and school email. If you are completing this form because there were zeros for salaries and benefits for a participant, put the first date of quarter. Salaries & Benefits need to be included for every form submitted if adding, salary and benefit changes, etc.

�There is an updated adjustment form that will be uploaded to the website and other places. This new form will need to be used and replace the old forms. I will send everyone an email with the link to the new form. This new form will also have a new drop down menu for Job Titles. We only have so many choices in the dashboard for job titles, so we will give you those options to choose from as you are adding your participants.

�After October 3^rd no further information is received from eFinance therefore it is very important to complete these forms.

�Please be sure to email the form as an EXCEL document to the email address on the bottom of the form ade.armacspecialist@ade.arkansas.gov

It is important for this form to be saved as an excel document for many reasons. At the beginning of a quarter, we can upload an excel sheet to the dashboard of new participants or when hand entering we can copy and paste the state ID and email address with less room for error!

�

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Salary x SDA x Medicaid Rate = Discounted Salary Salary x SNDA = Non-Discounted Salary Discounted Salary + Non-Discounted Salary = Total Salary Benefits x SDA x Medicaid Rate = Discounted Benefits Benefits x SNDA = Non-Discounted Benefits Disc. Benefits + Non-Discounted Benefits = Total Benefits Total Salary x 10% = UCR Total Salary + Total Benefits + UCR = Total Total x 50% (FFP Rate) = Claim Amount Claim Amount x 5% = Admin Fee Claim Amount - Admin Fee = Payment

ARMAC Claim Formula

If an adjustment is made, the prorated amount will be deducted.

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ARMAC Claim Formula

SNDA - Non- Discounted Activity - the activity is directly related to Medicaid, but not a billable service

SDA - Discounted Activity - the activity is not directly related to Medicaid, but is related to student health and wellness

UCR - Unrestricted Cost Rate (10%) - provides a way for the ARMAC reimbursement claim calculation to incorporate “administrative” indirect costs incurred by the district, related to the employee participant cost pool

FFP Rate - Federal Financial Participation (50%)- the portion of the ARMAC reimbursement claim paid by the federal government to states for their share of expenditures for providing Medicaid services and for administering the Medicaid program

Medicaid Rate - based on number of school age children that are Medicaid eligible, by county

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Medicaid Rate

Number of Medicaid eligible children,

per county ages 6-17

Divided by

Public school enrollment

per county ages 6-17

How are Medicaid rates calculated?

Co-op Medicaid Rates are determined by using data from all schools and counties in co-op area.

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Quarterly Claim Certification

Reconciliation

Use Participant Status Report printed/saved at beginning of quarter and any adjustment forms for quarter to reconcile Claimable Salaries, Claimable Benefits, and Total Costs.

Financial Officer must sign
Return via email to DESE at ade.armacspecialist@ade.arkansas.gov

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Reasons why certification may not match report:

Adjustment Forms

Salary and Benefits Change
Added Participant
Deleted Participant

Inactive participant took test between moment generation and time report was printed

VERY Important to print ASAP!

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133% Adjustment

100% of Quarter 4 and 33% of Quarter 3

Salaries

284.13 x 1.33 =$377.90

Benefits

63.63x 1.33=

84.63

33%-1 month

66%-2 months

100%-3 months

133%-4 months

166%-5 months

200%-6 months

Etc Etc Etc

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“Why are you asking me this?”

“I wasn’t with students”

“Working”

More Coding Talk!

In FY 2026, there were a total of 1,012 expired moments!

Those moments could have been payable!

“Paperwork”

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Resources

Dashboard Overview

https://armac.ade.arkansas.gov/

Correct Quarter
Participant Status
Random Moment Status
Participant Report
Adjustment form
Email from Dashboard

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ronnie.scott@ade.arkansas.gov

Any Questions?

https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/school-health-services/arkansas-medicaid-administrative-claiming-armac