FAIR HEARING PRE-NOI SPECIALIST

YOU MUST BE PERMANENT IN THE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST (BOS) TITLE FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR OR PERMANENT IN THE ASSOCIATE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST (ABOS) TITLE. 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.

The Department of Social Services (DSS) is comprised of the administrative units of the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). HRA is dedicated to fighting poverty and income inequality by providing New Yorkers in need with essential benefits such as Food Assistance and Emergency Rental Assistance. DHS is committed to preventing and addressing homelessness in New York City by employing a variety of innovative strategies to help families and individuals successfully exit shelter and return to self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.

Office of Legal Affairs/ Fair Hearing Administration (OLA/FHA) is responsible for providing representation of the Agency at NYS Administrative Hearings in the following program areas: Cash Assistance (CA), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Department of Homeless Services (DHS), Investigation Revenue and Enforcement Administration (IREA), HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), and Medical Assistance (MA).

Under general supervision of the Pre-NOI Supervisor and with wide latitude for independent action and decision, the Pre-NOI Specialist performs outreach, administrative, and analytical duties relating to the resolution of client’s case prior to the Notice of Intent (NOI) being sent out. Assignments are made at the discretion of Unit Supervisor.

OLA/FHA is requesting to recruit two (2) Administrative Benefits Opportunity Specialist I to function as Fair Hearing Pre-NOI Specialist in the Fair Hearing Tracking Monitoring and Review Unit (FHTMRU) who will:

• Review and analyze cases of clients prior to NOI being sent out to determine whether the case can be resolved. Review database applications such as FHEMS, WMS, POS, NYCWAY, WeCare Viewer, STARS, WARM , HRA One Viewer, SEAMS, to determine accuracy of actions taken or to determine if the Conciliation Notices was defective. Take appropriate action to correct case by resolving and posting the appropriate action codes in NYCWAY.
• Conduct outreach to clients and explain activity, to determine if case can be received. Explain to client the reason for outreach and via conference inquires as to the reason why s/he failed to keep appointment and/or comply with activity attendance. If reason for non-compliance warrants good cause, the case will be resolved, and appropriate action code will be posted in the system.
• If outreach is unsuccessful, an intensive case review is conducted, to determine whether there were any barriers causing the clients to infract. The appropriate action codes will be entered into NYCWAY to reflect the findings of the review.
• Monitor and reviews individual PNMS queues to ensure all work is completed in a timely manner. Consults with immediate supervisor to determine workload issues and appropriateness of actions taken on case.
• Notifiy Unit supervisor of any case action required to be completed by Center Operation to prevent any adverse action being taken on the case.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

ASSOCIATE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY - 56316

• 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: a) client services. b) employment planning/counseling services which involves job development, skills assessment, and employment placement or other economic opportunity programming.
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; plus, eighteen months of full-time satisfactory experience working as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist; or
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; plus, eighteen months of full-time satisfactory experience as described in one (1) above.
• College credit from an accredited college may be substituted for this experience based on 60 semester credits for nine (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.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of Agency operations and NYS social service policies & procedures. - Strong analytical, problem-solving, and time management skills. - Demonstrated skill in working with HRA and OTDA system applications such as EDW, WMS, FHIS, SFARS, IBM Cognos, FHEMS, SEAMS, and WARM (formerly COLD). - Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  
  

55a Program

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.