Senior Social Welfare Examiner

The work involves responsibility for acting as a lead worker with a group of Social Welfare Examiners and clerical employees engaged in establishing financial eligibility for the various programs administered by the Social Services Department when applicable. The incumbent is also responsible for making selected eligibility determinations and processing cases for opening of continuing assistance.

Responsibilities

• Leads and participates in the coordination of the client’s eligibility for assistance, including initial categorical determination and evaluates available resources in relation to eligibility.
• Reviews Social Welfare Examiners' work for accuracy and aids in new employee's training.
• Makes redeterminations of client eligibility for program assistance.
• Contacts cooperating agencies to verify client’s eligibility for benefits.
• Refers clients when appropriate to caseworkers, or to other specialists such as housing, employment, legal or medical support services.
• Reports findings of investigations and makes recommendations for proper disposition of cases reviewed.
• Uses the Welfare Management System terminal to input and extract data on client’s cases.
• Appears at administrative or judicial proceedings when required to interpret decisions on client applications for public assistance.
• Interprets Federal, State and local policies and programs to Social Welfare Examiners.
• Attends continuing education training regarding new State and Federal laws and mandates concerning social services programs.
• Presents outreach programs on food stamps to senior citizens on site at senior housing, food pantries, and the Office for the Aging.
• Uses a computer to prepare a variety of reports, and to enter and retrieve data from various databases.
• Makes collaborative contacts to verify eligibility;

Qualifications

• Completion of two years (60 semester credit hours) of study in a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees, two years of work experience, or its part-time equivalent, in examining, investigating or evaluating claims for assistance such as veterans and unemployment benefits, or determining qualifications for insurance or other similar programs operating under established criteria for eligibility.
• OR Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four years of experience as outlined in (A).
• An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B) above.