Job Description

APPLICANTS MUST BE PERMANENT IN THE ASSOCIATE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST TITLE OR PERMANENT IN THE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST TITLE FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR; THIS IS A PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT, WHEN A TEST BECOMES AVAILABLE IN THE ASSOCIATE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST (ABOS) TITLE, YOU MUST TAKE AND PASS THE EXAM TO REMAIN IN THE ABOS TITLE.

Family Independence Administration’s provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs to assist them in reaching self-sufficiency via essential and diverse programs/services, such as: temporary cash assistance, SNAP, childcare, eviction prevention services, adult protective services, job training, employment plans/support, domestic violence assistance, child support enforcement, etc.

Under the direction of the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist II, the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist I (ABOS I) is responsible for supervising a team of BOS staff, who provide various functions of eligibility determination, financial planning, and employment planning and monitoring and other related services to persons in need, to promote individual and family self-sufficiency. The ABOS I use supervisory, program development, quantitative analysis, and other research skills in accomplishing all the goals of FIA Benefits Access Centers and its components (Application, Financial Planning, Employment Planning, Undercare, etc.).

FIA’s Operations is recruiting for two (2) Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist I, to function as Case Management Supervisors, who will:

- Supervise a team of BOS workers who handle the entire application process for all new applicants;
Family Assistance cases which have been closed over sixty days; all Safety Net case reopens
which have been closed regardless of date; and one-shot deals.

- Assign application to staff, review application recommendations and sign off on all benefits as well
as case entries.

- Supervise a team of BOS workers who interview applicants and assess eligibility for immediate needs
grant (food and non-food); for employability and eligibility for public assistance, SNAP benefits and
Medicaid; works with applicants to remove barriers to employment and makes referrals to other
services as needed.

- Prepare daily and weekly statistical reports on work performed as well as monthly audits.

- Assist with case consultation on individual cases and guidance on difficult cases in the case planning
process as necessary.

- Supervise a team of BOS workers who provide comprehensive service delivery to participants after the
establishment of the participant’s case; Family Assistance case that have been closed less that sixty
days or Safety Net cases that have been closed in error.

- Supervise a team of BOS workers who manages all aspects of the case, including establishing on-going
eligibility, assessing participants, developing appropriate Employment Assessment and Employment
Plans and executing specific strategies designed to help participants achieve self-sufficiency.

- Review employment eligibility decisions for appropriateness and correctness according to Agency and
New York State rules and regulations and performs initial conference/conciliation interview.

- Perform the Mandatory Dispute Resolution function.

- Supervise staff that interview and correspond with homebound clients.

- Supervise a team of BOS who provide quick service for those clients who walk-in or telephone the
center. Additionally, the team will take appropriate action on reported changes, provide information and
documentation as requested by the participants and maintain contact with other teams to ensure
awareness of all activity that will affect the case management plan.

- Supervise staff who interview and determine housing needs of tenants at risk of homelessness or
already homeless reporting to Benefits Access Centers. Assist in the development of anti-eviction/
housing plan of intervention for referred participants.

- May conduct field visits.


Hours/Shirt: Monday – Friday

Qualifications

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and three years of full-time satisfactory experience working directly in social/human services or a related setting, providing either:
a) client services.
b) employment planning/counseling services which involves job development, skills assessment, and employment placement or other economic opportunity programming.

2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; plus eighteen months of full-time satisfactory experience working as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist; or

3. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; plus eighteen months of full-time satisfactory experience as described in one (1) above.

4. College credit from an accredited college may be substituted for this experience on the basis of 60 semester credits for 9 months of the work experience described above. However, all candidates must have at least 18 months of full-time satisfactory experience working as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist or performing social/human services work as described in one (1) above.