County of Sonoma

Job Announcement-Victim Claims Specialist I Bulletin

Victim Claims Specialist I

Recruitment #0910-0570-O

Salary:

$18.31 - $22.26/hour; $3,184.60 - $3,871.61/month; $38,215.20 - $46,459.32/year

Department:

District Attorney

Date Opened:

10/16/2009 8:00:00 AM

Filing Deadline:

11/11/2009 11:59:00 PM

Job Type:

Full Time (40 hrs/week)

Recruiter:

Golbou Ghassemieh

HR Tech:

Bart Tramer

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Bulletin

INTRODUCTION

The County of Sonoma District Attorney's office is excited to announce this recruitment for a FULL-TIME vacancy for Victim Claims Specialist I.

This is an exciting entry-level opportunity for a dedicated individual with analytical skills and a strong attention to detail to begin a career with the County of Sonoma. This employment list may also be used to fill future extra-help vacancies as they occur during the active status of this list.

THE TENTATIVE DATE FOR THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION IS:
(Updated Date) December 8 & 9, 2009.

POSITION INFORMATION

The Compensation and Joint Powers unit (JP unit) is a unit of the Victim Assistance Center, which is a division of the District Attorney’s office. The JP unit works under contract with the state Victims Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB), which administers the compensation program for victims of crime.

Under direct supervision, the Victim Claims Specialist:

Reviews and evaluates Victim Compensation (VCGCB) applications and related claims submitted by the victim, advocate, private attorney, providers, and other entities

Communicates verbally and in writing with law enforcement staff, attorneys, medical and mental health professionals, private and public agencies, insurance companies and public assistance programs

Obtains, reviews, and evaluates for eligibility and crime relatedness investigative reports, records, policies, and other documents

Calculates losses, applies all sources of reimbursements, and determines actual losses and reimbursements

Maintains contact with clients, employers, and service providers until all claimed losses are processed

Prepares and issues to the client and representative the eligibility determination reports and all ongoing reports related to the submitted losses;

Maintains case notes in the state computer system and adheres to all State and Federal statues, regulations, and mandates; as well as State and local policies and procedures

Provides victims and their family members with program information and makes necessary referrals to various public and private agencies

The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be one who is experienced working with rules and regulations, adept at following rules, policies, and procedures, has great attention to detail, and has excellent interpersonal skills. The most desirable candidate will also be practiced in caseload management, will be skilled at determining program eligibility. Bilingual proficiency (Spanish/English) is desirable.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of: basic record keeping and general office practices and procedures; use of electronic information equipment and systems; methods and techniques of conducting an investigative interview; mathematics; written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax and English composition; good public relations; public assistance programs and community resources as related to victims and victims’ services; cultural and human behavior; and basic medical and legal terminology.

Ability to: function effectively, accurately, and objectively in a system with pressure, strict deadlines, and constant change; learn, understand and correctly apply complex regulations, policies and procedures; evaluate information and determine appropriate action; operate electronic information system equipment; analyze and interpret electronic information systems data; effectively organize and budget time and claims workload; think systematically with regard to the victim’s compensation process; work independently as well as with others; accurately complete mathematical computations; effectively communicate orally and in writing with persons from a variety of backgrounds; refer clients to other community services as needed; assess and manage difficult and hostile persons or situations or call for intervention when appropriate; and courteously deal with people both in person and on the telephone.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience that would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, completion of the equivalent to two years of college coursework in sociology, psychology, behavioral sciences, criminal justice, victimology, counseling, or a closely related field;

One year of full time experience with responsibility for determining eligibility for: loans, financial assistance, unemployment, veterans benefits, insurance benefits, health benefits, and/or social service programs.

License: Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Special Requirements: Designated positions may require the ability to speak, read, and write a language in addition to English.

Background Requirements: Incumbents must pass a background investigation.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

The information contained in the application and responses to the supplemental questions will be evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the employment process. Applicants should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions. You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, please list each position separately. Failure to comply with these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE MANDATORY SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examinations:

1. An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position.

2. A multiple-choice, written examination (100%) will be conducted to further evaluate each candidate's qualifications as they relate to this position. The written examination will measure the core knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position such as:

Analyzing / Problem Solving
Applying Information - Mathematics
General Office Procedures
Interpersonal Skills

Applicants must attain a minimum passing grade of at least 70% on the written examination to be considered for the next step in the selection procedure. The minimum passing score may be an adjusted score based on such factors as difficulty of the examination for this group of candidates, natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates, numb er of candidates, anticipated vacancies, and past practice.

THE TENTATIVE DATES FOR THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION ARE:
(Updated Dates) DECEMBER 8-9, 2009

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additionally, a pre-employment medical examination, including a drug screening, will be required prior to employment.

Applications are accepted on-line at www.jobaps.com/sonoma. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma is committed to a policy and actively pursues a program of equal employment and non-discrimination.

In an effort to mitigate the impact of budget reductions on the County workforce, the County of Sonoma has implemented a program of mandatory time off for the current fiscal year. Most County offices, activities, and services will be closed from December 24, 2009 through December 31, 2009. During that period, most County employees will be on a work furlough. The amount of pay deducted for the unpaid furlough time will be determined by the employee’s regularly allocated work schedule and the number of pay periods remaining in the current fiscal year in order to accomplish a 40 hour contribution by June 28, 2010.

In order to minimize the impact of the unpaid furlough on employees, a deduction will be withheld each pay period from the date of hire through the end of the fiscal year in June 2010. Employees hired before the holiday closure will participate in the full 40 hour furlough. The 40 hour deduction will be amortized over the period between date of hire and the end of the fiscal year in June 2010.

Employees hired after the holiday closure and prior to the end of the fiscal year will accrue unpaid leave hours (MTO) on a pro-rated basis. Deduction of the accrued MTO hours will be amortized over the remaining pay periods in the fiscal year. Hours accumulated as a result of this deduction shall be used as time off prior to the use of any accumulated vacation leave, by mutual agreement of the employee and their department head or designee.

MTO for part-time employees will be pro-rated, based upon their assigned FTE.

SONOMA COUNTY BENEFITS

COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: GENERAL

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

GENEROUS PAID TIME OFF:

Vacation Leave: Generous vacation accrual based on years of County service
Sick Leave: No limit on accumulation
Holidays: 11 paid holidays plus 8-10 hours annual compensatory time

COMPREHENSIVE RETIREMENT:

Retirement Plan: 3% @60 general retirement tax deferred contributory system under the County Retirement Act of 1937. Fully integrated with Social Security. 3% @50 for most law enforcement job classes
Deferred Compensation: 457 plan
Retiree medical: The County provides a reimbursement program to assist in funding health benefits upon retirement.

EXCEPTIONAL HEALTH AND WELFARE PLANS:

Insurance: Vision and employee long term disability plan paid by the County. Dental coverage and choice of three health plans with generous portions of premiums paid by the County

Cash Allowance: Effective May 2009 a cash allowance of approximately $600/month that may be used towards health contribution accounts, deferred compensation, or as cash
Group Term Life Insurance for $10,000 paid by the County
Textbook & Tuition reimbursement: For approved job-related training and educational course work
Tax exempt health/dependent care reimbursement program

AND MORE......

Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process, more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331.

Updated 12/29/08

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information set forth on this page has been furnished by the County and includes information obtained from other sources, which are believed to be reliable. Any statement involving matters of opinion or estimates, whether or not so expressly stated, is set forth as such and not as representation of fact, and no representation is made that such opinion or estimates will be realized. The information and expressions of opinion contained herein are updated periodically and are subject to change without notice, and shall not, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the County or in the other matters described therein between updates.

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