Eligibility Specialist I/II - County Promotional - Colusa County, CA : Job Details

Salary : $38,688.00 - $70,104.00 AnnuallyLocation : Colusa, CAJob Type: Full-TimeJob Number: 2025-02Department: Dept of Health and Human Services (DHHS)Opening Date: 01/09/2025Closing Date: 1/13/2025 11:59 PM PacificFLSA: Non-ExemptDefinition & Distinguishing CharacteristicsHave you always had a passion for helping others? Do you enjoy being actively involved in helping individuals achieve positive outcomes that make their lives better? Then Colusa County Department of Health and Human Services is the place for you! We are the largest Department in the County, with over 80 staff. Our agency works with Colusa County residents in administering social services programs including Cal Works, Cal-Fresh, Medi-Cal, In-home Supportive Services (IHSS), Adult and Children's Services, Public Health and Housing. We have a strong leadership team who provide ongoing support for daily operations and assist our employees in reaching their full potential. If you're interested, check out the job description HERE. This recruitment is currently open to Colusa County employees only, external candidates may be considered after January 13, 2025. What's this Job All About?As an Eligibility Specialist you will determine initial and continuing eligibility for public assistance benefit programs such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWORKs to assist community members in need. You will gather personal information from applicants and beneficiaries through face-to-face interviews, telephone contact or mailed correspondence and enter the information into multiple computer systems. You will process initial applications, monitor and administer an assigned caseload, field customer phone inquiries, and perform other specialized work as assigned. You will handle a high volume of deadline driven work while complying with changing State and Federal regulations and procedures.At the Department of Health and Human Services, we work a 37.5 full-time work week, with the option of a flex-schedule and potential upcoming opportunities to work remote 1-2 days per week (depending on position). This allows our staff to find a work-life balance that best fits their needs. Our staff enjoy coming to work, where every day is different, and they have the opportunity to impact members of our community by providing excellent customer service and access to available services.Ethical Challenges Faced by Eligibility SpecialistsAs an Eligibility Specialist you may be required to take actions that conflict with your own values. An Eligibility Specialist must be able to accept clients' differences and interact with them in a non-judgmental manner. Some of the controversial issues encountered in an Eligibility Specialist environment include:

• Granting Medi-Cal for clients requesting abortions
• Granting Medi-Cal to minors without their parent's knowledge
• Clients with AIDS and other communicable diseases
• Clients who have substance abuse dependency
• Clients who are domestic violence victims
• Clients who are mentally ill
• Clients with felony convictions
• Homeless individuals and families
• Elderly and/or disabled clients placed in long-term care facilities
• Mandatory report of child and adult abuse
• Clients whose lifestyle, culture and/or values may be significantly different than your own

Embracing the Colusa County Work Culture:Working for Colusa County offers a unique work lifestyle that blends professional fulfillment with the tranquility of working in a rural and beautiful environment. Our county agencies take pride in our ability to work as a team. We have a collaborative and positive work environment where everyone has something to contribute, and everyonematters!How do we make a difference?Department of Health & Human Services employees are dedicated to serving Colusa County residents by offering services that improve their health, promote their well-being, and help them become productive and independent contributors to our community.Retention and Recruitment Incentives Pilot ProgramThis program was designed to attract and retain top talent and offers incentives ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 for new hires and existing employees, marking key milestones in their tenure, to be paid as detailed below. This is a pilot program, subject to evaluation and potential adjustments. The Board of Supervisors retains the right to rescind the program based on its effectiveness and impact. What are the benefits?

• A beautiful, safe community in which to work and serve.
• A caring, empathetic, & fun work family that you will be welcomed into - where we work hard, but play hard, too!
• A job with WORK-LIFE BALANCE
• Competitive salary commensurate with education & experience
• A LIFETIME PAYCHECK (3% @ 60 for Classic Members and 2% @ 62 for New Members) - As long as you work for 5 years and vest in the CalPERS system, you will receive a retirement paycheck for the rest of your life.
• Amazing health care BENEFITS at NO COST to you - Unless you choose a premium health care plan.
• Authentically kind and engaged leadership who truly enjoy developing staff.
• 457 Deferred Compensation.
• PAID vacation, PAID holidays (13), and PAID leave if you get sick.
• Vacation Parity - Previous service with a public agency counts towards vacation accrual at Colusa County. A public agency includes cities, counties, districts, military and similar entities. To learn more about vacation parity please see our benefit summary.

COLUSA COUNTY CARES: NURTURING HEALTH, EMPOWERING LIVES! Supervision & Examples of Duties Incumbents in the Eligibility Specialist I/II classification receive supervision from an Eligibility Supervisor and may receive lead direction from an Eligibility Specialist III. QualificationsEligibility Specialist I:Two years of experience performing clerical duties; OROne year of experience determining eligibility for loans, financial assistance, unemployment, or veterans' benefits, or publicly or privately funded health, counseling or social services, OR Completion of 60 semester or 90 quarter college units. Some positions may require possession of special language and culture skills as a bona fide qualification's standard. In these cases, candidates must demonstrate that they possess the required skills.Eligibility Specialist II:One (1) year of full-time experience performing duties comparable to the Eligibility Specialist I classification. Some positions may require possession of special language and culture skills as a bona fide qualification's standard. In these cases, candidates must demonstrate that they possess the required skills. Supplemental Information Eligibility Specialist Salary Ranges based on a 37.5hr work week.Eligibility Specialist I: $3,224-$5,291Eligibility Specialist II: $3,560-$5,842The salary range above consists of 15 steps. Steps 1-6 are annual merit steps with approximately 5% difference between each step, based on successful performance. Steps 7-15 are additional merit steps, requiring 2 years of satisfactory performance at the previous step. Steps 7-14 provide 2.5% increases, while Step 15 offers a 5% increase. The final salary offered will depend on the applicant's experience and qualifications, ranging from steps 1 to 15.

• Colusa County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• ALL Colusa County employees automatically become Disaster Service Workers. This means that when Colusa County experiences emergencies (earthquake, wildfire, power outage, flood, etc.) you may be asked to pivot from your regular duties to provide critical services to those affected by the emergency (CA Govt Code § 3102). As a designated Disaster Worker, you will be required to complete training and may be required report for work during emergencies.
• Resumes are encouraged as attachments, but the online application must be completed in full.
• Meeting the requirements does not guarantee selection in the examination process.
• The information in this job bulletin is not a contract.
• Colusa County does not reimburse travel expenses for employment applications.
• The county participates in E-Verify.
• Retirees may be subject to hiring restrictions according to Government Code Section 21221 (h) and 21224 for California Public Sector Pension Plan Retirees.

Colusa County offers an excellent benefit package. For a summary of benefits, please click here: 2025 Benefit Summary01 I understand the nature of this position calls for maintaining the confidentiality of all public assistance customers.

• Yes
• No

02 I understand, and am willing to meet, multiple deadlines and perform work under the time-sensitive mandates that this position requires.

• Yes
• No

03 I understand if hired for this position, I will be working with customers who may be in a highly emotional state.

• Yes
• No

Required Question