Alacctas Alabama Electronic Child Care User Manual

Alacctas Alabama Electronic Child Care

INTRODUCTION

This user guide provides information about the features and functionality of the Alabama Time and Attendance System Provider Web Portal, commonly referred to as “the Provider Portal or “the portal”.
The Provider Portal is an internet based application used by child care providers to research information regarding children on the Alabama TAS program. The portal can be accessed from any location where you have an internet connection and know your password.
The Provider Portal provides information regarding you, as a provider, Authorization information regarding the child, and parent and designee card and case information. When logged into the Provider Portal application, the user has rights to view only the provider related information associated with their User ID. No other provider’s information is accessible.

About This Guide

• Purpose
  This document describes the processes for accessing the Provider Web Portal for viewing the provider profile, authorizations, and transaction information specific to the provider logged into the application. This user guide is intended as a resource manual when using the application.

• Use of this Guide
  The user guide does not provide step-by-step instructions for site navigation; however, it does provide detailed screen information and instructions for conducting inquiries. For additional assistance with the application, please contact the Provider Helpdesk at 1-866-316-5450.

• Graphics
  The graphic illustrations in this guide are screen images that show whole or partial Alabama Provider Portal screens. The entries seen in the illustrations in this guide are not actual provider data. It is possible that the data or screens you see in the live application may vary slightly from the screen images shown in this manual. Some updates may have been completed after the time of printing of this manual. For questions on items of this nature, please also contact the Provider Helpdesk at 1-866-316-5450.

About the Alabama Time and Attendance System Provider Web Portal

The Alabama TAS Provider web Portal is primarily a “see” system, which means you will be viewing data within the application as opposed to “doing” any type of data entry. This manual will allow for a child care provider to view specific child care data and help manage attendance through the Alabama TAS program. All Portal screens use drop-down menus and point-and-click techniques to facilitate an easy-to-use method to access and view child care transaction data. Data can be retrieved and viewed that is associated with:

• The provider profile
• The list of children for which is Authorized
• The viewing of attendance transactions and case profiles
• The viewing of Authorization reports and detailed payment information

PROVIDER PORTAL BASICS

This section describes basic information on accessing the Alabama Provider Portal, logging in to the website, and other common screen information.

Accessing the Provider Portal

To access the Provider Portal, the computer must be connected to the internet. Follow the steps below:

• Open the internet using Internet Explorer.
• Type the Alabama Provider Portal address into the address box at the top of the screen: http://www.alacctas.com/eccpw (It is recommended to set this website address as a ‘Favorite” in the browser.)
• Press the Enter key

The website opens at the Login Screen, which requires a valid login (User ID) and password. The User ID is a 10 digit number that starts with 5000. This number may be found on the Notice of Registration received from the Child Care Management (CMA) in each region.
The initial password is the 5-digit zip code of the child care facility. For security reasons, you are required to change the password on your initial login. A security question is asked in case the password is forgotten or misplaced.

Login Screen

• Purpose:
  This screen allows a provider to log into the Alabama Provider Web Portal.

• General Information:
  Each provider is required to have a valid User ID and password in order to access the application that must be utilized every time the portal is accessed.
  The User ID is the provider number which is included in the provider packet issued by the CMA.
  The initial password is the 5-digit zip code of the child care facility.
  The Password Change screen will automatically appear the first time the Web Portal is accessed. Follow the instructions in section 2.3 for password change.

User Actions:

1. Enter the User ID. This is the provider number which is 10 digits, begins with 5000, and may be found on the Notice of Registration received from the CMA in the region.
2. Enter the password. For initial login, this is the 5-digit zip code of the child care facility.
3. Click the blue Login button.

Change Password Screen

• Purpose:
  This screen allows for changes to be made in the password on the initial login or the password can be reset if forgotten.

• General Information:
  The first time the Portal is accessed it will automatically be directed to this screen. If changes need to be made in the future the password screen can be accessed any time by clicking Forgot Password on the Login Screen and entering the answer to the security question that is set up when the Portal is first accessed.

The following are requirements when selecting a password.

Required:

• Minimum password length is eight (8) characters
• Maximum password length is twelve (12) characters
• Minimum one lower case alpha character
• Minimum one number
• Minimum one upper case alpha character
• Minimum one of the following special characters:
  • at sign @
  • percent sign %
  • plus sign +
  • backslash \
  • slash /
  • single quotation mark ‘
  • exclamation point !
  • number sign #
  • dollar sign $
  • caret ^
  • question mark ?
  • colon :
  • comma ,
  • period .
  • left parenthesis (
  • right parenthesis )
  • left brace {
  • right brace }
  • left bracket [
  • right bracket ]
  • tilde ~
  • grave accent/back quote `
  • hyphen –
  • underscore _

Other constraints

• Passwords cannot be repeated within one (1) year after last used
• New passwords cannot be the same as the current password or the previous five (5) passwords

For security reasons, if a password is entered incorrectly three (3) times in a row, the system disables the user account and the system will be locked. If lockout occurs, click on the Forgot Password link underneath the blue Login button and follow the instructions in section 2.5. If access to the portal remains locked, contact the Provider Helpdesk at 866-316-5450 to have the password reset.
The program requires a change in the password every 60 days.

User Actions

1. Enter the current password in the “Old Password” field. (Since this is the initial login, the “Old Password” is still the 5-digit zip code of the facility.)
2. After considering the password requirements, create a new password and enter it in the “New Password” field. Enter that same password again in the “Confirm Password” field and click on the Change button.
3. Upon pressing the Change button, the system will be directed to the Security Question set up screen. Follow the instructions in section 2.4 to set up a security question.

Security Question Screen

• Purpose:
  This screen assists in setting up a security question so the password can be reset later if forgotten.

• General Information:
  All information on this screen is required. Select one of the questions from the drop down menu, answer it in the Security Answer box, confirm the answer in the Confirm Security Answer box, and click the Save button.
  The text typed for the Security Answer and the Confirm Security Answer must match exactly. The text entered for the Security Answer and Confirm Security Answer show as colored dots rather than text for security purposes.
  When logging in for the first time, a security question must be entered immediately after changing your original password.

User Actions:

1. Select a security question from the drop down menu.
2. Enter the answer in the Security Answer field and enter that same answer in the Confirm Security Answer field. The answers exactly the same.
3. Click the Save button when finished.
4. When the security question has been saved, the system will automatically take the user to the Provider Profile screen. This is the indication the user have logged into the website successfully.

Forgot Password – User ID Screen

• Purpose:
  If the password is forgotten, enter the User ID to set a new password with your security question.

• General Information:
  This screen is opened from the Login Page by clicking the Forgot Password? Link under the blue Login button.
  All information on this screen is required. Enter the User ID assigned and click the Submit button.
  Remember: the User ID is the 10 digit number that begins with 5000.
  If the User ID is forgotten, contact the Provider Helpdesk or the local CMA in your region for assistance.

User Actions

1. Enter the User ID.
2. Click the Submit button.
3. The system will automatically take the use to the security answer screen discussed in the next section. It will prompt the user to complete the security question that was previously chosen.

Forgot Password – Security Answer Screen

• Purpose:
  The purpose of this screen is to assist providers in setting a new password, using the security question previously completed.
  When a password is forgotten, the only option is to select a new password. The portal does not have the ability to email an old password or make notification by some other means. A new password will need to be set.

• General Information:
  This screen opens after the User ID is entered on the “Security Question User ID” page. Then click the Submit button. From there, the User ID will carry forward as the first field on this screen but is a field that cannot change or edit.
  All information on this screen is required. The system defaults to the security question chosen previously. In this screen, the answer to the security question is NOT case-sensitive. Therefore, the answer McCloskey and MCCLOSKEY are the same.
  For security purposes, the text entered for the Security Answer appears as colored dots, not text.
  If the wrong answer is entered, the system will display an error message indicating that either the User ID or answer is incorrect.
  After three (3) failed attempts to answer the security questions correctly, the system will be locked and will not start a new session. Contact the Provider Helpdesk for assistance. If the User ID is forgotten, contact the Provider Helpdesk.

User Actions

1. Enter the answer to the security question in the Security Answer field.
2. Click the Submit button.
3. Clicking this button takes the user to the “User Password Change” screen shown below. At this point, reset the password by choosing a new one. Instructions for completing this screen are described in section 2.7

Forgot Password – Change Password Screen

• Purpose:
  This screen allows for the selection of a new password when forgotten.

• General Information:
  This screen is opened after entering the answer to the Security Question then click the Submit button. All information on this screen is required. The new password must meet the following requirements:
  The following are requirements when selecting a password.

Required:

• Minimum password length is eight (8) characters
• Maximum password length is twelve (12) characters
• Minimum one lower case alpha character
• Minimum one number
• Minimum one upper case alpha characters
• Minimum one of the following special characters:
  • at sign @
  • percent sign %
  • plus sign +
  • backslash \
  • slash /
  • single quotation mark ‘
  • exclamation point !
  • number sign #
  • dollar sign $
  • caret ^
  • question mark ?
  • colon :
  • comma ,
  • period .
  • left parenthesis (
  • right parenthesis )
  • left brace {
  • right brace }
  • left bracket [
  • right bracket ]
  • tilde ~
  • grave accent/back quote `
  • hyphen –
  • underscore _

Other constraints

• Passwords cannot be repeated within one (1) year after last used
• New passwords cannot be the same as the current password or the previous five (5) passwords.

User Actions

1. Following the password requirements noted above, enter the new password in the New Password field.
2. Enter the same password again in the Confirm Password field. These two entries must match.
3. Click the Change button.
4. Upon clicking the Change button, the system immediately returns to the main login screen. (Section 2.2) The User ID field will already be populated with the User ID. Enter the new password and click the Login button.
5. The Provider Profile home screen will appear. This action indicates the password change was successful.

Common Screen Areas
Some common screen features appear on every screen in the Provider Portal. These common features are explained in this section of this manual.

Note: These areas do not appear on the Security Question Password Reset screens.

1. Home Area
   In the top, left-hand portion of the screen is the Alabama ECC heading area of the portal. Roll the mouse over this area, when the cursor changes to a hand, click in the blue portion of the screen and it returns back to the Main Screen.
   

2. Information Access Sections
   The top right hand section of the screen is where the user will access information in the portal
   Roll the mouse over Admin to open a list of the related screens that can be accessed
   Options: “Password Change” and “User Profile” These screens do the following:
   Password Change opens the Password Change Screen discussed in section 2.3. Using this option it manually forces a password change at any time.
   User Profile opens the User Profile Screen discussed in section 2.8.3.

3. User Info Area
   Moving the mouse pointer over USER INFO will show the user name, date and time of last log in and the time last performed action on the Portal.

4. Log-out Area
   Clicking on the Log-out link of any screen logs out of the Portal and returns to the Login Screen. In order to use the Portal log in is required.

5. Hyperlinks
   Any Portal information shown on the screen in blue type is a hyperlink or link that can be clicked to go to a new page which gives more detailed information about the selected item.

Navigation and Option Buttons

Several navigation and option buttons will appear on the search result screens in the top left side of the screen. Below is an explanation of these features.

Pagination Features

Display Records

Export Options

CSV Export
This option allows the user to export the search results to a standard .csv file. CSV is ‘comma separated value’, meaning the data is put in a simple text file with each data element separated by a comma. This file can then be imported into many different computer applications, including Microsoft Excel, but also many spreadsheet type programs. CSV is more of a universal file type.
Performing this type of export allows the user to filter and manipulate the search results for other types of reports or spreadsheets.

XLS Export
This option allows the user to export the search results to a standard .xls file. Exporting to .xls transports the data directly to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Doing this type of export allows the user to manipulate the search results in a Microsoft Excel application.

Other Results Options

• Filter Results
  This option allows the user to filter the results based on specific criteria.

• Clear Results
  This option clears any previous search filters.

The magnifying glass (Filter Results) and the refresh (Clear Results) icons allow the user to filter or clear the search. By clicking on the box above the column heading and entering a value in the text box, the user can then filter the search results by clicking on the magnifying glass. The refresh button restores the search to the results before the filter. For example, in a search results table containing a list of last names, the user could click on the empty box above the column heading and insert “SMITH” and click on the magnifying glass. The table would then display only matching names with “SMITH”. Clicking on the refresh button would change the list back to its original contents.

Column Sort
Most columns in the search results are available to sort by. Roll the cursor over the blue header of each column and if the cursor changes to a hand, that column is available for sorting. Once the column has been sorted, a white arrow will appear next to the column header.

Browser Buttons
Internet Explorer has “Back” and “Forward” buttons; sometimes called, “Next” and “Previous” buttons. These functions also work within the Provider Web Portal to allow for easy navigation between screens.
The buttons used in Internet Explorer are featured in this section.

PROVIDER SCREENS

Provider Profile

• Purpose:
  This screen displays the provider profile. It is often referred to as the “Home Screen.”

• General Information:
  This screen contains general demographic information about the facility, i.e. facility name, address, phone number, etc. If information on this screen is incorrect, contact your CMA representative.

Provider Authorizations

• Purpose:
  This screen allows the user to view Authorizations and displays a list of children authorized at the facility.

• General Information:
  The Case Number and Authorization Number are system generated numbers that occur when the information comes into the child care program from the state’s eligibility system.
  The Child Number is a system assigned number. At the time of conversion to e-Child Care, existing children on the case are assigned a number beginning at 01, 02, and 03 and so on – from youngest to oldest child on the case. New children added to the case after that, will be assigned the next number in numerical order for the case, regardless of their age within the family at that time.

Provider Transaction Search Screen

• Purpose:
  This screen allows user to search for transactions performed at the facility.

• General Information:
  This is an inquiry screen that is available on the Provider Profile screen. To execute a search, enter the date range in the Start Date and End Date fields. The date must be entered in MM/DD/YYYY format. The user must have a two digit number for the month and day and a 4 digit number for the year. For example: 05/02/2014 would represent May 2, 2014.
  For example, to retrieve a report of all transactions in the month of June, enter 06/01/2014 in the “Start Date” field and then 06/30/2014 in the “End Date” field then press the Search button.
  Further actions are described on the following page.

Provider Transaction Report

• Purpose:
  This report shows all transactions that have occurred at a facility for the specified dates.

• General Information:
  Order of the results is as follows:

  • Date/Time of transaction
  • Child Name
  • Child Number
  • Card Number
  • Transaction Type
  • Date/Time of entry
  • Response

Any of these columns can be sorted and reordered by clicking in the blue header area of the column as explained in Section 2.9.5
The Trans Type field shows the type of activity on the card at the facility. Some possible entries are:

IN/OUT (Check In/ Check Out)
P/IN or P/OUT (Previous Check In or Previous Check Out)
SAF IN or SAF OUT (Check In/Out occurred while the device was in Store and Forward mode)
For a swipe that was performed as a “Previous” transaction, the date and time the Previous In/Out swipe actually occurred is shown in the Entry Date/Time field.
The Response column notes the response received from the POS machine as a reminder, the results of this report can be exported to a .csv file or a .xls file as explained in section 2.9.3.

Case Profile Screens

• Purpose:
  This screen allows the user to view case specific information for cases with Authorizations at your facility.

The following screen shows a sample of the screen that returns when a specific child is selected:

Clicking on the highlighted authorization number will provide the user with specific information for the child as shown below:

Entering Closure Dates

• Purpose:
  This action allows user to enter closure dates in Web Portal prior to the actual closure date. Once the dates have been entered the screen will display a list of dates for future viewing.

• General Information:
  Closure dates can be entered into EPPIC for the current fiscal year plus 2 consecutive fiscal years (13 per fiscal year) or by 11:59 pm prior to the day of closure.

• Function:
  In the Provider Profile screen, click on the third blue button “Closure Dates” and it will navigate to “Modify Provider Closure Dates”. In the next box the user can “Add Closure Dates”, make sure to click the blue save button.

Once a closure date have been entered, the user can remove or make change as long as the date is not in the past and it has an active “Remove” button to the right of the closure date on the screen.

Provider Payment Screens

• Purpose:
  The following screens allow the user to view payment information for the facility. There are several screens which provide the user with different payment data based on the screen selected.

• General Information:
  Additional screens available include the Payment Detail Screen, Child Payment Detail Screen, Child Attendance Detail Screen, and Payment Adjustment Detail Screen.

Selecting the date of the report shown in the drop down box will result in the display of the Provider Payment Detail Screen shown on the screenshot below. The Payment Date field reflects the date the payment is settled, not the date the payment is deposited. The settlement date is always the Sunday, one week prior to the deposit date.

1. Provider Payment Detail Screen
   Clicking on the Total amount for a child will show the Child Payment Detail Screen giving the user detail for that child payment shown in the following screen.

2. Child Payment Detail Screen
   By clicking on the blue child hour’s link shown in the Child Payment Information box, the detail of the attendance information as shown on the Child Attendance Detail screen in the following illustration.

3. Child Attendance Detail Screen

4. Payment Adjustment Detail Screen
   By clicking on the blue Auth Adjustment Amount link shown in the Child Payment Information box, the detail of the attendance information as shown on the Child Attendance Detail screen in the following illustration.

5. Provider Payment Adjustment Detail Screen:
   This screen is accessed from the Provider Payment Detail Screen by clicking on the Total Provider Adjustment Amount which is shown in blue and represents a link to the screen shown above. Refer to the Provider Payment Detail Screen for this sample screen.

Unmatched Check-In/Check-Out Report

• Purpose:
  This screen allows the user to view a report of all unmatched transactions for children that have checked in but have not checked out.

• General Information:
  This report is useful in identifying parents that have not completed transactions for an attendance cycle.

The user can select a report for either today’s transactions or a report covering the previous 10 days. A sample of this report is shown below.

1099 Report

• Purpose:
  This screen allows the user to retrieve a 1099 form for the facility.

• General Information:
  The year is selected through a drop down box and clicking on search.

HELP
For further assistance with the Alabama TAS Provider Web Portal, contact the:
Provider Help Desk 1-866-316-5450

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