Position Overview
An eligibility interviewer is hired to determine the eligibility of individuals applying to receive assistance from an organization.
Mostly, eligibility interviewers are hired in government organizations, where it is considered imperative to determine how suitable each applicant is for receiving aid or funds from the government, for different purposes.
Qualifications
Typically, a high school diploma or a GED equivalent is sufficient to work as an eligibility interviewer. If you possess a college degree, you may be considered for the job. As far as skills and competencies are concerned, it is important for eligibility interviewers to be highly insightful so that they can gauge how suitable someone is for government help.
The ability to interview applicants to determine their backgrounds and handling issues is required when working as an eligibility interviewer. Also, working in this position means that you will need to possess exceptional administrative skills, along with the capability of responding to issues and problems in a proper manner. Furthermore, this position requires one to possess integrity, the ability to tolerate stress, attention to detail, and concern for others.
Determining the eligibility of an applicant is demanding work, which is why not everyone can do it. However, if you have it in you to be able to handle the intricacies associated with this work, you will be interested in what the following list of job duties says:
Eligibility Interviewer Duties & Responsibilities
• Look through applications submitted to apply for assistance from different government programs.
• Choose the most eligible applicants, and ensure that they are called in for interviews.
• Engage prospectively eligible applicants in conversation to derive further information regarding their suitability.
• Respond to requests and queries posted by applicants in person, over the telephone, and through emails.
• Check with employers or references to determine eligibility, and to obtain vital information regarding the applicant.
• Record and evaluate personal and financial data, aimed at verifying completeness and accuracy of eligibility statuses.
• Compute the amount of assistance each qualified applicant is eligible for, and authorize amounts for programs such as grants and food stamps.
• Initiate procedures to provide grants to suitable applicants, and ensure that any required modifications are taken into account.
• Handle denials and terminations according to set protocols, and intimate applicants in a timely manner.
• Provide applicants with support in filling out application forms, and writing letters for grants approvals.
• Create and maintain records of successful and unsuccessful applicants, in a safe and confidential manner.
• Provide social workers with required information, collected and collated during the eligibility determination process.