Income Maintenance Caseworker II

Craven County•New Bern, NC

About The Position

The primary purpose of the Income Maintenance Caseworker is to take and process assistance applications, re-determine eligibility and process and react to any changes in the client’s situation. The Income Maintenance Team is comprised of six distinct units: Food and Nutrition Services, Adult Medicaid – PLA, Family and Children's Medicaid, Medicaid Transportation, Long Term Care/ SA/CAP and Day Care. Although Income Maintenance Caseworkers are assigned to a specific team at any given moment the worker may be asked to work in a unit they are not currently assigned to. This position interviews, verifies information, opens and determines or re-determines eligibility for programs that are either new applications or that are applications where there has been a lapse in the certification period. This position also interviews, verifies information, reopens and determines eligibility for all cases that reapply when there has been no lapse in the certification period. This position documents, verifies and updates all changes in the client’s situation. This position has the responsibility of satisfying all federal and state mandated verifications as well as any questionable data. This position is required to work in the NC FAST system. This is a complex system that at times has glitches, down time, and where errors occur even when the correct information is entered. It is vital that intense visual and mental concentration occurs when working in this system in order to ensure accuracy in the determination of eligibility in public assistance programs within this system. This position could be required to primarily perform one or all of these functions, dependent upon the needs of the agency. The case worker adheres to other duties assigned by the Income Maintenance Supervisor II, Income Maintenance Administrator, and/or Director at their discretion. The caseworker also assists in disaster relief efforts that includes but is not limited to shelter duty.

Requirements

One year of experience as an Income Maintenance Caseworker, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Considerable knowledge of the program/areas of assignment.
General knowledge of all agency and community programs and services that could affect the client/applicant.
Good mathematical reasoning and computational skills.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret rules, regulations, and procedures.
Ability to communicate with clients/applicants, the public, and public officials to obtain data, and to explain and interpret rules, regulations, and procedures.
Ability to diffuse potentially hostile clients and be firm in communicating the agency’s position regarding eligibility and consequences for fraudulent information.
Ability to perform caseworker functions within structured time frames.
Intense visual and mental concentration required for working in the NC FAST system.

Responsibilities

Take and process assistance applications.
Re-determine eligibility for assistance programs.
Process and react to changes in client situations.
Interview clients to verify information.
Open and determine eligibility for new applications.
Re-open and determine eligibility for cases that reapply without a lapse in certification.
Document, verify, and update client situations.
Satisfy all federal and state mandated verifications.
Handle questionable data.
Work within the NC FAST system, ensuring accuracy in eligibility determination.
Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors.
Assist in disaster relief efforts, including shelter duty.