Casework Assistant

Casework Assistant SALARY: $29.87/hr 2026 Hire Rate; $32.39/hr 2027 Work Rate (after 9 months) TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT: Full Time ISSUE DATE: 09/04/26 THE FINAL DATE TO FILE APPLICATIONS: 09/20/26 DATE THAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM POSTING: 09/21/26 RESIDENCY: Candidates must have been legal residents of Tompkins County or one of the six adjoining counties (Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga) for at least one month immediately preceding the date of application and maintain residency. For Examinations: The eligible list resulting from the examination will be established in accordance with the final earned numerical ratings of passing candidates regardless of residence. A municipality or district may exercise its right under section 23-4-a. of Civil Service Law to request a certification of eligible candidates who have been residents of that municipality or district for at least one month prior to appointment. After the names of residents have been exhausted, Tompkins County must then certify the names of non-residents on the list. Tompkins County Whole Health is seeking a Casework Assistant to support its Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program. This is a full-time position working 40 hours per week. The hire rate is $29.87 per hour, with a working rate of $32.39 per hour after nine months. PROS provides person-centered rehabilitation and recovery services to adults living with serious mental health conditions. This position primarily focuses on the billing and administrative work that supports the division’s daily operations. Responsibilities may include reviewing service documentation, supporting billing processes, maintaining records, tracking required information, assisting with scheduling, and completing other administrative tasks that help services run efficiently and meet program requirements. In addition, this position is partially client-facing and duties may include assisting with or facilitating recovery-oriented classes, supporting client engagement, reinforcing skill development, and helping individuals work toward their personal recovery goals. The ideal candidate is organized, dependable, and comfortable balancing detailed administrative responsibilities with direct client interaction. They should communicate effectively, maintain confidentiality, work collaboratively, and demonstrate compassion and respect for individuals receiving mental health services. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: (a) Graduation from a regionally accredited two year college with an associates (or higher) degree in human services or a related field; OR (b) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and two years of substantial face-to-face human services client contact; OR (c) Any combination of training and experience equal to or greater than that specified in (a) and (b) above. Tompkins County is Committed to Equity and Inclusion. We encourage those with similar values to apply. NOTE: All appointees to positions in this title at the Department of Social Services will be required to provide full and complete information concerning their current household composition and an extensive residential address history for the purpose of conducting a mandatory check against the Statewide Central Register database of indicated child abuse or maltreatment. SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a valid New York State driver's license at the time of application and maintenance of such license for the duration of employment. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: This is a paraprofessional position supporting the work of Caseworkers, Senior Caseworkers and other professional staff. The Casework Assistant is responsible for performing some of the services, which help individuals or families with their economic, emotional, social or environmental, needs as part of their plan of care. Duties also include performance of a variety of clerical, financial and related office tasks. A Casework Assistant has moderate autonomy and works under the direct supervision of a higher-level staff member. Supervision of others is not normally a function of this class. The incumbent will perform all related duties as required. TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES: Provides information to individuals or groups concerning services offered by the Department, as well as other public and private agencies; Assists in the gathering of background information on the need for services from individuals and families; Assists clients in completing necessary forms and in obtaining eligibility information; e.g., proof of births, deaths and marriages; Assists clients in recognizing conditions that contribute to their social problems and make efforts toward correcting these conditions; May make home visits to follow up on broken appointments or gather routine information; May be required to assist clients in the areas of housing, employment, recreation, money management, transportation and escort to medical appointments, shopping, recreation, etc.; May be required to maintain the financial accounts of individuals in the community who are not in foster care or nursing homes for whom the department is representative payee as required; May be responsible for serving as a liaison with DSS, the DSS Accounting unit, Social Security Administration, and/or Financial Institutions in order to insure maintenance of accurate accounts and auditable records; Maintains on-going phone and face to face contacts with represented individuals to disperse funds, discuss issues of concern for the client or the agency, and to resolve difficulties; Maintains paper and/or electronic records of all transactions on accounts; Maintains regular contact with casework staff regarding payee clients and changes financial arrangements with client and/or vendors based on continually updated plan of care; Helps to plan with parents, relatives, and others for the care of individuals, children and families; Reviews literature and other appropriate materials related to individual and child development; May be responsible for components of case processing in other program areas (In DSS, these program areas may include Day Care, CAP, Long Term Care, Foster Care, CPS or Adult Services); May arrange transportation, transport clients when needed, or may supervise parent/child visits; Maintains case files as needed, and prepares a variety of reports, summaries, applications and re-applications for service; Assist clients in dealing with issues of finance, budgeting, housing, other public benefits and income supports; Performs computer inquiries to retrieve client information: Completes routine paperwork to open cases for services; Adds and deletes payment lines on Services Authorization; Identifies the need for services through in-depth discussions with clients; Serves as liaison with various individual agencies to which individuals and families can be referred for services; Reviews existing case records for available information to use in formulating a plan of treatment; Carries out plans to meet the needs of the individual or family and routinely reviews progress/deficiencies with supervisors; Works closely with other staff to carry out the plan for services including providing transportation as needed; In addition to the above, in the Mental Heath Department the incumbent will: Comply with all Federal, State, and local regulations for safeguarding of individual private data and protected health information at the point of creation, transmission, storage, and reception; Responsible for regularly scheduling fleet car maintenance and repairs including appointments, delivery/pick up, negotiation of maintenance limits, obtaining repair bids, addressing billing issues, etc.; Maintains a schedule of service, tracking systems; Develops and maintains relationships with local service providers; Completes progress notes for all client contacts and appointments; May cover front desk Case Aide and Senior Account Clerk positions including all applicable responsibilities on an "on demand" basis depending on the staff coverage needs of the office; Facilitates administration and provides assistance, and information to staff, clients, family members and other agencies in the community in regard to Medicare Part D; Assists clients and staff in signing up and maintaining Medicare Part D plans through tracking systems; Establish and maintain professional relationships with Part D insurance companies; Establish and maintain professional relationships with local and district pharmacists and drug stores to effectively deal with client medication needs, payment issues and insurance concerns; Establish special programs dealing with co-payments to ensure seamless medication management for clients; Prepare all paperwork, authorization, and billing for programs and maintain all aspects of those programs on an ongoing daily basis; Facilitate completion of all prior authorization/exception paperwork needed for medication management for medical staff in the department and track existing needs and prepare plans to address future issues, etc.; Provide client advocacy through interaction with all insurance, pharmacy, medical and community contacts; Answers telephones and takes written messages; Performs occasional clerical work such as filing, assembling materials or compiling data; KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Good knowledge of Social Services or Mental Health laws regulations and programs; Good knowledge of community programs and resources; Ability to maintain successful relationships with a wide range of people, including those with physical, developmental, substance abuse and mental health problems; Ability to prepare and maintain records and reports; Ability to utilize computer programs such as Excel; Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and meet multiple and changing deadlines; Ability to maintain tact, courtesy and sensitivity to individual’s needs in person and on the phone and in the face of difficult behavior; The employee’s physical and mental condition shall be commensurate with the demands of the position. Originally created 8/00 C47.doc FURTHER INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS Falsification of any part of the "Application for Employment" will result in disqualification. Accepted candidates will be notified when and where to appear for the examination. If you do not receive your notice to appear at least three days before the date of the written examination, call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources at 274-5526. If an application is disapproved, due notice will be sent. This department does not make formal acknowledgment of the receipt of an application or take responsibility for non-delivery or postal delay. Applicants must answer every question on the application form and make sure that the application is complete in all respects. Incomplete applications will be disapproved. ACTIVE MILITARY PERSONNEL, VETERANS OR DISABLED VETERANS desiring to claim additional credit will request the Veterans Credits application form, at any time between the date of application for examination(s) and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. You must meet the requirements set by NYS for these credits and they may be used only once. YOU MAY NOT CLAIM ADDITIONAL CREDITS AFTER THE ELIGIBLE LIST HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. IT IS THE CANDIDATE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST THE VETERANS CREDIT APPLICATION FORMS AND TO SUBMIT THESE FORMS AND ANY SUPPORTING PAPERWORK BEFORE THE ELIGIBLE LIST IS ESTABLISHED. Tompkins County's written examinations are prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations, which deal with the rating and review of the examinations apply. The duration of the eligible lists may be fixed for a minimum of one and a maximum of four years and may be extended beyond four years if there has been a restriction against the filling of vacancies in that title. The candidates must complete a separate "Application for Employment" for each open-competitive and/or promotional examination that the candidate is eligible to take. All experience required meeting the acceptable training and experience is full-time experience. (Part-time experience will be credited on a prorated basis). Appointment from an eligible list must be made from the top three candidates willing to accept the appointment. Tompkins County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As part of its efforts to provide employment opportunities to the physically handicapped, Tompkins County Civil Service has adopted a rule permitting the employment of qualified physically handicapped persons without competitive examination (pursuant to Section 55 of Civil Service Law). If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position and wish to know more about this rule, please contact the Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Office. Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, and solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with Typewriter Keyboards, Spell Checkers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials. CROSS-FILING - APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON THE SAME DATE: When applying for examinations across multiple jurisdictions - all of which are scheduled on the same day - you must submit a Tompkins County Cross-Filing Form. This form must be submitted no later than 4:30 PM on the final filing date of the examination. On this form, list each examination that you are taking and then tell us where you would like to sit. The purpose is to ensure that all of the test materials for the various examinations that you are taking will be available in one location. If you do not provide the cross-filing form to us by the final filing date, we cannot ensure that we can accommodate your desire to cross-file. If any of the examinations are State level examinations, you must sit at the State test center. You will still need to complete the Tompkins County cross-filing form. If sitting at the State site, the State will notify you of when and where to report for your examination(s) and you should bring all admittance letters to the State site. If you are not taking a State examination, bring all admittance letters to your chosen testing site. If you have any question please call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Department (607) 274-5526. The Cross File form is located at http://www.tompkins-co.org/personnel/CivilSrvForms/index.html FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION AND HANDICAPPED PERSONS: If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on your application. ALL CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT FOR POSITIONS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BOCES GOVERNED BY TOMPKINS COUNTY CIVIL SERVICE MAY HAVE THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL REQUIREMENT. PER CHAPTER 180 OF THE LAWS OF 2000, AND BY REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, TO BE EMPLOYED IN A POSITION DESIGNATED BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR BOCES AS INVOLVING DIRECT CONTACT WITH STUDENTS, A CLEARANCE FOR EMPLOYMENT FROM THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED. In conformance with Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duties shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duties in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established.⒝ BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to undergo a State and national criminal history background investigation, which will include a fingerprint check, to determine suitability for appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation may result in disqualification. TOMPKINS COUNTY PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, 125 EAST COURT STREET, ITHACA, NY 14850