Hearing Assistant

Hearing Assistant

Who We Are

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) supports Ohioans and their families through the following programs:

• Public Assistance
• Workforce Development
• Unemployment Insurance
• Child Protective Services
• Adult Protective Services
• Adoption
• Childcare
• Child Support

Public service is an honorable way to serve the community in a hands-on dedicated way. You can make a difference in someone’s world!

Agency Mission

To improve the well-being of Ohio's workforce and families by promoting economic self-sufficiency and ensuring the safety of Ohio's most vulnerable citizens.

Our Vision

To be the nation's leading workforce development and family support system.

Our Values

Accountability, Innovation, Teamwork, Integrity, and Compassion

Office of Legal and Acquisition Services

The Office of Legal and Acquisition Services manages the agency’s legal affairs, contractual agreements, and acquisition of good and services. The attorneys in our office serve as legal counsel for ODJFS. Our mission is to provide quality and timely legal advice to ODJFS, and perform research and analysis for the program and policy areas of the agency. Our office also administers the hearings and rule promulgation functions for the agency.

What You’ll Do

The Bureau of State Hearings is a fast paced, production environment due to the volume of work and the requirement to meet established federal standards and timelines. For example:

• Over 5,000 records are processed and scheduled each month for hearing requests;

• Hundreds of administrative appeals are assigned each month to attorneys involved in handling these case. The Hearing Assistants are involved in pulling records and verifying all needed documentation is present in the file before assigning the case;

• Hundreds of intentional program violations/administrative disqualification hearings are created and managed each year.

The work processed in the Bureau of State Hearings involves legal documents. The work is processed both manually and electronically, with a high emphasis on paper-processing at present. The work performed by the Hearing Assistants is instrumental in ensuring that the assigned Hearing Officer has all pertinent information before him/her when conducting the hearing. This information, combined with the information obtained at the hearing affects the decision rendered. The job can feel monotonous at times as it involves a lot of verification of data, but accuracy is extremely important.

The Bureau of State Hearings holds hearings to make determinations on a client’s eligibility for program benefits administered by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ensuring all information is present and correct impacts the decision of the Hearing Officer. The continuing high rate of unemployment has increased our client base as appeals to benefit denials have gone up. These appeals may be received in the mail or via a toll free number, which is manned by Hearing Assistants. It is important to process each appeal as quickly as possible, and schedule the hearings to meet federal standards. Excellent customer service skills are essential as work involves direct contact with clients and county departments of job and family services to obtain/verify information and answer questions. It is important to remain calm as regular duties involve dealing with irate clients who are very upset about their denial of benefits.

Hearing Assistants work as a team, so it is important to cooperate with each other for the benefit of the Bureau of State Hearings as a whole. The ability to shift priorities as directed is necessary to meet federal timelines. The workday goes quickly in this fast-paced, production environment.

Schedule: 8:00AM - 5:00PM (FLEX)

Travel: Travel required, as needed. Must provide own transportation or, in order to operate a state vehicle, you must have a valid drivers' license.

PN(s): 20038748 & 20038729

The ideal candidate, at minimum, must have the following:

OPTION 1:

6 mos. trg. or 6 mos. exp. in processing benefit claims under appeal.

OR OPTION 2:

12 mos. trg. or 12 mos. exp. in position involving research, written & oral business communications & public contact.

OR OPTION 3:

Formal education in arithmetic which involved fractions, decimals & percentages; completion of legal secretarial training
program offered by technical college or business school.

OR OPTION 4:

Equivalent of Minimum Class Qualifications for Employment noted above.

Technical & Professional Skills Utilized:

Technical Skills: Administrative Support / Services, Basic Documentation, Clerical & Data Entry

Professional Skills: Teamwork, Time Management, Verbal Communication

Tips For Your Application

When completing the different sections of this application, be sure to clearly describe how you meet the minimum qualifications outlined in this job posting. We cannot give you credit for your Work Experience and Education & Certifications if you do not provide that information in your online application. Information in attached resumes or cover letters must be entered into your application in the appropriate Work Experience or Education & Certification sections to be considered.

Pay Information

This position is in the State of Ohio’s E1 Pay Schedule, Pay Range 27. Unless required by legislation or union contract, starting salary will be the minimum salary of that pay range (step 1, currently $19.99 per hour). These ranges provide a standardized pathway for pay increases. With continued employment, new hires move to the next step in the range after 6 months and annually thereafter. Cost of Living Adjustments increase wages in these ranges each fiscal year. The current step progression wages are in the table below.

What’s In It For You

We offer our employees a sustainable lifestyle that includes a flexible work life balance making our agency a great place to work!

At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website. Our benefits package includes:

Medical Coverage

• Quality, affordable, and competitive medical benefits are offered through the Ohio Med PPO plan. For more information, check out the 2023-24 MyBenefits Guide Online flipbook or PDF copy and see pages 8-9 for costs.

Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance

• BU: Dental, vision and basic life insurance premiums are free after one year of continuous service.

Time Away from Work and Work/Life Balance

• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, and sick leave
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Paid Childbirth/Adoption leave

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System

• OPERS is the retirement system for State of Ohio employees. The employee contributes 10% of their salary towards their retirement. The employer contributes an amount equal to 14% of the employee’s salary. Visit the OPERS website for more information.

Deferred Compensation

• The Ohio Deferred Compensation program is a 457(b) voluntary retirement savings plan. As a new employee, you will be automatically enrolled into Ohio Deferred Compensation unless you opt-out within 90 days of hire date. Visit the Ohio Deferred Compensation website for more information.

Supplemental Information

EEO Statement

Ohio is a Disability Inclusion State and strives to be a Model Employer of Individuals with disabilities. The State of Ohio is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs, and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws. To request an ADA reasonable accommodation, please email ADA_Public@jfs.ohio.gov.

Telework Policy

ODJFS may require occasional in-person meetings for training or other operational needs. You will have access to ODJFS shared workspaces, if needed. Employees are required to sign a teleworking agreement upon their first day. Schedules are subject to change based on the agency’s operational needs and telework status. Telework is considered a privilege and agreements are reviewed annually.

The final candidate selected for the position will be required to undergo a criminal background check. Some positions may require drug testing and/or fingerprinting. Criminal convictions do not necessarily preclude an applicant from consideration for a position. An individual assessment of an applicant's prior criminal conviction(s) will be made before excluding an applicant from consideration.

Status of Your Submitted Application

To check the status of a job application, sign-in to your profile and click on the "My Jobpage" tab to view completed submission. Check Job Status, and Submission Status, to see if there are any changes in status and View Email Messages to see if email correspondence was sent. We will correspond with applicants if they are selected for an interview.