BENEFITS AND ELIGIBILITY SPECIALIST ADVANCED

Arizona Department of Administration • Phoenix, AZ

9d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Economic Security, Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility, is seeking an experienced, highly motivated individual to join our team as a Benefits and Eligibility Specialist Advanced in the Family Assistance Administration (FAA) Appeals Processing Unit. This position is responsible for conducting pre-hearing conferences with appellants, attending fair hearings, acting as a department witness, and completing required actions as instructed by the Office of Appeals. This position coordinates with FAA offices and Fair Hearing Liaisons to ensure that offices meet Federal and State requirements for the processing of fair hearing requests and benefits. At this level, employees serve as a resource for solving complex problems involving multiple programs, coordinating benefits across programs, reconciling benefits in programs involving both state and federal laws and regulations, and serving as an advocate in the appeals process.

This position may offer the ability to work remotely, within Arizona, based upon the department's business needs and continual meeting of expected performance measures.

The State of Arizona strives for a work culture that affords employees flexibility, autonomy, and trust. Across our many agencies, boards, and commissions, many State employees participate in the State’s Remote Work Program and are able to work remotely in their homes, in offices, and in hoteling spaces. All work, including remote work, should be performed within Arizona unless an exception is properly authorized in advance.

Requirements

• Federal, State, and Agency statutes, rules, and regulations governing eligibility and grant determination for multiple public assistance programs and related case administrative techniques.
• Policies, procedures, and programs of the department applicable to the area of assignment.
• Program services used to conduct quality control reviews.
• Automated systems and software
• Interviewing and assessment techniques
• Communication, conflict resolution, mediation, and collaboration techniques
• Research processes and hearing procedure
• evidentiary rules and court procedure
• Written and verbal communication to explain and interpret Federal and State laws, statutes, rules, regulations, and guidelines applicable to the area of assignment.
• Independent problem solving, analyzing, and decision-making for complex issues
• Customer service, interviewing, listening, and negotiation; effective public speaking
• Preparation and review of legal documents, research techniques, and evidentiary requirements
• Evaluate and make appropriate decisions (or determinations).
• provide technical assistance to staff; detect and evaluate potential fraudulent situations
• Access, maintain, review, and interpret database information, compile, and present program information.
• Lead, direct, and train other eligibility staff
• Explain program benefits, requirements, procedures, and complex rules and programs so they can be understood by people of diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
• Appear as a department witness in hearings to explain department actions and benefit eligibility determination

Nice To Haves

• Three (3) years of experience performing benefits and eligibility reviews and determinations.
• One year of case read or quality review experience.
• Knowledgeable of application areas within DBME (i.e., AZTECS, HEAplus, CATS, FastTracker).
• Knowledge of programs (SNAP, TANF, MA) by the FAA.
• One year of experience in trial law, civil law, or corporate law environment; or minimum two years transferable experience in an environment related to the appeals process.

Responsibilities

• Performs quality control and/or quality assurance reviews of eligibility determinations to verify and ensure accuracy of benefit determinations based on the established Federal and State rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, making corrections and/or working with the office to correct errors.
• Reads, interprets, and applies state and federal laws, internal policies, and procedures, applies legal research principles and techniques, and completes research on relevant laws, regulations, and legal articles.
• Reviews evidence, draft correspondence, and legal documents according to the principles of legal report writing, and provides feedback to management on error trends.
• Conducts pre-hearing conferences with appellants, attends fair hearings, acts as department witness, and completes required actions as instructed by the Office of Appeals.
• Processes tasks related to the appeals process, and completes and submits monthly reports related to the work activity for the Specialist Unit.
• Provides problem-solving services to local office staff and the public.
• Reviews program compliance with applicable Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations.
• Rework cases to complete eligibility determinations as necessary.
• Attends and participates in work groups involving region and local office process improvements.
• Leads project teams to achieve milestones and objectives.

Benefits

• Affordable medical, dental, life, and short-term disability insurance plans
• Participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and long-term disability plans
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child.
• Deferred compensation plan
• Wellness plans
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Stipend Opportunities
• Infant at Work Program
• Rideshare and Public Transit Subsidy
• Career Advancement & Employee Development Opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed