Hearing Operations Management Specialist - Social Security Administration - Jackson, MS
(2023-03 - 2026-05)
Series: 0301 - Grade: 11/4 Hours per week: 40
- Assists and represents management in meetings with union officials on the impact and implementation of management-initiated changes in operations, organization, staffing patterns, and related areas.
- Keeps abreast of employee relations policy, procedures, and legal and regulatory requirements and advises managers and supervisors of appropriate disciplinary or corrective measures to address conduct and performance problems, ensuring consistency in their application.
- Receives guidance from the HOD on allocation and distribution of personnel, equipment, overtime, supplies, training and other resources.
- Prepares budget estimates and justifications for fiscal year funding to support the hearing office throughout the fiscal year and submits to the supervisor for necessary action.
- Reviews requests for payment from medical and vocational experts and works with others to ensure timely and accurate processing of invoiced payments.
- Identifies and address security concerns and violations (i.e., items overheard that present danger, etc.). Coordinates security concerns with the appropriate organizational component.
- Manages time and attendance for the office providing oversight to others involved in validating time, sick, medical and maternal leave and attendance records in WebTA.
- Compiles regular, recurring and special reports. Gathers and evaluates statistical information pertaining to the hearings workload to address concerns or issues in case processing, analyzes data for trends, workflow or process inhibitors, and presents findings and recommendations to the HOD.
- Assist in on interviews of potential new hires for the office. Ask interview questions and tally up total score with each applicant.
- Process new hires application package for resume, proof of education, licenses, and references while keeping in contact with each applicant for follow up on required documents until the interview.
- Input the hearing staff information of promotion, performance awards change of address, sick leave hours one from employee to another, medical leave, and retirement dates in FPPS computer system.
Hearing Customer Service Specialist - Social Security Administration - Jackson, MS
(2020-09 - 2023-03)
Series: 0901 - Grade: 9/4 Hours per week: 40
- Selected as Hearing Customer Service Specialist Cadre Member over Dismissals for the Office.
- Review and Verify Vocational Experts (VE) call order and invoice for payment.
- Serves as liaison with the legal and advocate community. (claimants, attorneys, District Offices, Disability Determination Services (DDS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and congressional offices.
- Examine fee petitions, fee agreements, and supporting itemization received from attorneys to determine whether to approve amount of fee requesting.
- Review and process decisions in mail status to send out for the claimant, attorney, and field operation offices.
- Process congressional inquiries on claims and send out correspondence to Senator's office.
- Serves as a mentor within the department encouraging co-workers with tedious workload and promoting teamwork with direction and guidance to assist the office and achieve goals
- Selected to serve as a super user for HACPS (new computer system) Pilot Team ATE.
- Utilize electronic tools to transmit and receive case processing data, documents and messages electronically.
- Serves as the point of contact for all attorneys during the fee agreement view process.
- Prepares reports and make recommendations to address workload issues, concerns, and initiatives related to delivery of services and improvements in business practices.
Legal Assistant (Senior Case Technician) - Social Security Administration (OHO) Office of Hearing Operations - Franklin, TN
(2011-09 - 2020-09)
Series: 0986 - Grade: 8/5 Hours per week: 40
- Provides legal and technical support to Administrative Law-Judges in processing entitlement cases to Title II and XVI of the Social Security Act.
- Reviews and analyzes cases for proper evidence and accurate documentation before being schedule for a hearing.
- Drafts dismissal order for the Administrative Law Judge if a determination is made that the Request of Hearing is untimely filed or if it does not meet sufficient legal and regulatory requirements.
- Communicates on a day-to-day basis with the attorneys, representatives, claimants, and third parties to answer questions or concerns pertaining to the hearing process according to Social Security Administration law, regulations, and policy.
- Prepares case summaries by outlining, in narrative form, based on information from all documents which reflect past medical history, recent medical treatment, and any conflicting medical evidence of the claimant.
- Ensures fee agreements received from representatives and appointment of representative meets all conditions for approval during the hearing process.
- Maintains, reviews, updates, and utilizes data systems to ensure proper case flow, adequate case workload and proper payment of services, and travel.
- Ensures that all age cases, critical cases, and dire need cases are given top priority and process in a timely manner.
- Develops and process Title II, Title XVI, Concurrent, Widow's Continue Disability Review, Court Remands, and Appeals Remands Disability Claims electronically and paper.
- Prepares pre- and post-hearing development which includes preparing vocational expert study disc, uploading vocational expert resume, verify call orders for hearing reporters, requesting for medical evidence, consultative examination, or any other important information needed to develop each case before and after hearing.
- Schedules all disability claim type cases for a hearing by telephone or mail, coordinates date, time, and site of hearing for claimants, attorneys, representatives, vocational expert, medical expert, and hearing reporters by assigned deadline.
- Maintains a large volume of calls to claimants, third parties, and representatives, and in the process of scheduling hearings for Administrative Law Judge.
- Conducts travel amounts and travel vouchers for vocational experts, hearing reporters, and medical experts.
- Serves as a hearing monitor during hearing as needed, observes and makes notes of relevant testimony for the claimant, Representative, witnesses, vocational expert, medical expert, and Administrative Law Judge.
- Provides technical guidance and training in the hearing process to new hire employees on a variety of case processing procedures.
