Within this position employees are responsible for the total process of determining/re-determining applicant/client eligibility at Alamance County Department of Social Services. This employee will be expected to perform tasks such as the interviewing of clients to obtain required information, completing initial applications, verifying the information obtained, determining eligibility or completing scheduled program reviews. Individuals hired in this position must be able to explain program(s) requirements and options and advise or refer clients to other program services as appropriate.

View our quick video on why you should work with Alamance County DSS: 

https://youtu.be/nwrVAxhMRkM

• Interviews clients and/or collateral contacts to gather information, to secure medical, work history and other income information and to determine need and eligibility for human services.
• Responsible for verifying information and investigating discrepancies within information.
• Assists clients in retaining public assistance benefits by updating information in client records and state eligibility system.
• Follows policies and procedures related to eligibility determination and redetermination while maintaining an ongoing caseload.
• Responsible for documenting eligibility decisions, retaining copies of client records including financial, psychological, medical, vocational and court records in order to provide accountability for the expenditure of state and federal funding.
• Provides clients with information about the availability of services and refers them to appropriate agencies or community partners.

Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions. • Accuracy - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly. 
• Advocacy - Taking action to represent and advance interests of others by presenting facts and details.
• Analytical Thinking - Ability to give thought and consideration to data for a logical judgment to be made.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word. 
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Concentration, Ability to concentrate on tasks through many distractions.
• Conflict Management - Ability to be objective and empathic while maintaining self-composure and control of the conversation ensuring proper handling of all comments.
• Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers' needs while following company procedures. 
• Ethical - Ability to demonstrate conduct conforming to a set of values and accepted standards. 
• Honesty / Integrity - Ability to be truthful, maintain high level of confidentiality and be seen as credible in the workplace.
• Investigative - Ability to inquire intensively into and seeking to expose a malpractice or controversial issue.
• Judgment – Ability to use good judgment and discretion as it relates to interpreting policies and procedures.
• Multi-tasker – Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems. 
• Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships with customers and co-workers.
• Safety-Minded – Creating a safe work environment; managing risks; reducing exposure liabilities.
• Time Management - Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.

Education & Experience: Graduation from a four-year college/university; or graduation from an accredited associate degree program in Human Services Technology, Social Services Associate, Business Administration, or a closely related curriculum; or graduation from high school with three years of paraprofessional, clerical, or other public contact experience which includes negotiating, interviewing, explaining information, the gathering and compiling of data, the analysis of data and/or the performance of mathematical or legal tasks; or graduation from high school and two years of paraprofessional, clerical or other public contact experience which included negotiating, interviewing, explaining information, gathering and compiling of data, analysis of data and/or performance of mathematical or legal tasks with at least one year of such experience being in an income maintenance program; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. 
 To qualify for the Income Maintenance Caseworker II position in addition to the experience noted above, candidate must have at least one year of experience as an Income Maintenance Caseworker.

Computer Skills: Prior experience with Microsoft Windows suites of products.

License/Credentials: Possession of a valid NC driver's license.
 
Additional Position Information: All DSS positions are subject to reallocation contingent upon funding, agency needs and client population and are subject to perform work during emergency or disaster situations as required and may be required to staff shelter overnight.
 
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this position.
O (Occasionally) Position requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5 hrs./day)
F (Frequently) Position requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5 hrs./day)
C (Constantly) Position requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5 hrs./day)

Physical Demands 
 Stand F
 Walk O
 Sit F
 Manually Manipulate F
 Reach Outward O
 Reach Above Shoulder O
 Climb O
 Crawl N
 Squat or Kneel O
 Bend O
 Talk/Hear C
 
 Lift/Carry 
 10 lbs. or less O
 11-20 lbs. O
 21-50 lbs. O
 51-100 lbs. N
 Over 100 lbs. N
 
 Push/Pull
 12 lbs. or less O
 13-25 lbs. O
 26-40 lbs. O
 41-100 lbs. O
 See C
 Taste/Smell N
 
 Other Physical Requirements 
 •Vision (Near, Distance, Peripheral)
 
 WORK ENVIRONMENT 
 Work is performed in a standard office environment.