The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Eligibility and Support Services is recruiting for a Government Assistance Eligibility Specialist III positions to work in the units and programs outlined below.

This recruitment may be used to fill current and future vacancies in locations throughout The County.

The Government Assistance Eligibility Specialist III acts as Lead Worker in a unit within the Office of Eligibility and Support Services; planning and reviewing the work of Income Assistance Program Specialists; providing direction to staff, acting for the supervisor in his/her absence; and responding to inquiries and requests for assistance from both internal and external customers.

The Government Assistance Eligibility Specialist III assists with maintaining access to automated systems, and handling MC311 service requests. The employee assists with monthly supervisory case reviews, trains subordinate staff in eligibility determination procedures, and resolves client complaints.

Incumbents work in an environment that values quality customer service and treats all populations with respect and dignity. Positions may require flexible work hours to provide service at various locations throughout Montgomery County. These positions will also be required to represent the Department in enrollment events or community outreach events to inform the public about the availability of HHS programs. This could require an adjusted work week to cover weekend or evening events.

The position is part of Income Support which determine eligibility for Income Support Programs, including Temporary Cash Assistance, Temporary Disability Assistance Program, Food Supplements and Medical Assistance; conduct and complete initial interviews, process cases, authorize benefits, make necessary referrals to other services and programs and maintain an ongoing caseload to meet all established timelines accurately while delivering the highest level of customer service to applicants and recipients.

Bilingual Applicants in the Spanish/English or Amharic/English languages are encouraged to apply. If the candidate selected to fill the vacancy has the preferred proficiency, they will be required to pass a language proficiency exam assessing oral communication, reading comprehension, interpreting, and (for advanced proficiency) translating text from the Spanish or Amharic language to the English language and vice versa.

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 as a journey level specialist in the program are listed below (s) to which assigned, or two (2) years of equivalent work experience.

• Cash Assistance
• Child Care Subsidies
• Food Supplements (Individual)
• Human and Social Services Programs
• Social Security Benefits Eligibility
• Military/Veterans Benefits Eligibility

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.

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 Family Investment Administration program policies and procedures
• Experience using database systems to determine eligibility for Federal, State and local assistance programs
• Customer service
• Oral communications
• Written Communication