Income Maintenance Caseworker II

Beaufort County • Beaufort County Department of Social Services, NC

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Income Maintenance Team is responsible for assisting individuals and families with applying for and maintaining a variety of benefits offered under the Social Services umbrella. Those benefits include but are not limited to: Food and Nutrition Services, Medicaid, Medicaid Transportation, Work First, Emergency Assistance, Special Assistance, Long Term Care, Child Care, LIEAP, and Crisis Intervention. The primary purpose of the Universal worker is to take and process all types of assistance applications, re-determine eligibility and process and react to any changes in the client’s situation. The Income Maintenance Team is comprised of three different units. Income Maintenance Team I, responsible for Family and Children’s Medicaid, Child Care, Work First Family Assistance, Emergency Assistance and Medicaid Transportation. Income Maintenance Team II, responsible for Adult Medicaid, Special Assistance and Long-Term Care. Income Maintenance Team III, responsible for Food and Nutrition Services, Crisis Intervention and Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. Although, universal workers 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 all 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. Employees must explain program requirements and options and advise or refer clients to other program services as appropriate. This position reports to an Income Maintenance Supervisor II. This position could be required to primarily perform one or all of these functions, dependent upon the needs of the agency.

Requirements

• One year of experience as an Income Maintenance Caseworker.
• Considerable knowledge of the program/area of assignment.
• General knowledge of all agency and community programs and services which could affect the client.
• Good mathematical reasoning and computational skills.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret a variety of regulations, policies and procedures of varying complexity.
• Ability to instruct and evaluate the work of lower level employees.
• Ability to train employees in new and existing rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Ability to understand the needs and problems of clients/applicants.
• Ability to perform caseworker functions under and within structured time frames.
• Good computer skills and ability to learn and adapt to new computer programs in an efficient manner.
• Valid North Carolina License required.

Nice To Haves

• Graduation from an accredited associate degree program in Human Services Technology, Social Services Associate, Paralegal Technology, Business Administration, Secretarial Science, or a closely related curriculum.
• Graduation from high school and two years of paraprofessional, clerical, or other public contact experience which included negotiating, interviewing, explaining information, gathering and compiling of data, analysis of data and/or performance of mathematical or legal tasks with at least one year of such experience being in an income maintenance program.
• Graduation from high school and three years of paraprofessional, clerical or other public contact experience which included negotiating, interviewing, explaining information, the gathering and compiling of data, the analysis of data and/or the performance of mathematical or legal tasks.
• One year of experience as an Income Maintenance Caseworker or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Responsibilities

• Take and process all types of assistance applications.
• Re-determine eligibility for benefits.
• Process and react to any changes in the client’s situation.
• Interview clients/applicants.
• Verify information.
• Open and determine or re-determine eligibility for all programs that are either new applications or that are applications where there has been a lapse in the certification period.
• Reopen and determine eligibility for all cases that reapply when there has been no lapse in the certification period.
• Document, verify and update all changes in the client’s situation.
• Satisfy all federal and state mandated verifications as well as any questionable data.
• Explain program requirements and options.
• Advise or refer clients to other program services as appropriate.

Benefits

• Salary of $43,225 upon hiring for fully qualified applicants.
• Salary of $45,386 after successful completion of a 12-month probationary period.
• Hiring rate for IMC I (less than one year IMC experience) is $39,582.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree