In just a few days, one of Washington State’s public benefits eligibility systems will undergo a critical IT upgrade that will impact the primary portals Washingtonians use to apply for public benefits like food, cash assistance and health coverage. The upgrade of the Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES) will begin after 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 and last through 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.

During this time, the Washington Connection website 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, Customer Service Contact Center, Home and Community Services Financial Services, and the Developmental Disabilities Administration Long-Term Care Financial Call Centers.

Health Care Authority’s main call center will be open for general questions and provider support. Apple Health (Medicaid) eligibility services will be unavailable. ProviderOne will be available for normal operations except for adding or updating Apple Health eligibility.

Washington Healthplanfinder and their Customer Support Center (call center) –operated by Washington Health Benefit Exchange — 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 anticipated to be restored by 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.

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 system upgrade as it happens, follow updates on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).