4.8 Account
The Account section of the Account Home menu displays three options: View my letters, Account settings, and Update Contact Info. To access these options, members can also select Account or the mail icon from the header. Through View my letters, members can see letters that have been sent to them either by paper mail or electronically. Through Account settings, members can change their account details. Through Update Contact Info, members can change their contact information and how they want to be contacted.
.png)
If a person has already requested to get their letters online and has unread letters from the last 30 days, a message displays with a link to the unread letters.
If a person has not requested to get their letters online, a message displays directing them to the Update Contact Info page. This message can be removed by clicking Dismiss. Once dismissed, the message doesn't display again for that account.
.png)
4.8.1 View My Letters
Clicking View My Letters displays a page listing the letters that have been sent to a person. To view these letters, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
ACCESS automatically displays letters from the last 90 days. If you want to view letters from a certain year, you can select the option from the drop-down menu.
| Note | Letters that were sent prior to December 22, 2014, cannot be viewed in ACCESS. If a letter is not available in ACCESS, it can be requested from a person’s agency. |
.png)
To view a letter, click the magnifying glass or View. The letter opens as a PDF in a separate window.
4.8.1.1 Online Delivery Confirmation
If people sign up to get their letters online, at the Update Contact Info page (see Section 4.8.3 Update Contact Info), they receive both a letter in the mail and an email confirming their request and the email address they are sent to in the future. The letter and email also contain information about creating or signing into an ACCESS account.
| Note | The confirmation email is automated. Do not reply to the email as replies are sent to an unmonitored inbox and are not read. Contact a person's agency or Member Services with any questions about the email. |
.png)
4.8.2 Account Settings
To view or change account details, like a password, select Account settings on the Account Home menu.
4.8.2.1 Manage Your Account
On the Manage Your Account page, people can do the following:
- Access the New Password page to change their password.
- View a list of all the names and user IDs of the ACCESS accounts that were created using their personal information. People could see multiple names and user IDs if they created more than one account, if they let someone else create an account to help manage their benefits, or if their authorized representative or another third party created an account using their personal information.
- Lock their account if they are the primary person or the primary person's spouse (see SECTION 4.8.2.2 LOCK ACCESS ACCOUNT).
.png)
If people only provided their SSN and date of birth when creating their account or if they submitted an application online and now have an established case, they also have an option to provide personal information to update their account and be able to perform more actions through their account, such as reporting changes.
.png)
4.8.2.2 Lock ACCESS Account
Some people may not want any of their information to be available through ACCESS after they establish an account. In these cases, the primary person and their spouse may choose to lock the account, which means that no one on the case, including the primary person or their spouse, can see case information through ACCESS.
Accounts should only be locked if there are serious concerns about someone being able to use another person's SSN, date of birth, or case information to log into ACCESS without that person's permission.
.png)
Click Lock My Account. A yellow warning message appears.
.png)
Click Lock My Account again to lock the account.
.png)
When a person logs back into ACCESS, they are not able to perform any actions on the account other than creating a new application request. The ability to perform all other functions, such as submitting renewals or change reports or viewing letters, is removed. A status message on the Account Home page under My Benefits indicates that benefits cannot be viewed or checked.
.png)
4.8.2.3 Unlock ACCESS Account
For an account to be unlocked, the member must provide proof of ID to a worker, and the worker must have the local CARES coordinator email the DHS CARES Problem Resolution Team to request that viewing privilege be restored.
| Note | The status message in Section 4.8.2.2 Lock ACCESS Account must be present for an account to be unlocked. |
Once the account has been unlocked (access to Check My Benefits has been restored), the member is able to view their account information in ACCESS.
4.8.3 Update Contact Info
Updated contact information helps members stay informed, while updated contact preferences help members prioritize getting information that is most useful to them.
To view or change contact information and contact preferences, click “Update Contact Info” under Account on the Account Home menu.
Or select the “Account” drop-down menu from the navigation header to find the “Update contact info” link.
.png)
On this page members can:
- Update phone numbers.
- Update email addresses.
- Choose to have communications be paperless (see Section 4.8.1.1 Online Delivery Confirmation).
- Manage the types of emails and texts they want to receive.
Show/Hide an example of the pageShow/Hide an example of the page
.png)
| Contact information | How to enter |
| Set contact details | This section is where account members can review and update their current email address and phone number. |
| Your email address |
Enter an email address in standard form, for example, name@mail.com. The primary person may only update their email address. The primary person’s spouse may only update their email address. |
| Phone information |
Enter 10-digit household phone numbers and select each phone type: Home, Work, or Cell. The primary person and primary person’s spouse may update all phone numbers listed on their case. If the primary phone number is a landline or work phone that can’t receive text messages, add an additional cell phone number for texts. If “I don’t have a phone” is checked, the next question displays. |
| Message Phone |
Add a 10-digit Message Phone number. A message phone is a number of a family member, friend, community partner, or authorized representative trusted to receive calls or voicemails. This number doesn’t receive text messages. |
| Set paper mail preferences |
This section allows members to check a box to include either, neither, or both for the following communication methods when receiving messages: Text and/or Email Checking a box means the member opts in to receiving a type of message. Unchecking a box means the member opts out of receiving a type of message. Members may make selections based on two different categories: Need to know and Nice to know. |
| Need to know |
Need to know messages provide important updates about a person’s benefits, depending on the program. Check or uncheck boxes for texts and emails applicable to the person’s benefit programs.
|
| Nice to know |
Nice to know categories are communications that could be useful for a person to know but are not directly tied to maintaining their current benefits. Check or uncheck boxes for text and emails applicable to the person’s benefit programs.
The next question displays only if a person is receiving health care benefits and is a primary person at least 18 years old or is another adult on the case at least 19 years old. |
| Would you like to receive emails from health care partners? |
Select Yes or No. Selecting Yes means the person consents to share their email address and receive emails from health care partners, such as HMOs. If a primary person signs up to receive emails, the consent applies to that primary person and any of their dependents who are aged 18 years or younger. If a person is not the primary person, the consent applies to just that person. |
Choosing to receive or not receive any email or text from the above categories is optional and can be changed at any time. Members are automatically opted into all categories until they update the “Update contact information and preferences” section.
4.8.3.1 Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences Page
Members can manage some preferences if they don’t have an ACCESS account or aren’t logged in to an ACCESS account.
They can click the “Unsubscribe or manage preferences” link at the bottom of any email they receive from DHS or DCF.
.png)
.png)
After clicking the link, the member is brought to the Unsubscribe or manage preferences page, where they can make changes to their email preferences (see Section 4.8.3 Update Contact Info).
Members must log in to an active ACCESS account or contact their agency if they need to update contact information, such as their phone number or email address.
.png)
Text messages provide members with an option at the end of each message to reply “STOP.” Replying “STOP” unsubscribes the member from text messages. Replying “STOP” doesn’t allow members to choose the type of texts they receive. If a member has stopped receiving texts but wants to start getting them again, they can reply “JOIN” to opt back in.
This page last updated in Release Number: 24-03
Release Date: 11/15/2024
Effective Date: 11/15/2024