Economic Support Specialist

Economic Support Specialist

Outagamie County is hiring for an Economic Support Specialist position in Appleton, WI. The salary is $23.97 - $26.19 hourly. This position is full-time and allows for telecommuting up to 60% of the time.

Position Purpose

The Economic Support Specialist establishes eligibility for Economic Support Programs in accordance with policy. The ideal candidate will have the ability to manage multiple priorities and work in a fast-paced environment. They must also possess critical thinking skills, adapt to change quickly and have good time-management skills.

Key Responsibilities

The following duties are most critical for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Maintain knowledge of complicated and ever-changing Federal and State rules, policies and procedures for numerous, Income Maintenance programs that support the very basic needs (health care, food, shelter, and child care) of customers.
• Manage a caseload of 500 or more cases made up of adults, children and families with unique living and financial circumstances.
• Coordinate services with child support specialists for paternity establishment and enforcement of Child Support orders; explain good cause criteria for non-cooperation with child enforcement that may involve sexual assault, domestic abuse, child abuse, or emotional abuse.
• Calculate the amount of benefit over issuance using Federal and State rules and regulations to create a budget analysis of the reporting quarters impacted.
• Meet agency, consortium, and state performance requirements and state contract requirements such as timely case processing, FoodShare error rates, call center wait times and speed of answer.
• Navigate numerous systems and databases including: CARES/CARES Worker Web (CWW), Electronic Case File (ECF), Automated Case Directory (ACD), Child Care Electronic Benefits (EBT CSAW), Benefit Recovery Investigation System (BRITS), Alien Verification System (SAVE), Forward Health, DOT Division of Motor Vehicles, Web Access Management Systems (WAMS), Kids Information Data System (KIDS), and Call Center Anywhere (CCA).
• Decipher complicated documents such as tax forms and schedules, wills and trusts, life and burial insurance, promissory notes, annuities, legal affidavits, child support and child placement court orders, and financial aid awards as part of the eligibility determination process and to determine cost shares based on family circumstances.
• Represent the State and Outagamie County Health and Human Services at hearings by preparing case details, collecting evidence, and providing testimony before an Administrative Law Judge.

Education/Certifications/Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field, OR
• Associates Degree in a related field with 2 years of related experience, OR
• Successful completion of the training required to perform duties of an Economic Support Specialist or other position that determines eligibility for Health Care, FoodShare, or Child Care and demonstrated ability to successfully manage an economic support/income maintenance caseload.

Required or Preferred Skills

• Ability to effectively communicate verbally or in writing with customers with limited reading, writing, and speaking ability. Spanish and/or Hmong bilingual skills preferred.
• Comprehend and interpret complex policy and procedure manuals and legal, medical, and financial documents, and communicate with other professionals such as attorneys, social workers, and legal representatives.
• Assist in the planning, development and evaluation of the agency's needs.
• Ability to be flexible and responsive as demands change and to work independently and be a positive team member.
• Adhere to professional ethics and standards.
• Must be organized, dependable, and accurate.
• Ability to use call center software and equipment and to operate a variety of other office equipment including computer, calculator, telephone, scanner and fax machine.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide and to calculate decimals and percentages.

Outagamie County is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the county will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective employees and incumbents to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

Benefits

Outagamie County offers a comprehensive and highly competitive benefits package to its employees. Levels of benefits can vary based on employment status and employee group.

• Medical Coverage: Low-Deductible Health Plan and High Deductible Health Plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA).
• Dental Coverage: Single, limited family, or family coverage.
• Vision Coverage: Single, employee plus one, employee plus children, and family voluntary vision insurance.
• Life Insurance: Group life insurance for full-time employees.
• Short-Term Disability Insurance: Coverage for injuries and illnesses that occur outside of work.
• Long-Term Disability Insurance: Coverage for all regular, non-union full-time employees.
• Wisconsin Retirement System: Helps provide for financial security during retirement.
• Flexible Spending Account Plan: Allows employees to pay for certain medical related expenses and dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis.
• Employee Assistance Program: Provides professional support and direction towards resolving problems or concerns.
• Paid Time Off: Includes vacation, personal holidays, national holidays, sick leave, bereavement leave and military leave.
• Deferred Compensation: Allows employees to set aside pre-tax earnings toward retirement.
• Employee and Family Clinic: Primary health services available to employees and dependents ages 2 and up.
• Pet Insurance: Discounts offered to Outagamie County employees.
• Continuing Education: Offers Education Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses for continuing education.