FAIR HEARING SERVICE SPECIALIST
About The Position
The Fair Hearing Service Specialist performs administrative duties related to resolving adverse case actions affecting Cash Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid benefits, and prepares documentation for presenting evidence at the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). The role works under the general supervision of a Fair Hearing Representative, with wide latitude for independent action and decision-making. The position is within the Office of Fair Hearing Administration’s Fair Hearing and Conference/Pre-NOI/FH New Initiatives & Quality Analysis area. It supports conferences and case reviews, helps resolve client disputes and complaints, coordinates corrective actions with Job Center staff, and prepares fair hearing evidence packets. The role also monitors work queues, keeps current with agency policies and FHEMS changes, and may provide emergency coverage at another location within the same region. The stated schedule is 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with flexibility. Provisional hires must take and pass the civil service exam when it becomes available to be eligible for continued employment.
Requirements
- A 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.
- Alternatively, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist.
- Alternatively, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience in qualifying social/human services or related work described in the qualifications.
- College credit from an accredited institution may substitute for work experience at a rate of 60 semester credits per nine months of experience; a minimum of 18 months of qualifying full-time satisfactory experience is still required.
- Provisional hires must take and pass the civil service exam when it becomes available to be eligible for continued employment.
Responsibilities
- Work with Cash Assistance recipients to resolve case actions affecting Cash Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid benefits by conducting conferences and reviewing whether agency actions were appropriate.
- Notify clients of conference decisions and, when warranted, notify Job Center staff of corrective action needed to resolve cases.
- Conduct in-person and/or telephone conferences to determine whether cases can be resolved.
- Review case databases, including WMS, POS, and SEAMS, to verify agency actions and identify defective Notices of Intent or decisions.
- Take appropriate action to correct resolvable cases and use FHEMS to route cases to the appropriate Fair Hearings/FIA Unit.
- Explain fair hearing processes 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.
- Notify Job Center staff of actions required to comply with fair hearing decisions.
- Monitor and review individual system queues to ensure work is completed in a timely manner.
- Consult with the immediate supervisor about workload issues and the appropriateness of actions taken on cases.
- Keep current with agency policy and procedure changes and changes to the FHEMS system.
- Serve as a service representative for client complaints, determine actions needed to resolve them, and review social service problem areas for causes of complaints.
- 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.
- When directed by the covering Office manager, provide emergency coverage at another location within the same region.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
High school or GED
