DSHS ESA Social Service Specialist

Overview

DSHS ESA Social Service Specialist 2

The Economic Services Administration's, Community Services Division, is currently seeking a full-time Social Service Specialist 2 to join our Community Service Office team located in Yakima, WA. If you’re looking for meaningful work that blends problem-solving, social service expertise, and direct support to people facing significant barriers, this role may be perfect for you.

In this position, you will have unsupervised access to vulnerable citizens. Certain criminal convictions, pending charges, and negative actions automatically disqualify a person from having unsupervised access to vulnerable adults, juveniles, and children. Passing a criminal background check is required for this position.

Your work helps people build stability, understand expectations, access services, and move toward greater independence. It’s a role that calls for compassion, strong communication, and comfort working in a high-volume environment.

This position will also play a key role in helping CSD support ESA’s efforts to reduce the number of individuals and families living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level in a way that eliminates disparities.

See why people like you choose careers with DSHS:

• Conduct assessments to determine a person’s level of functioning including evaluating education, social history, living situation, employment history, as well as physical and behavioral health status
• Develop individualized care plans to provide specific action steps from assessment findings and provider recommendations
• Assist walk-in clients daily for evaluation
• Work collaboratively with the Work First/Social Service Specialist teams, medical providers, SSI Facilitation team, other agencies and community partners
• Screen, and refer customers for medical, psychiatric, and other tests
• Authorize referrals to medical specialists and create payment reimbursements
• Review and interpret objective medical information to determine customers' diagnosis, prognosis, and physical ability to perform past work; relate findings to program eligibility
• Make timely claim determinations, utilizing appropriate databases for information gathering
• Refer customers to other agencies such as mental health, substance abuse programs, domestic violence services, vocational rehabilitation, and monitor their progress in overcoming barriers to self-sufficiency, ensuring follow-up and coordination of services
• Carry a large caseload, maintain and update case records with detailed documentation; review cases regularly to assess customer’s progress and continuing program eligibility
• Explain department policies and provisions of the law to individuals and members of the community
• Other duties as assigned

• Cultural competence:
  Understand and integrate diverse cultures and family dynamics into interventions
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate the ability to juggle multiple tasks at the same time
• Ability to work with hard to serve, chronically homeless, mentally ill and chemically dependent individuals
• Excellent written, verbal, and documentation skills; effective in interviewing and collaborating with customers and professionals
• Ability to interact with all DSHS staff and serve the public with respect, concern, courtesy, and responsiveness
• An ability to efficiently handle large caseloads, develop casework plans, and refer customers to internal/external resources
• Ability to defuse difficult and potentially hostile situations, make independent and critical decisions in high-volume and high-stress situations, support customers with emotional needs, and serve vulnerable population with respect, compassion, empathy, and confidentiality
• Ability to read and interpret the Washington Administrative Code and procedural manuals to assist in the determination of eligibility
• Ability to learn and utilize various automated programs and software applications
• Willingness to work with each customer to achieve the highest level of functioning and independence
• Knowledge of medical terminology and how to interpret medical information for incapacity determination

Professionals…