NYC Department of Social Services
Job Overview
APPLICANTS MUST BE PERMANENT IN THE ASSOCIATE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST TITLE OR PERMANENT IN THE BENEFITS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST TITLE FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR; 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.
Family Independence Administration (FIA) provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs, assisting them in reaching self‑sufficiency through programs such as temporary cash assistance, SNAP, childcare, eviction prevention services, adult protective services, job training, employment plans/support, domestic violence assistance, child support enforcement, and more.
Under the direction of the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist II, the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist I (ABOS I) supervises a team of BOS staff, who provide eligibility determination, financial planning, employment planning, monitoring, and related services to persons in need, promoting individual and family self‑sufficiency. The ABOS I uses supervisory, program‑development, quantitative analysis, and research skills to achieve the goals of FIA Benefits Access Centers and its components.
Responsibilities
Supervise a team of BOS workers handling the entire application process for new applicants, including Family Assistance cases closed over sixty days and Safety Net case reopens.
Assign applications to staff, review application recommendations, and sign off on all benefits and case entries.
Interview applicants and assess eligibility for immediate needs grants (food and non‑food), employability, and public assistance programs such as SNAP and Medicaid; work with applicants to remove employment barriers and make referrals to other services as needed.
Prepare daily and weekly statistical reports on work performed and monthly audits.
Assist with case consultation on individual cases and provide guidance on difficult cases in the case‑planning process as necessary.
Supervise a team of BOS workers providing comprehensive service delivery after the establishment of the participant’s case, including Family Assistance cases closed less than sixty days or Safety Net cases closed in error.
Manage all aspects of the case: establish ongoing eligibility, assess participants, develop employment assessment and employment plans, and execute strategies to help participants achieve self‑sufficiency.
Review employment eligibility decisions for appropriateness and correctness according to Agency and New York State rules and regulations, and perform initial conference/conciliation interviews.
Perform the Mandatory Dispute Resolution function.
Supervise staff that interview and correspond with homebound clients.
Supervise a team providing quick service for walk‑in or telephone center clients; respond to reported changes, provide information and documentation, and maintain contact with other teams to ensure awareness of all activity affecting the case‑management plan.
Supervise staff who interview and determine housing needs of tenants at risk of homelessness or already homeless reporting to Benefits Access Centers; assist in developing anti‑eviction/housing intervention plans for referred participants.
May conduct field visits.
Hours/Shift: Monday – Friday
Minimum Qualifications
A four‑year high‑school diploma or its equivalent, plus three years of full‑time satisfactory experience working directly in social/human services or a related setting, providing either client services or employment planning/counseling services involving job development, skills assessment, and employment placement or other economic opportunity programming.
Or a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college plus eighteen months of full‑time satisfactory experience working as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist.
College credit from an accredited institution may substitute for this experience based on 60 semester credits for 9 months of the described work experience, but all candidates must have at least 18 months of full‑time satisfactory experience as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist or in the aforementioned social/human services work.
This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for 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, 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.
Regulation 55a Program eligibility 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.
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Family Independence Administration (FIA) provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs, assisting them in reaching self‑sufficiency through programs such as temporary cash assistance, SNAP, childcare, eviction prevention services, adult protective services, job training, employment plans/support, domestic violence assistance, child support enforcement, and more.
Under the direction of the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist II, the Associate Benefits Opportunity Specialist I (ABOS I) supervises a team of BOS staff, who provide eligibility determination, financial planning, employment planning, monitoring, and related services to persons in need, promoting individual and family self‑sufficiency. The ABOS I uses supervisory, program‑development, quantitative analysis, and research skills to achieve the goals of FIA Benefits Access Centers and its components.
Responsibilities
Supervise a team of BOS workers handling the entire application process for new applicants, including Family Assistance cases closed over sixty days and Safety Net case reopens.
Assign applications to staff, review application recommendations, and sign off on all benefits and case entries.
Interview applicants and assess eligibility for immediate needs grants (food and non‑food), employability, and public assistance programs such as SNAP and Medicaid; work with applicants to remove employment barriers and make referrals to other services as needed.
Prepare daily and weekly statistical reports on work performed and monthly audits.
Assist with case consultation on individual cases and provide guidance on difficult cases in the case‑planning process as necessary.
Supervise a team of BOS workers providing comprehensive service delivery after the establishment of the participant’s case, including Family Assistance cases closed less than sixty days or Safety Net cases closed in error.
Manage all aspects of the case: establish ongoing eligibility, assess participants, develop employment assessment and employment plans, and execute strategies to help participants achieve self‑sufficiency.
Review employment eligibility decisions for appropriateness and correctness according to Agency and New York State rules and regulations, and perform initial conference/conciliation interviews.
Perform the Mandatory Dispute Resolution function.
Supervise staff that interview and correspond with homebound clients.
Supervise a team providing quick service for walk‑in or telephone center clients; respond to reported changes, provide information and documentation, and maintain contact with other teams to ensure awareness of all activity affecting the case‑management plan.
Supervise staff who interview and determine housing needs of tenants at risk of homelessness or already homeless reporting to Benefits Access Centers; assist in developing anti‑eviction/housing intervention plans for referred participants.
May conduct field visits.
Hours/Shift: Monday – Friday
Minimum Qualifications
A four‑year high‑school diploma or its equivalent, plus three years of full‑time satisfactory experience working directly in social/human services or a related setting, providing either client services or employment planning/counseling services involving job development, skills assessment, and employment placement or other economic opportunity programming.
Or a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college plus eighteen months of full‑time satisfactory experience working as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist.
College credit from an accredited institution may substitute for this experience based on 60 semester credits for 9 months of the described work experience, but all candidates must have at least 18 months of full‑time satisfactory experience as a Benefits Opportunity Specialist or in the aforementioned social/human services work.
This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for 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, 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.
Regulation 55a Program eligibility 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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr