Specifications include, but are not limited to: A. The AVS shall operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year except during limited periods for maintenance and occurrences outside the control of the Contractor. Routine service interruptions shall not be scheduled during normal business hours. Notifications for routine service interruptions shall be provided in writing to DHS and scheduled during agreed upon down times. The Contractor shall notify DHS within fifteen (15) minutes of any unscheduled interruption. DHS reserves the right to request changes to configurations. All configurations shall be approved by DHS. B. Contractor shall provide the following types of configurations for communications: 1. DHS to Vendor Asset Verification Requests a. Implementation of electronic asset verification requests. The format for these requests must, at minimum, include the cross-platform XML data exchange format. b. A single web service request will potentially contain multiple requests for verification for distinct individuals (bundling or batching). c. Transactions with the web service between DHS and the Contractor will be conducted using secure SSL encryption technology to ensure protection of sensitive data; and d. Upon receipt of a request, the web service must immediately return a response code or message indicating successful receipt of the request. The AVS must allow initiated verification requests to be sent to FIs other than those identified by the applicant or recipient. The AVS must provide an option for DHS to submit and receive a response for specified FI request. 2. Contractor to FI Communication a. The technologies and processes selected for communication between the Contractor and the various FI’s should be selected and implemented with the following factors in mind: i. Compliance with federal, state, and local regulations related to the financial industry and consumer information. ii. Implementation of secure technologies and processes to protect the sensitive financial information being exchanged; and Note: The Contractor shall ensure the highest level of security in compliance with State and Federal laws, rules, and regulations. iii. Implementation of strategies and technology that encourage the broadest participation of FI’s in the vendor network. b. Contractor shall submit requests as received from DHS to FIs requesting verification of assets for an Arkansas Medicaid recipient or applicant and the spouse, if applicable. The request shall include information on both open and closed accounts, going back for a period of up to five (5) years as requested by DHS. The Contractor may be required to send electronic requests to multiple FIs depending on the information received during the application process; multiple FI locations may be required based on the geographic location to the Member or applicant’s residence or other reasonable factors including DHS’s designation of the FI. c. Request shall allow for the specification of one (1) or more variables within the same request that may include without limitation the following: i. Date range of account ownership and monthly statement balances ii. Disclosed FIs and types of accounts iii. Medicaid category of the applicant or recipient iv. Indicator of SNAP participation by applicant or recipient. d. Request shall include verification of assets contained in any of the following types of accounts: i. Checking ii. Savings iii. Investment accounts, iv. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) v. Treasury notes vi. Certificates of deposit vii. Annuities viii. Bonds ix. Other assets that may be held by the FI.
