State of Maryland

A Family Investment Specialist I is the entry level of work providing direct services to individual customers or families by determining customer eligibility for multiple Family Investment Administration programs in a local Department of Social Services.  Employees in this classification interview customers to explain program requirements and options, to collect and complete required documentation, to refer customers to other program services or agencies as appropriate and to monitor customer progress and use of assistance.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Family Investment Specialist Supervisor or other higher-level administrator.  Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends and may be required to visit customers in their homes or at facilities such as nursing homes, group homes and hospitals.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using by the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the classification specification.

The Family Investment Specialist I and the Family Investment Specialist II are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Family Investment Specialist I performs duties under close supervision.  The Family Investment Specialist II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to interview applicants for Public Assistance, Medical Assistance and/or Food Stamps in the Family Investment Administration (FIA) of the Maryland Department of Human Services in order to determine customer eligibility and need for FIA programs;

Learns to explain program requirements and procedures to individual customers or in a group setting;

Learns to elicit information as to family composition, employment, health status, financial obligations, parental status and living arrangements;

Learns to calculate incomes and resources to establish benefit level;

Learns to determine program eligibility in accordance with federal, State and local laws, policies, rules and regulations;

Learns to check public records, such as birth records and real estate transactions;

Learns to contact individuals, employers, landlords, attorneys, financial institutions, medical offices, and government and community agencies to obtain, verify or clarify information required for eligibility determinations, such as income, resources, residency and household composition;

Learns to establish and maintain case records using computerized database systems;

Learns to contact customers regarding discrepancies and refer questionable cases to the fraud unit for further follow-up;

Learns to monitor case progress and apply appropriate sanctions when necessary;

Learns to provide information on and make referrals to service agencies, organizations and vendors for appropriate services and information to meet customer health, housing, food, employment assistance, child care and transportation needs;

Learns to serve as a customer advocate;

Learns to provide basic counseling and problem solving support;

May learn to make visits to customers’ homes to gather information;

May learn to prepare appeal packages or testify in administrative appeals hearings;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the impact of poverty and related sociological and health problems;

Ability to use computer applications;

Ability to prepare clear, accurate and detailed reports;

Ability to learn Family Investment Administration program areas and services;

Ability to learn interviewing and communication techniques;

Ability to learn, understand and explain complex federal, State and local policy, requirements, guidelines, procedures and regulations;

Ability to establish and maintain professional working relationships with customers, staff members, other agencies and institutions and the general public;

Ability to effectively organize and manage work assignments and meet deadlines;

Ability to meet required performance goals and accuracy expectations;

Ability to keep eligibility and personal information confidential.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Six months of public contact experience involving negotiating, interviewing, explaining information, gathering and compiling data, performing analysis of data, writing correspondence, and completing mathematical or legal tasks.

                                                           OR

Six months of general office, retail, food service, construction trades, or similar experience including data entry, record filing and maintenance, multi-line phone use, general computer skills and email software. General clerical, data processing, technical or administrative experience is defined as  work performing a variety of duties which are clear-cut and typically found in office settings, such as filing, copying, inputting data, general computer skills, and directing telephone calls.

                                                           OR

Six months of experience in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Note: These requirements are established by the Family Investment Administration by authority provided in Human Services Article Title 5, Subtitle 2, Section 204 (b)(1) of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The Office of Personnel Services and Benefits of the Department of Budget and Management and the Examination Services Unit of the Maryland Department of Human Services do not have the authority to accept substitutions or equivalents.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position. 

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special  Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit F, Social and Human Services Professionals classes.  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.