WORKERS COMPENSATION HEARINGS OFFICER V, III, II AND I - DOWNTOWN, OAHU

Recruitment Number DLIR-2026-050 - Position is full-time and located in Downtown Honolulu, Oahu.  

THIS JOB POSTING WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL 30 APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED.
PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY AS THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME.

Salary:
Worker's Compensation Hearing Officer V  ( $6,535 to $7,952 monthly, SR-26, Step D to I)

Consideration may be given at the III, II, and I level:

Workers’ Compensation Hearings Officer III  ($5,369 to $6,535 monthly, SR-22, Step D to I)

Workers’ Compensation Claims Specialist II  ($4,590 monthly, SR-18, Step D)

Workers’ Compensation Claims Specialist I   ($4,243 monthly, SR-16, Step D)

Hiring rates will be based on availability of funds, the applicant's qualifications, and other relevant factors.

Workers’ Compensation Hearings Officer V : Independently performs difficult workers’ compensation claims examination for the determination of workers’ compensation benefits, requiring the conduct of administrative hearings; makes a variety of determinations; provides consultative services regarding workers’ compensation matters to representatives of claimants, insurance carriers and employers; and performs other duties as required.

Workers’ Compensation Hearings Officer III : Independently examines simple claims for workers’ compensation benefits requiring conduct of a hearing; determines amount, and duration of awards; conducts hearings in order to hear viewpoints of claimants and their representatives, representatives of insurance carriers or self-insured employers and others; and performs other duties as required.

Workers’ Compensation Claims Specialist II : Prepares workers’ compensation injury cases for administrative hearings; recommends awards on disfigurement cases for which hearings are waived; counsels injured employees or their family members on workers’ compensation benefits and assists them in filing claims; and performs other duties as required.

Workers’ Compensation Claims Specialist I : Receives training and assists in a trainee capacity in activities relating to the Hawaii State Workers’ Compensation Program; and performs other duties as required. 

To qualify, you must meet all of the following requirements:

Legal Authorization to Work:
The State of Hawaii requires all persons seeking employment with the government of the State shall be citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or eligible under federal law for unrestricted employment in the United States.

Applicants must meet all the requirements for the position they are seeking as of the date of the application, unless otherwise specified. Please note that unless specifically indicated, the required education and experience may not be gained concurrently.

Your possession of the required amount of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. Overall paid or unpaid experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position.

Note: Your calculation of experience must be based on full-time, 40-hour work weeks.  Part-time experience must be pro-rated. Example: Twelve (12) months of experience at 20 hours/week is equivalent to six (6) months of experience, not one (1) year. Also, hours worked in excess of 40 hours/week will not be credited. Example: Twelve (12) months of experience at 60 hours/week is equivalent to one (1) year of experience, not one and a half (1 ½) years.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

Graduation from an accredited four (4) year college or university with a bachelor’s degree.

Excess work experience as described below in the General or Specialized Experience sections, or any other responsible administrative, professional, or analytical work experience that provided knowledge, skills and abilities comparable to those acquired in four (4) years of successful study while completing a college or university curriculum leading to a baccalaureate degree may be substituted on a year-for-year basis. To be acceptable, the experience must have been of such scope, level and quality as to assure the possession of comparable knowledge, skills and abilities.

The education or experience background must also demonstrate the ability to write clear and comprehensive reports and other documents; read and interpret complex written material; and solve complex problems logically and systematically.

GENERAL  EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT: 

Level V and III: One and a half (1 ½) years general experience required. 

Level II: One-half (1/2)  year general experience required.

Level I: No general experience required.

General experience is demonstrated by progressively responsible professional, investigative, or other analytical work which involved gathering, evaluating and analyzing facts and other pertinent information; identifying, evaluating and analyzing issues involved; interpreting and applying provisions of the Hawaii State Workers’ Compensation laws, rules and regulations to determine appropriate courses of action; and recommending courses of action.  Such experience must have demonstrated the ability to elicit information orally and in writing, apply problem solving methods and techniques, and prepare clear and concise written reports of facts, issues, application of the law and recommendations for action.

Examples of such experience include (but are not limited to) the following:

(a) Active participation in the examination and determination of disfigurement and/or disability awards for workers’ compensation claims.

(b) Enforcement of workers’ compensation laws, rules and regulations by investigating and examining employers financial records and/or related personnel records, interviewing employers, employees or others;

identification of violations or lack of alleged violations and preparing reports recommending action; and

(c) Representation of self-insured employer, insurance carrier, employee or other party, as a regular work assignment, regarding claims for workers’ compensation benefits and awards which involved review of pertinent case documents, determination of issues and advocacy of the clients’ position relative to the case.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT: 

Level V : Two (2) years specialized experience required. 

Level III, II, and I : No specialized experience required.

Progressively responsible professional experience of the kind and nature described under General Experience, above, which involved examination of claims for workers’ compensation benefits and awards which included conducting administrative hearings for determination of awards or participating in administrative hearings as an advocate of the client, self-insured employer or insurance carrier, or other interested party as a regular work assignment. For the class Workers’ Compensation Hearings Officer V, at least two (2) years of experience must have been comparable in scope and difficulty to Workers’ Compensation Hearings Officer Ill in the State service. 

NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE 
Clerical work experience, although it may be in the field of workers' compensation, is not qualifying. 

SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED 

1. Satisfactory completion of course work required for a law degree from a school of law accredited by a nationally recognized specialized accrediting body (or course work deemed comparable by a nationally recognized specialized accrediting body) which included study of legal research and writing, evidence, contracts, civil procedures, and torts, may be substituted for the General or Specialized Experience required on the basis of one semester of full-time course work load for one-half (1/2) year of experience up to a maximum of one and one-half (1-1/2) years of General Experience and/or one and one-half (1-1/2) years of Specialized Experience. This course work may not be substituted for experience comparable to the class Workers' Compensation Hearings Officer V.

2. Excess Specialized Experience of the type and quality described may be substituted for the required General Experience on a year-for-year basis.

The State of Hawai'i complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.  If you require reasonable accommodations in completing an application, any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection process, please call 808-586-9084 for assistance.
  
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF) PROGRAM
The PSLF Program is a federal program that is intended to encourage individuals to work in public service by forgiving the balance of their federal student loans. To qualify, the individual must have made 120 qualifying payments while employed by a qualifying employer. For more information, please click: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellatione
  
ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION TO APPLICANTS
The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) will use electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status and processing of their applications as part of our ongoing efforts to increase operational efficiency, promote the conservation of green resources, and minimize delays and costs.
  
Please ensure that the email address and contact information you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails or fail to check your email-box in a timely manner.  In addition, please be aware that you may no longer receive notification about applications submitted if you choose to disable the Job Application Emails feature in your Account Settings.
  
TESTING INFORMATION
The examination for this recruitment will be conducted on an unassembled basis where the examination score is based on an evaluation and rating of your education and experience. It is therefore important that your employment application provide a clear and detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of each position you held.
  
In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawaii may be required at the discretion of the hiring agency. If in-person interviews and/or further testing is a requirement, applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are referred to the vacancy must be available to participate in person and at their own expense in this required phase of the selection process.
  
Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. In addition to employment availability and score, the referral of qualified applicants may be based upon other factors including date of receipt of application.
  
CLICK HERE for further information about Equal Employment Opportunity, the Merit Civil Service System, Citizenship and other requirements, Reasonable Accommodation, Veterans Preference, Examination Requirements, and the State Recruiting Office's Levels of Review.

Salary : $5,369 - $6,535