Economic Support Specialist

Portage County; Stevens Point (WI); On-site; USD 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation

Health insurance

Wellness incentive

Flexible spending account

Dental insurance

State retirement plan

Paid holidays

Paid sick leave

Life insurance

Long term disability

Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

457(b) Deferred Compensation

Community impact

Job summary

Portage County Health & Human Services is hiring a full-time Economic Support Specialist in Stevens Point, WI. You will assist individuals and families in accessing FoodShare, Medicaid/BadgerCare+, and other benefits, guiding them through eligibility, verification, and timely determinations.

You will work with customers by phone and in person, use systems like CARES and KIDS, and collaborate with county agencies to resolve discrepancies and provide referrals as needed.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Two years post-secondary education in related human services field preferred.
• One year experience with record keeping, documentation, reporting, or bookkeeping required.
• Experience using computers is required.
• Prior experience with benefits determination is a plus.
• Must be a licensed driver and have access to an insured vehicle.

Responsibilities

• Provides information about public assistance programs and eligibility to applicants, recipients and the general public.
• Conducts interactive interviews with applicants and recipients to determine initial and continued eligibility for public assistance programs.
• Assesses financial need and issues appropriate level of benefits per individual program policy.
• Provides information and referrals, when appropriate, for additional assistance with specific needs.
• Monitors state systems for accuracy of calculations and determination decisions and makes necessary corrections when errors occur.
• Processes changes to cases according to individual program policy.
• Verifies and documents client information according to individual program policy.
• Informs of and encourages FoodShare recipients to volunteer for the FoodShare Employment and Training Program and makes referrals for clients choosing to do so.
• Uses a variety of local, state and federal computer systems, including CARES, CARES Worker Web, KIDS, ForwardHealth interChange, CSAW/CCPI, SAVES, AVS Integrimatch, and Electronic Case File.
• Provides technical assistance, consultation, and collateral contact to other county agencies or human service agencies.
• Investigates discrepant information in client circumstances discovered through data exchange sources available, including wage records, Unemployment Insurance data, Social Security data, prisoner data, and out-of-state EBT usage reports. Collects information necessary to resolve discrepancies, determines if benefit issuance errors have occurred, and makes referrals for benefit recovery when appropriate.
• Refers cases for front end verification, fraud investigation, or legal disposition as necessary.
• Identifies errors in benefit issuance and takes appropriate action to reconcile the errors per individual program policy.
• Prepares responses to Division of Hearings and Appeals related to fair hearing requests, provides supporting documentation to Division of Hearings and Appeals and applicants/recipients, and represents agency at fair hearings.
• Represents the agency in legal proceedings and gives necessary testimony.
• Fields calls from applicants, recipients and the general public through the Consortium Call Center and provides both general and case-specific information regarding public assistance benefits.

Skills

Customer service

Attention to detail

Computer literacy

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Two years post-secondary education in related human services field

Tools

CARES

CARES Worker Web

KIDS

ForwardHealth interChange

CSAW/CCPI

SAVES

AVS Integrimatch

Job description

Join the Portage County Health & Human Services Team! We're hiring a full-time Economic Support Specialist.

Are you someone who enjoys helping others, solving problems, and making a meaningful impact in your community? The Portage County Health & Human Services Department is looking for an enthusiastic Economic Support Specialist to join our dedicated team.

In this role, you'll support individuals and families by helping them access vital public assistance programs such as FoodShare and Medicaid/BadgerCare+. You'll work directly with customers - by phone and in person, guiding them through eligibility processes and ensuring accurate and timely benefit determinations. No two days are the same, and your work truly matters.

Pay range starts at $24.71 / hr

What are the primary job responsibilities?

• Provides information about public assistance programs and eligibility to applicants, recipients and the general public.
• Conducts interactive interviews with applicants and recipients to determine initial and continued eligibility for public assistance programs.
• Assesses financial need and issues appropriate level of benefits per individual program policy.
• Provides information and referrals, when appropriate, for additional assistance with specific needs.
• Monitors state systems for accuracy of calculations and determination decisions and makes necessary corrections when errors occur.
• Processes changes to cases according to individual program policy.
• Verifies and documents client information according to individual program policy.
• Informs of and encourages FoodShare recipients to volunteer for the FoodShare Employment and Training Program and makes referrals for clients choosing to do so.
• Uses a variety of local, state and federal computer systems, including CARES, CARES Worker Web, KIDS, ForwardHealth interChange, CSAW/CCPI, SAVES, AVS Integrimatch, and Electronic Case File.
• Provides technical assistance, consultation, and collateral contact to other county agencies or human service agencies.
• Investigates discrepant information in client circumstances discovered through data exchange sources available, including wage records, Unemployment Insurance data, Social Security data, prisoner data, and out-of-state EBT usage reports. Collects information necessary to resolve discrepancies, determines if benefit issuance errors have occurred, and makes referrals for benefit recovery when appropriate.
• Refers cases for front end verification, fraud investigation, or legal disposition as necessary.
• Identifies errors in benefit issuance and takes appropriate action to reconcile the errors per individual program policy.
• Prepares responses to Division of Hearings and Appeals related to fair hearing requests, provides supporting documentation to Division of Hearings and Appeals and applicants/recipients, and represents agency at fair hearings.
• Represents the agency in legal proceedings and gives necessary testimony.
• Fields calls from applicants, recipients and the general public through the Consortium Call Center and provides both general and case-specific information regarding public assistance benefits.

What are the minimum qualifications?

• High school diploma or equivalency required.
• Two years post-secondary education in related human services field preferred.
• One year experience withrecord keeping, documentation, reporting, or bookkeeping required.
• Experience using computers isrequired.
• Prior experience with benefits determination is a plus
• Must be a licensed driver and have access to an insured vehicle.

Why Portage County?

We offer the following:

• Vacation - available on day one!
• Health insurance - your choice of two health plans - (Health Savings Account associated with a High Deductible Health Plan with aCounty contributionor a PPO Co-pay plan)
• Wellness incentive plan offered with health insurance enrollment!Earn up to $600 per year!
• Flexible spending account
• Dental insurance
• State of Wisconsin Retirement Plan -County contribution of 7.2%!
• Paid holidays
• Paid sick leave
• Life insurance - premium paid by the County (must work a minimum of 30 hrs/wk)
• Long term disability insurance - premium paid by the County (must work a minimum of 30 hrs/wk)
• EAP (Employee Assistance Plan) - paid by the County
• 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan
• Enjoy the reward of knowing your work directly strengthens the community we live in.

Deadline to apply

4:30 pm on Friday, November 13th

Portage County is an Equal Opportunity Employer