Disaster Assistance Lead

About the position The Disaster Assistance Specialist Lead role is a demanding yet rewarding temporary position focused on eligibility determination. Work involves assisting disaster victims with expenses or urgent needs by reviewing cases for corrections, additional information, or adjustments for grants under the ONA program, which is part of the Federal Assistance for Individuals and Households Program (IHP). The job involves training staff and assigning work, as well as determining and processing eligibility for IHP-ONA grants, particularly in complex cases. This role also involves reviewing and processing requests for reconsideration of eligibility decisions, ensuring that the correct eligibility levels are applied. An automatic call distribution (ACD) system is used to handle statewide inquiries and requests for assistance, including interviewing applicants, their representatives, and other sources to gather and verify information to process eligibility. The role requires researching and analyzing information to resolve issues, problems, and complaints. The Federal Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) is used to document, update, and review case records. The position may represent the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Disaster Recovery Centers. This Other Needs Assistance (ONA) temporary position assignment may last up to one year (potentially longer) depending on the disaster response need. It is telework-eligible after a successful 30-day probationary/training period and is eligible for full State of Texas benefits.

Responsibilities

• Engages in intermediate-level communication, both internally and externally, to provide, exchange, and verify information, respond to inquiries, address concerns, and resolve issues or complaints.
• Responds to statewide inquiries and requests for assistance using an automatic call distribution (ACD) system via the toll-free State Disaster Assistance Help Line.
• Serves as a lead, overseeing staff or projects, ensuring successful execution and adherence to objectives.
• Gathers and verifies necessary client information to determine eligibility, ensuring accuracy and compliance with agency standards.
• Analyzes hotline calls and case records to assess compliance with policies and procedures, identifying trends and recommending corrective actions where necessary.
• Conducts interviews with clients and their authorized representatives to collect information critical for determining eligibility for benefits.
• Conducts reviews to determine or verify eligibility or continued eligibility.
• Documents case records using automated equipment to form a record for client.
• Clearly explains program services and policies to clients and makes appropriate referrals to agency programs, other state agencies, or community resources.
• Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School graduate or equivalent.
• Knowledge of overall program, including federal and state guidelines, regulations, programs, policies, and procedures
• Knowledge of Federal, other state government, and private non-profit disaster recovery assistance agencies and programs
• Skill in Interviewing techniques to obtain personal information, make inquiries, and resolve conflicting statements.
• Skill in Applying guidelines, regulations, and policies to a variety of cases.
• Skill in Working with the public and public groups.
• Skill in Communicating orally and in writing
• Skill in Mathematical computations
• Ability to Listen, elicit and evaluate information, interpret terms, and resolve conflicting statements
• Ability to Read, understand, and apply a variety of interrelated instructions, such as guidelines, regulations, and policies.
• Ability to Screen applications, status reports, and case records to extract needed information and resolve unclear or incomplete statements.
• Ability to Navigate and interpreting information on the Federal National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS).
• Ability to Establish priorities relative to importance, setting goals, managing time efficiently, and completing work within required timeframes.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with windows-based software preferred.
• Previous experience with the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) is preferred.
• Previous supervisory experience in customer service-related field preferred.

Benefits

• Our comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more.

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