ELIGIBILITY WORKER

Location: Cambridge, MN | Full-time (40 hours per week) | On site, regular in-person attendance required

Schedule

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Pay

Expected 2026 Hiring Range: $27.02 - $28.81 per hour ($56,201.60 - $59,924.80 annually), depending on qualifications, relevant experience, and internal equity. Full Range: $27.02 – $34.91 per hour ($56,201.60 – $72,612.80 annually), with the potential for additional longevity-based pay.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts for health and dependent care
• Life insurance (basic coverage for yourself plus optional voluntary coverage)
• Long-term disability insurance
• Paid Time Off, including vacation, sick, and personal leave
• 12 paid holidays per year
• Deferred compensation plans
• Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) contributions from both employer and employee
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Wellness Program

About the Role

Performs work interviewing applicants to determine initial and ongoing eligibility for federal and state public assistance programs for county residents, assisting clients with inquiries and explaining application procedures, maintaining and updating accounts and computer systems, completing reports, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the supervision of the Financial Assistance Supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Assists the general public by phone, email, and in person; answers questions and provides information; directs inquiries to the appropriate resource as needed; explains application procedures to individuals or groups.
• Interviews and determines eligibility of clients for income maintenance programs, emergency assistance, SNAP, all cash programs, medical assistance, child care assistance, long term care, IV-E and adoption assistance, group residential housing, and County burials.
• Obtains verifications and reviews various computer information systems; maintains and updates ongoing eligibility and correct benefit amounts in client accounts.
• Completes and submits Fraud Referrals to the Welfare Fraud Investigator; determines overpayments; maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal and state regulations by researching related manuals and documents.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School diploma or GED.
• Moderate experience assisting the general public with the application and eligibility process of assistance programs, explaining programs and forms, providing administrative support, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Skills

• Knowledge of basic mathematics and office procedures and practices.
• Knowledge of workplace diversity and human behavior.
• Knowledge of Federal and State policies and procedures relating to appropriate social services activities.
• Knowledge of interviewing techniques.
• Knowledge and implementation of agency programs, operations, policies and procedures, and available community resources (e.g., MAXIS, MMIS, MEC2, PRISM, ISDS, SIR, SMI).
• Knowledge of federal and state regulations using the Combined Manual.
• Knowledge of the laws and rules pertaining to data privacy and its implications.
• Knowledge of all cash, SNAP, Medical Assistance, Child Care Assistance, Housing Support, Emergency Assistance, IV-E and Adoption Assistance programs, and related documents.
• Skill and familiarity with computers.
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and coordinate job activities with deadlines.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to accept and profit by supervision.
• Ability to comprehend and follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to easily adapt to continuous changes in policy and procedures.
• Ability to manage, calculate, and distribute Emergency Assistance Funds.
• Ability to adapt to continuous, stressful, and massive changes in the federal and state programs administered by the department.
• Ability to prepare and gather proper information and documents for fraud referrals and appeal hearings.
• Ability to de-escalate aggressive and potentially aggressive clientele.
• Ability to be aware of other clients' and co-workers' safety while working with volatile clients.
• Ability to make decisions while remaining objective.
• Ability to navigate through MAXIS, MMIS, PRISM, METS, and MEC2 while processing detailed information accurately and rapidly.
• Ability to establish and maintain accurate and systematic records and to prepare reports from such records as required.
• Ability to enforce policy.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, clients, community organizations, and the public.
• Ability to maintain a regular and timely work attendance.

Working Conditions

• Physical Requirements: This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, and repetitive motions. Occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, and pushing or pulling.
• Sensory Requirements: Work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly. Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound.
• Sensory Utilization: Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities.
• Environmental Conditions: Work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g., business office, light traffic).