Economic Support Specialist

Part Time/ Non- Exempt Position
Starting Pay: $26.68- $29.65

Job Summary
The Economic Support Specialist assists individuals and families in accessing public benefit programs and determines eligibility for Healthcare/Medical Assistance, FoodShare, Child Care, and related economic support services. The position performs professional income maintenance eligibility determinations and re-determinations; provides assistance to long-term care applicants; explains program requirements and benefit calculations; maintains accurate case records; and connects customers with appropriate county, state, and community resources. Work is performed within the Moraine Lakes Consortium serving Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha, Walworth, and Fond du Lac Counties and requires consistent application of local, state, and federal policy.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
The following duties are primarily performed and are essential for this position. Employees are expected to be able to perform each of these job duties satisfactorily and successfully with or without reasonable accommodations to be qualified for the position. Other duties may be required and assigned.
60% Call Center:
• Receives and responds to calls through the five-county Moraine Lakes Consortium related to applications, renewals, interviews, case changes, verifications, benefit questions, and other eligibility matters.
• Conducts customer interviews by telephone, in person, or through approved virtual methods; gathers and verifies information necessary to determine eligibility and ongoing program participation.
• Conducts interactive interviews while simultaneously reviewing case information, evaluating verification, navigating multiple eligibility systems, documenting customer contact, and determining required case action.
• Explains program rules, benefit calculations, verification requirements, notices, rights and responsibilities, and appeal/fair hearing processes.
• Responds to customer questions and concerns, engages in conflict resolution and de-escalation when appropriate, and provides referrals based on customer needs and county of residence.
• Processes documents and queries, updates, and monitors state and federal databases and data exchanges; assists customers in navigating ACCESS and other benefit systems.
30% Determine Eligibility and Case Management:
• Processes applications, renewals, six-month reports, changes, and other case actions within required timelines; monitors dashboards, due dates, alerts, and workload benchmarks.
• Identifies and processes emergency or priority benefit situations in accordance with applicable program requirements and required timeframes.
• Determines initial and ongoing eligibility for public assistance programs including Medical Assistance/Medicaid, BadgerCare Plus, Elderly, Blind and Disabled Medicaid, Long-Term Care Medicaid, FoodShare, Caretaker Supplement, Wisconsin Shares Child Care, and other assigned federal and state benefit programs in accordance with applicable policy.
• Provides eligibility assistance for long-term care applicants, including review and analysis of income, assets, real and personal property, trusts, annuities, and other financial instruments as applicable.
• Obtains and evaluates verification from customers and collateral contacts; uses state wage match, child support, and other authorized databases and data exchanges.
• Completes accurate benefit and financial calculations, documents eligibility decisions and case activity, issues required notices, and clarifies outstanding verification or case requirements.
• Reviews and validates system-generated eligibility determinations and benefit calculations for accuracy; identifies discrepancies, researches potential errors, and completes necessary corrections consistent with program policy.
• Identifies, researches, and resolves discrepancies between customer-reported information and information obtained through state, federal, financial, and other authorized data exchanges; takes appropriate action when information may affect eligibility or indicate potential program integrity concerns.
• Performs program integrity and quality-control activities, including review of system alerts and discrepancies, error prevention and remediation, and fraud, waste, and abuse prevention.
• Appears at Fair Hearings as required and researches policy, case records, and supporting documentation in response to customer appeals.
• Coordinates as appropriate with Adult Protective Services, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, law enforcement, health care providers, and other agencies to support customer needs and eligibility processes.
10% Policy, Procedures, and Training, Community Coordination:
• Researches, reviews, interprets, and applies current local, state, and federal policies and procedures for assigned programs.
• Completes required state-sponsored training, policy updates, review meetings, and ongoing competency requirements; adapts practice to administrative, system, and legislative changes.
• Participates in quality improvement, error prevention, remediation, and training activities supporting accuracy, timeliness, customer service, and compliance benchmarks.
• Maintains confidentiality and HIPAA compliance and follows applicable information-security and program-integrity requirements.
• Responds to authorized contacts from outside agencies, representatives, facilities, attorneys, and other resources regarding customer benefits and eligibility questions, consistent with confidentiality requirements.
• Assists customers with referrals and connections to ForwardHealth, housing programs, legal services, health care providers, county programs, state agencies, social service organizations, and other community supports.
Supervision Exercised  
None
Minimum Education Qualifications
Education and/or Experience Requirements:
• Associate’s degree required. Education or coursework in finance, human services, law, or a closely related field is desirable. One to two years of relevant experience and bilingual skills are also desirable.
In lieu of two years of post-secondary education in a related field, applicants with a minimum of five years of relevant professional experience may be considered.
Licenses, Certifications, and Other Requirements:
• Upon hire, must successfully attend and complete state-sponsored training in accordance with Wis. Admin. Code DHS 254.03 and maintain required competencies in all assigned economic support/income maintenance program areas.
Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Qualifications
In order to perform the functions and responsibilities of the position (listed above), the following knowledge, skills, and abilities are essential.
Knowledge
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local public assistance programs, eligibility requirements, policies, procedures, and verification standards.
• Knowledge of Medical Assistance/Medicaid, BadgerCare Plus, Elderly, Blind and Disabled Medicaid, Long-Term Care Medicaid, FoodShare, Caretaker Supplement, Wisconsin Shares Child Care, and other assigned benefit programs.
• Knowledge of income, assets, real and personal property, trusts, annuities, retirement accounts, insurance policies, tax documents, court orders, and other financial or legal instruments relevant to eligibility determinations.
• Knowledge of due process requirements, including customer rights, adverse action notices, appeals, and Fair Hearing procedures.
• Knowledge of program integrity principles, including identification and appropriate handling of discrepancies, potential overpayments, and suspected fraud, waste, or abuse.
• Knowledge of the relationship between financial eligibility and functional eligibility for long-term care programs and the respective roles of Economic Support, ADRC, and other partner agencies.
• Knowledge of community resources, social service systems, and appropriate referral resources.
• Knowledge of confidentiality, HIPAA, information-security, and authorized information-sharing requirements.
Skills
• Excellent oral and written communication, reading comprehension, interviewing, and customer service skills.
• Strong mathematical and financial calculation skills, including the ability to accurately review and calculate income, assets, expenses, and other financial information.
• Skill in analyzing and reconciling information from multiple sources, including customer statements, financial records, electronic data exchanges, and collateral contacts.
• Skill in conducting structured interviews and asking appropriate follow-up questions while simultaneously reviewing records, navigating multiple systems, and documenting case activity.
• Skill in explaining complex eligibility decisions, verification requirements, benefit calculations, and adverse determinations in clear, neutral, and understandable language.
• Skill in producing clear, accurate, timely, and defensible case documentation that supports eligibility determinations, quality review, audits, and Fair Hearings.
• Strong research, case management, organizational, workload management, and time-management skills in a high-volume environment with competing deadlines.
• Skill in professional conflict resolution and de-escalation when working with customers who may be frustrated, distressed, or experiencing crisis.
• Proficiency with CARES Worker Web and other applicable eligibility, verification, electronic case file, and benefit administration systems, as well as Microsoft Office, Excel, email, and database applications.
Abilities
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and independent analytical thinking within established federal, state, local, and consortium policies when evaluating complex or conflicting information, determining necessary verification, resolving discrepancies, and making eligibility determinations.
• Ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, identify incomplete or inconsistent information, and determine when additional verification or collateral contact is necessary.
• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze complex financial and legal documents and appropriately apply the information to eligibility determinations.
• Ability to review and validate system-generated eligibility determinations and benefit calculations for accuracy, identify discrepancies or potential errors, and complete corrective action when necessary.
• Ability to manually calculate or determine eligibility when required by program policy or when automated systems are unavailable or do not perform the required determination.
• Ability to recognize emergency or priority benefit situations and process them within applicable program requirements and mandated timeframes.
• Ability to recognize unusual, complex, or high-risk cases and appropriately seek consultation while retaining responsibility for assigned work.
• Ability to make consistent and equitable eligibility determinations based on established policy and documented facts and to clearly explain and support the basis for those determinations.
• Ability to manage a high-volume workload, prioritize competing responsibilities, meet state and consortium timeliness and accuracy standards, and maintain attention to detail despite frequent interruptions.
• Ability to learn, retain, and apply substantial amounts of technical program information and rapidly adapt to changes in laws, policies, procedures, technology, workflows, and consortium practices.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multi-county consortium and with customers, authorized representatives, attorneys, facilities, county departments, state agencies, and community partners.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, objectivity, and composure during difficult or emotionally charged interactions.
• Ability to participate effectively in quality assurance, error prevention, corrective-action, and performance improvement activities.

Physical Requirements
• Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer workstation, including frequent keyboarding, mouse use, and viewing of computer screens.
• Frequent use of a telephone and/or headset for extended periods while communicating with customers, coworkers, and outside agencies.
• Periodic standing and walking within the office environment and occasional bending or reaching to access files, equipment, or work materials.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through electronic or virtual platforms and to read and review detailed electronic and paper records.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand and wrist movements associated with computer and office work.
Work Environment
Work is primarily performed in a professional office and call-center environment with frequent interruptions, substantial public contact, high workload volume, competing priorities, and time-sensitive deadlines. The position routinely works with changing policies, procedures, technology, and program requirements. Employees may encounter difficult, emotionally charged, or unpleasant social situations and may assist customers experiencing financial hardship, crisis, or emergent needs. The position requires sustained concentration, professional communication, sound judgment, and the ability to maintain composure and confidentiality in a fast-paced environment.

EOE / ADA Statement

Ozaukee County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ozaukee County will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
Nothing in this job description limits management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.  The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.  The job description does not constitute an employment agreement or affect the at-will nature of the employment arrangement between the employee and company and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Applicants who need accommodation during the application or hiring process should contact:
ADA Coordinator, Human Resources Department
Phone: 262-284-8209
Email: [email protected]

 

Ozaukee County offers a generous benefits package including: health, dental, life, & vision insurance; free employee health clinic & Teladoc; paid holidays, vacation, & sick time; state of Wisconsin WRS defined benefit pension program; bonus opportunities; employee fitness room; wellness program & wellness reimbursement; tuition reimbursement & continuing education opportunities; and more! Please note some that benefits offered are dependent on full-time/part-time status.

Ozaukee County prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, disability, genetics, veteran status or military service, marital status or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic or status protected by federal, state or local laws. Ozaukee County also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws.