Hearing Officer, Appeals and Fair Hearings Unit, W0058

Title: Hearing Officer, Appeals and Fair Hearings Unit, W0058

State Role Title: Hearing Legal Servcs Offcr II

Hiring Range: $75,000 - $80,000, commensurate with experience

Pay Band: 5

Agency: Department of Social Services

Location: DSS HOME OFFICE

Agency Website: dss.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

At the Virginia Department of Social Services, we put people at the center of everything we do. We believe that every Virginian can live a life of dignity and that all voices, ideas and experiences contribute greatly to our pursuit of excellence. Inspired by continuous improvement, we commit ourselves to listening, learning and cultivating environments of trust, respect and positive engagement. Together, we are mission-driven, eager to achieve, and passionate about bringing the best of who we are to those we serve.

We design and deliver high-quality human services that help Virginians achieve safety, independence and overall well-being. We are a $2 billion agency – one of the largest in the Commonwealth of Virginia – partnering with 120 local departments of social services and 31 community action agencies, along with faith-based and non-profit organizations, to promote the well-being of children, adults, and families statewide. We proudly serve alongside 1,650 (state) and 12,200 (local) human services professionals throughout the Social Services System, who ensure that thousands of Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens have easy access to the services and benefits available to them.

In addition to a rewarding work experience, VDSS offers excellent health and life insurance benefits, pre-tax spending accounts, state funded Short- and Long-Term Disability, paid holidays, vacation, tuition assistance, free wellness programs, and a state retirement plan with options for tax-deferred retirement savings including employer matching – Employee Benefits.

About the Position:

The Hearing Officer with the Appeals and Fair Hearings unit ensures that assigned appeals within the respective programs are conducted in an impartial manner, in compliance with state and federal law and regulations; hearings are expediently held, decisions are rendered in writing in a timely manner and competently addresses all of the issues presented by the parties.

Minimum Qualifications

Must have demonstrated:

• Degree (JD or Doctor of Jurisprudence) from an accredited School of Law as attorneys generally represent parties to Administrative Disqualification Hearings, and these hearings can be contentious and involve legal issues.
• Knowledge of the administrative fair hearing process.
• Ability to analyze and research complex regulatory, statutory and legal issues.
• Familiarity with Department of Social Services programs generally and Benefits and Services law, regulations and policies specifically.
• Ability to assess workload and prioritize.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer literacy and advanced skills in word-processing.

Additional Considerations

Knowledge of and or relevant experience in social work or a related subject area.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

To be considered for this position, you must submit a Commonwealth of Virginia application or resume through the on-line “Virginia Jobs” (RMS) employment site no later than 11:55 p.m. on the closing date listed. Each application is reviewed for documentation that shows the applicant meets the minimum and additional considerations stated in the job announcement. The decision to interview an applicant is based on the information provided. This website will provide a confirmation of receipt when the application is submitted for consideration. Please refer to your RMS account for the status of your application and this position.

Selected candidate(s) must successfully pass a fingerprint-based criminal history background check. A record of criminal history does not automatically bar an applicant from consideration. Employment verification will be conducted to include current/previous supervisory employment reference checks.

VDSS will record information from each new employee’s Form I-9 (E