This is a term position funded through July 1, 2024. Continued employment beyond this term is subject to continuation of funding and is not guaranteed.

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, DC and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With 1,750 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a Department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods and healthy food. HHS’ provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community. If you are interested in working for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Community Services Aide II position.

About the Position:

This position is located in the Department’s Office of Eligibility and Support Services. The Office of Eligibility and Support Services (OESS) serves low-income families and individuals facing significant challenges in meeting basic needs including food, medical coverage, and childcare. OESS determines eligibility for Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA); Temporary Disability Assistance Program (TDAP); Refugee Cash Assistance; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP- formerly known as Food Stamps); Medical Assistance for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (including long-term care); and the Affordable Care Act which includes Community Medical Assistance, Maryland Children's Health Program, Medical Assistance for Families and Children, and Refugee Medical Assistance. OESS provides these services on behalf of the State of Maryland Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, OESS determines eligibility for the County's healthcare for the uninsured services (Maternity Partnership, Care for Kids, Senior Dental Program, and Montgomery Cares).

The Community Services Aide II serve as the public contact for the Office of Eligibility & Support Services, Customer Service and Assistance Center and engage customers by telephone, email and in-person enrollment events and satellite locations.

P rimary duties include:

• Extensive telephone contact.
• Resolve customer inquiries and complaints via phone, email and written service requests.
• Provide virtual and in-person assistance with federal/state and local benefit programs.
• Serves as a higher-level contact to resolve problematic issues and to facilitate changes.
• Exercise knowledge of subject matter and community resources for food, clothing, shelter and other appropriate resources.
• Operate various federal/state/local database systems to retrieve and upload sensitive information.
• Maintain statistical data for program performance and analysis.
• Compile reports on overall customer satisfaction.
• Adhere to established customer service guidelines and procedures to exercise sound judgement, courtesy and timely response

The selected candidates will be required to complete and pass a pre-employment physical exam and a drug and alcohol screening.

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference .

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law : Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code . Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Experience: Two (2) years of experience providing delivery of social, health and/or public assistance services, one year of which must be providing direct referrals for Public Assistance programs and/or eligibility.

Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas.

• Knowledge of Federal, State and Local benefit programs.
• Knowledge of database systems to determine program eligibility.
• Demonstrated experience working with low-income households.
• Demonstrated customer service experience.