Labor Department Community Services Representative

• In order to be considered for this job opening, The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by August 31, 2022. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

• 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.
• 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, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.
• 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.

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.

In the Department of Labor this class is accountable for providing client services in the areas of unemployment compensation, assessment of clients needs, placement of workers and employer services; in the Central Office this class is accountable for performing basic technical tasks in the following functional areas: claims examination, benefit payment control and merit rating.

Serves as a front-line service provider for all services necessary for the determination of monetary eligibility for Unemployment Compensation benefits; process new, additional, and continued unemployment insurance claims; review and process Consumer Contact Center and Claims Intake inquiries; perform customer call-backs via telephone and/or online; reviews application and secures additional data needed; analyzes work history to determine appropriate benefit program; assesses need for non-monetary hearing based on reason for separation or any barriers to employability; makes appropriate adjustments to system wage file or refers to a field auditor as needed; processes adjustments to claims; investigates and resolves held claims and exceptions; enter work search waivers; process information requests; data enters Field Office Denials; processes Statements of Late Filings.

Serves as program specialist applying federal and state guidelines to numerous programs and functions with the unemployment monetary and benefit payment processes. Assess and act accordingly to internal and external customers, program requests, responses and various reports involving benefit payment adjustments, monetary determination, and redeterminations. Functions include: process requests and responses for federal (UCFE), military (UCX), and out of state wage information (combined wage paying) claims; process Field Audit results for missing, exempt or suspect wages (wage investigation); respond to requests for Connecticut wage information for out of state (combined wage transfer) claims; calculate and apply pension deductible income and Child Support Income withholding orders; submit requests and process responses from Dept. of Homeland Security for non-citizens; process requests for dependency allowance; process effective date and invalidation requests; process name mismatch exceptions; process monetary appeals to the Appeals Division; submit requests and process Social Security verification responses; process benefit payment requests for Shared Work program. 

Performs related duties as required; more information can be found here. 

Knowledge of Job Service, Unemployment Compensation and Employment and Training laws, regulations, policies and procedures; knowledge of interviewing techniques and principles; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; analytical skills; decision making ability; ability to establish cooperative relationships with staff, employers, diverse client population and the public; ability to use automated systems; ability to maintain good public relations; ability to understand, apply and explain relevant laws, regulations, policies, programs and procedures; ability to create and maintain case management records.

Five (5) years of technical level experience in counseling, employment placement, public contact work, human service programs, community action programs, Job Service, Unemployment Insurance or Employment and Training functions.

1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) hours equaling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.

2. For State employees, two (2) years of experience as a Social Services Trainee with the target class of Labor Department Community Services Representative may be substituted for the General Experience.

3. For State employees, two (2) years of experience as an Employer Security Intermittent Interviewer may be substituted for the General Experience.

• Experience working in a high volume/production environment.
• Experience in customer service and interacting with people from various backgrounds.
• Experience processing and reviewing unemployment insurance claims or other insurance claims.
• Experience processing claims via Phone, Salesforce Classic, Salesforce Lightning, or other applications.
• Experience with Amazon Connect, Telephone Initial Claims System (TICS/Remote TICS), or IBM Unemployment Insurance systems.
• Experience with Microsoft TEAMS, Word and Outlook.

1. Incumbents in this class assigned to veterans program positions will be required to meet the qualifications set forth in Title 38, i.e. must be veterans, preferably disabled veterans, or other qualified, eligible persons. Any employee who bumps a Labor Department Community Service Representative in a veterans program position must meet the eligibility requirements under Title 38.

2. Incumbents in this class may be required to speak a foreign language.

3. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

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.