Income Maintenance Caseworker II

Craven County Government; New Bern (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Craven County Government is seeking an Income Maintenance Caseworker to interview and verify information for new applications, determine eligibility, and process changes in a client’s situation. The role requires updating data and satisfying federal/state verifications, with work in the NC FAST system.

Additional duties include re-determinations of eligibility and occasional disaster relief efforts as assigned, requiring strong communication skills, mathematical ability, and the capacity to

Qualifications

• Considerable knowledge of the program areas and assignment.
• General knowledge of agency and community programs and services.
• 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 explain rules.
• Ability to diffuse potentially hostile clients and be firm in communicating the agency's position.

Responsibilities

• Interview and verify information for new applications.
• Open and determine or re-determine eligibility for programs.
• Document and update changes in the client’s situation.
• Satisfy all federal and state verifications.
• Work in the NC FAST system.
• Assist in disaster relief efforts when assigned.

Skills

Public assistance knowledge

Communication with clients

Mathematical reasoning

Reading and interpreting rules

Ability to diffuse hostility

Time management in casework

Job description

Primary Purpose

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 to which they are not currently assigned.

Essential Functions

95% Public Assistance Intake and Eligibility

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.

5% Other Duties

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.

Minimum Education And Experience

One year of experience as an Income Maintenance Caseworker; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Other appropriate combinations of education and experience will be considered for “work-against” status.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Considerable knowledge of the program/areas of assignment. General knowledge of all agency and community programs and services which 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 at large, 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 re: eligibility; and consequences for giving fraudulent information. Ability to perform caseworker functions within structured time frames.

Additional Information

Employees are frequently subject to working with upset clients and compressed time frames.