Fair Hearing Service Specialist

City of New York•Brooklyn, NY

About The Position

The Fair Hearing Service Specialist works under the general supervision of a Fair Hearing Representative, with wide latitude for independent action and decision. The role performs administrative duties related to resolving adverse case actions affecting Cash Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid benefits, and prepares documentation for presentation of evidence at the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). The position is within Fair Hearing and Conference/Pre-NOI/FH New Initiatives & Quality Analysis in the Office of Fair Hearing Administration at the New York City Department of Social Services. The specialist conducts client conferences, reviews case information and agency actions, and coordinates appropriate corrections and follow-up. The role also explains clients’ fair hearing rights, prepares electronic evidence packets, monitors work queues, responds to inquiries and complaints, and may provide emergency coverage at another location within the same region. The stated schedule is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with flex. Provisional hires must take and pass the civil service exam when it becomes available to be eligible for continued employment.

Requirements

A four-year high school diploma or equivalent and three years of full-time satisfactory experience working directly in social/human services or a related setting, providing client services or employment planning/counseling services involving job development, skills assessment, employment placement, or other economic opportunity programming; or
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist; or
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience in the social/human services experience described in the first qualification; or
College credit from an accredited institution may substitute for work experience at a rate of 60 semester credits per 9 months of experience, but candidates must have at least 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist or in the described social/human services work.
Provisional hires must take and pass the civil service exam when it becomes available to be eligible for continued employment.

Responsibilities

Conduct conferences with Cash Assistance recipients to review agency decisions affecting Cash Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid benefits and determine whether the agency action was appropriate.
Notify clients of conference decisions and, when warranted, notify Job Center staff of required corrective actions.
Conduct in-person and/or telephone conferences to determine whether cases can be resolved.
Review case databases, including WMS, POS, and SEAMS, to verify the accuracy of actions and determine whether Notices of Intent or decisions are defective.
Take appropriate action to correct resolvable cases and use the FHEMS system to route cases to the appropriate Fair Hearings or FIA unit.
Explain the fair hearing process and clients’ rights to appeal adverse conference decisions to the New York State Department of Social Services Fair Hearing Division.
Prepare electronic fair hearing evidence packets in FHEMS, incorporating relevant documents for presentation at OAH.
Coordinate with Fair Hearing Representatives to ensure evidence packets are complete and include any resolutions taken.
Review fair hearing stipulations and Pre-Hearing Dispositions to determine appropriate follow-up action, and notify Job Center staff of actions required to comply with fair hearing decisions.
Monitor and review individual system queues to ensure work is completed promptly; consult the immediate supervisor about workload issues and the appropriateness of case actions.
Stay informed about changes to agency policies and procedures and maintain understanding of changes to the FHEMS system.
Serve as the service representative for client complaints, determine actions needed to resolve them, and review social service problem areas for causes of complaints.
Provide referrals to other HRA social service agencies when necessary.
Respond verbally or in writing to telephone or written inquiries and complaints from outside agencies, public officials, and central office operations regarding clients and fair hearing activities.
Under the direction of the covering Office Manager, provide emergency coverage at another location within the same region.