This is the senior/specialist or lead worker for the level of this series. Positions at this level are responsible for one or more of the following:

• Leads lower level Public Benefits Specialists;
• Serves as a quality assurance reviewer/auditor;
• Serves as a long-term care services and support specialist for determining eligibility for long-term care services;
• Serves as a federal funding specialist.

As a Leadworker: 

Assigns and audits work of staff; identifies training needs; reviews case actions for accuracy; 

Establishes and maintains procedures for efficient workflow; 

Acts as unit supervisor in absence of the supervisor, including attendance at meetings, case counseling, and decision making; 

Performs more complex duties in relation to establishing financial eligibility, rule interpretation, planning, and procedural development;  

Provides testimony or act as a witness for administrative hearings;  

Conducts on-the-job training for staff;

As a Quality Assurance Worker/Auditor:

• Examines and assesses the accuracy and quality of case actions;
• Detects error trends;
• Enters and tracks data in an electronic audit system in order to generate reports, identify error trends and determine training needs;
• Provides feedback to staff and management and track for correction and completion of cases audited with identified errors; 

As a Long-Term Services and Support Specialist: 

Analyzes and verifies complex legal documents, such as but not limited to annuities, trusts, court orders, stock certificates, sales contracts, insurance policies and deeds; 

Uses a statewide asset verification real property database to analyze impacts of real property transfers, quit claims and sales and understand applicability to a client’s eligibility.   

• Determines initial and/or ongoing eligibility for long-term services and support programs;
  
  
• Provides case management and evaluate services for a broad range of individuals seeking Long-Term Services and Support services;
  
  
• Determines the amount an individual must pay toward the cost long-term services;

As a Federal Funding Specialist: 

Completes federal funding determinations and reviews on children in an out of home placement;

Creates, organizes funding case records, verifies Aid to Families with Dependent Children related factors and completing semi-annual eligibility reviews on open cases and final reviews when child returns home or is adopted. Initiate and complete Adoption Support and Relative Guardianship Assistance determinations on behalf of foster children upon request;

Payments made on child’s behalf; participates in internal office/unit reviews and federal reviews;

Performs other related work as required.

 Knowledge of: philosophy of public welfare; State and Federal welfare laws and regulations; principles, problems, and practices of public welfare administration; principles of individual and group behavior, social behavior, social and economic conditions, and their effects upon individuals; office procedures and practices; lead and supervisory skills.   

Ability to: express ideas clearly; work cooperatively with staff, clients, and members of the community; direct and assist others in interpretation and analysis of data; make independent decisions; supervise and train staff.

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position.

Persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. under federal law, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless prohibited by other state or federal law.

A Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree; 

AND 

Twelve months of experience as a Public Benefits Specialist 3.  

OR 

A Bachelor’s degree or higher AND twelve months of experience as a Public Benefits Specialist 2 determining eligibility for long-term care services.

Equivalent education/experience:  Experience examining/processing loan applications, medical insurance or rehabilitation claims, unemployment insurance claims, or a job providing staff support in financial eligibility determination, or in a job analyzing, verifying, and evaluating financial data and information, will substitute year for year, for education and experience;    

AND 

Satisfactory completion of the agency’s Public Benefits Specialist Training Program. 

Out-of-state experience conducting financial eligibility determination for public assistance to include financial, medical and food benefit programs will be considered toward experience. 

New class Effective March 1, 1987 (emergency basis June 12 1986; permanent August 14 1986)
Revised February 1987 Revises definition
Revised June 12, 1987 Revises minimum qualifications
Revised new class code: (formerly 34980) effective July 1, 2007
Revised desirable qualifications 8/13/2012; delete language:  and/or Financial Service Technician 2 or 3.
Revised desirable qualifications effective February 20, 2014.
Revised definition; adopted February 12, 2015, effective February 12, 2015.
Revised definition; adopted May 14, 2015, effective May 15, 2015.
Revised definition, typical work and desirable qualifications; adopted June 30, 2017; effective July 1, 2017.
Revised title, definition, distinguishing characteristics, typical work and desirable qualifications; adopted June 13, 2019; effective July 1, 2019.

 

Revised Legal Requirements; effective June 6, 2024, due to adopted legislative action.