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Career Opportunity Bulletin

FAMILY INDEPENDENCE SPECIALIST

CODE: 507388 PAY GRADE: 19 ($14.44 – 19.30/hr.)

Value of State-paid Health and Dental Insurance:

100% State Contribution (base salary less than or equal to $30,000.00 as of July 1, 2009) $356.62 biweekly (Health: $343.33 biweekly / Dental: $13.29 biweekly)
95% State Contribution (base salary greater than $30,000.00 or equal to $79,999.00 as of July 1, 2009) $339.45 biweekly (Health: $326.16 biweekly / Dental: $13.29 biweekly)
90% State Contribution (base salary greater than $79,999.00 as of July 1, 2009) $322.28 biweekly (Health: $308.99 biweekly / Dental: $13.29 biweekly)

Value of State’s share of Employee’s Retirement: 19.96 % of pay

LAST UPDATE: June 26, 2009

CLOSING DATE: Until Canceled

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This is paraprofessional work in determining initial and continuing eligibility of applicants for public assistance programs, and initially screening an applicant's need for other services available in the Department of Health & Human Services and the community. Workers in this classification may also perform quality control work by reviewing eligibility determinations made by others. All Family Independence Specialists must be able to perform intermediate mathematical calculations in order to make financial eligibility determinations. Typical workloads assigned to positions require the applicant to be organized. Also critical to the Family Independence Specialist are interpersonal abilities: must be able and willing to interact with people from all walks of life, in various emotional states, and treat them with dignity and respect. Conflict resolution skills are also important, as this position often interacts with irate customers.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

In order to qualify, you must have a four (4) year combination of education, training, and/or progressively responsible experience in a social service setting which demonstrates interviewing and data gathering skills as needed to form basis for judgments in eligibility determinations, claims resolutions, and/or customer service requests –OR- a Bachelors Degree in Social Services, Business Administration, or other related field.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Qualified applicants will be placed on a special Employment Register for this classification, which will be used to fill anticipated vacancies statewide. You must complete an application to be considered even if you are currently on any other register.
YOU MUST COMPLETE THE REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTAL QUALIFICATIONS FORM AT THE END OF THIS BULLETIN IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED.
Your application evaluation results will be e-mailed to the address you use to login to your online account.
You must complete the on-line application for this job title. Paper applications will not be accepted for this job title.

TYPICAL DUTIES in this job classification include:

Interviews clients and obtains and assesses all necessary facts, data, supporting information, and documentation pertaining to the application for public assistance.
Evaluates information and applies allowable standards and criteria.
Explains program eligibility requirements, rules, regulations, and individual rights and responsibilities to clients.
Detects and resolves discrepancies in facts, data, and information provided or revealed.
Refers clients to various programs.
Develops reports for, testifies, and represents the Department at fair hearings and fraud hearings.
Identifies possible benefit overpayments, assesses causes for overpayment, determines whether there has been willful misrepresentation, confronts clients, and negotiates repayments if necessary.
Examines and evaluates primary and collateral information contained in case records selected for quality control review.

TESTING PROCEDURE:

The information you provide with your application and Supplemental Qualifications Form will be compared to criteria developed by experts who are familiar with this job and its requirements, and converted to a numerical score.

The Bureau of Human Resources reserves the right to use any other selection devices necessary in order to identify those candidates who are most qualified.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

You must complete the on-line application by logging on to our Web Page (www.maine.gov/bhr/state_jobs), clicking the Open Competitive Jobs link, and clicking Apply Now under this job title.

PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS JOB TITLE.

The Bureau of Human Resources is unable to provide copies of submitted materials.

Maine State Government is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

SUPPLEMENTAL QUALIFICATIONS FORM

FAMILY INDEPENDENCE SPECIALIST (507388)

INSTRUCTIONS:

The statements you make will be the basis for evaluating your specific suitability for this particular work and provide the basis for making a numerical evaluation of training and experience. This form, upon submission to the State of Maine, becomes part of the examination process and is held to be confidential. False or misleading statements may result in rejection of your Application for Employment or dismissal from Maine State Service if selected. Statements made on this form and in your application are subject to verification by the Bureau of Human Resources and the Appointing Authority.

Please check the statement that applies to your background:

Please check the statement that applies to your background:
	I have at least a four (4) year combination of education, training, and/or progressively responsible experience in a social service setting which demonstrates interviewing and data gathering skills as needed to form basis for judgments in eligibility determinations, claims resolutions, and/or customer service requests –OR- a Bachelors Degree in Social Services, Business Administration, or other related field.
	I have less than four years of education, training, and/or progressively responsible experience in a social services setting which demonstrates interviewing and data gathering skills as needed to form basis for judgments in eligibility determinations, claims resolutions, and/or customer service requests.

Directions: Indicate skill level by marking the appropriate boxes for each item listed. Be sure to include the source of your experience and/or training (i.e. the employer number or school from your application from which you derived your experience/training).

Novice............................................	I have some training/experience in this area but would need support from other technical staff or additional training to develop business applications for use by others. You must have at least one year of experience in this area to check this box.

Competent/Experienced..............	I have skill in this area and am fully capable of applying this skill independently to develop business applications for use by others.

Expert............................................	I have in-depth knowledge of product/skill capable of functioning as technical resource/mentor to other professional/technical staff.

Work Experience	No Experience	Novice	Competent/ Experienced	Expert
Interviewed applicants to determine eligibility for benefits or services.
Experience which included high volume, long-term assignments with varying deadlines. I have complete responsibility for ensuring the work was accomplished and time lines were met.
Communicated directly with customers or the public to gather and/or provide information.
Dealt with difficult customers and worked thorough complex problems with them to find a solution.
Read and interpreted policies, guidelines, complex forms and documents.
Have working knowledge of rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements for public service programs.
Maintained accurate, complete, and well-documented case records.
Identified possible benefit overpayments, assessed causes, determined if misrepresentation was willful, confronted clients, and negotiated repayments when required.
Independently organized work load and adapted to changing workloads and schedules.
Performed intermediate mathematical calculations to determine eligibility for benefits or services.
Experience entering and acquiring information from a database.