STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Administrative Hearings Specialist

Hybrid

Recruitment #240327-4302AR-001

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Introduction



The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health is hiring!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a qualified individual to join our team as an Administrative Hearings Specialist. This position will report to the Department’s Deputy Legal Director and will serve as the primary staff member facilitating the fourteen administrative boards and provide operational support to the Public Health Hearing Office.  See below for additional information on this great opportunity!

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:
After successful completion of the working test period, there is an opportunity for a partial telework/flexible schedule depending on needs of the Agency.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:
State of Connecticut employees participate in a competitive comprehensive benefits plan that includes:
  • A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D
  • Generous paid time off, include 13 paid holidays per calendar year
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings
  • Retirement healthcare offerings
  • Professional growth and development opportunities
  • State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.
  • A healthy work/life balance!
You'd be able to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING:
  • Monitoring and managing a heavy administrative caseload and managing all case-related communications within the Department and to external parties.
  • Serving as a liaison between the Department’s professional licensing boards and the Public Health Hearing Office.
  • Scheduling contested case hearings.
  • Drafting meeting agendas and minutes.
  • Facilitating the issuance of proposed and final decisions.
MORE ABOUT THE AGENCY AND FACILITIES:

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by:

  • Assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy
  • Preventing disease, injury, and disability
  • Promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

The Public Health Hearing Office (PHHO) presides over hearings and renders decisions concerning:

  • Disciplinary actions against licensed healthcare providers and facilities
  • Appeals of orders issued by local health directors
  • Reviews concerning the Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) Program
  • Applications for new or expanded emergency medical services
  • Voluntary and involuntary transfers of water companies/Appeals of orders issued to water companies
  • Appeals of involuntary discharge orders from long-term care facilities

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:
Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

To Apply:
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
  • You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
  • In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
  • This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
Important Next Step Information for After You Apply:
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
  • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
  • For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
Connect With Us:
  • Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
  • Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment please contact Joseph K. Fried at Joseph.Fried@ct.gov, 860-924-7053.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency legal unit this class is accountable for acting as a specialist in the coordination of all cases coming before agency administrative and/or adjudicative panels or proceedings.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Performs the most complex related duties in scheduling and calendaring cases before administrative and adjudicative bodies or panels; 
  • Reviews and analyzes cases for substantive issues, determines readiness and prioritizes for hearing; 
  • Identifies procedural defects and disparities from agency administrative and/or adjudicative rules and procedures and notifies parties; 
  • Provides recommendations for policies, rules, directions, techniques and dispositions related to case flow; 
  • Plans and develops case strategies and positions to be employed at informal hearings; 
  • Determines settlement strategy and value if applicable; 
  • Approves final settlement documents and stipulated agreements; 
  • Reviews requests for consolidation, continuance and other types of rulings and/or dispositions; 
  • Calendars cases for dismissal when appropriate; 
  • Drafts summaries and annotations of cases for use by panel members and all other practitioners; 
  • Acts as liaison with agencies and outside officials regarding unit policies and procedures; 
  • Prepares reports and correspondence; 
  • Assigns and oversees case management with staff; 
  • Conducts or assists in conducting performance evaluations; 
  • Provides staff training; 
  • May rule on less complicated motions; 
  • May draft proposed changes to rules and regulations; 
  • May coordinate third party lawsuits and out of court settlements; 
  • Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

  • Considerable knowledge of
    • relevant statutes and regulations; 
    • relevant agency policy and procedures; 
    • legal processes, terminology and forms; 
    • legal research techniques; 
  • Knowledge of appellate and Supreme Court operations and rules; 
  • Considerable
    • interpersonal skills; 
    • oral and written communication skills; 
  • Considerable ability to
    • negotiate; 
    • understand and interpret medical reports and related information; 
  • Ability to utilize computer software; 
  • Supervisory ability.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Five (5) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney or performing case management functions in a regulatory agency.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have involved work in one of the following capacities:

  • Performing the most complex tasks in providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney and supervising the operations of a legal office.
  • Preparing and presenting cases before or conducting agency administrative hearings.

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Paralegal Specialist or Public Utilities Administrative Hearings Coordinator.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

  • College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of one (1) year.
  • An Associate's degree in legal assistance or an Associate's degree and a certificate of completion of a Legal Assistant Certificate Program from an accredited college may be substituted for two (2) years of the General Experience.
  • A Bachelor's degree in legal studies or a Bachelor's degree and a certificate of completion of a Legal Assistant Certificate Program from an accredited college may be substituted for four (4) years of the General Experience.
  • A Bachelor's degree and completion of one (1) year of a law school curriculum may be substituted for the General Experience.
  • A certificate of completion of a paralegal studies program from a private occupational school approved by the Connecticut Department of Education may be substituted for six (6) months of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience working with the CT Administrative Procedure Act and the administrative hearing process.
  • Experience working with the meeting requirements of the CT Freedom of Information Act.
  • Experience communicating with external stakeholders concerning confidential matters, and handling and transmitting confidential physical and electronic documents.
  • Experience facilitating in-person, remote, and hybrid meetings, including: preparing and posting agendas, meeting notices and meeting minutes; managing remote meeting attendees; retaining required documents.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.
  • Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.




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