The Putnam County Department of Social Services and Mental Health is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Child Support Specialist I.

This is a Competitive position under New York State Civil Service Law. Per NYS Civil Service Law, any appointment to this position will be made on a Provisional basis, pending the future administration of a Civil Service examination. 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: This is responsible work of a difficult nature which involves the use of the Child Support Management System (CSMS) to collect child support from individuals legally responsible for the support of dependents. The incumbent is responsible for the establishment of a court order and subsequent monitoring of all aspects of a specific caseload. The position requires that the incumbent exercise a considerable amount of independent judgment and initiative in the performance of assigned duties. Work is performed in accordance with established policies and procedures under general supervision of the Coordinator of Child Support Enforcement. Performs related work as required.

SOME TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Interviews welfare recipients and private applicants to obtain information concerning the whereabouts of responsible individuals;
• Interviews unwed mothers to determine the feasibility of pursuing court action to establish paternity;
• Determines the eligibility of applications for child support services;
• Determines and prepares appropriate petitions for filing with local or interstate courts on all DSS and private cases;
• Uses statewide Child Support Management System (CSMS) to maintain entire history of case, including several complex program components;
• Uses personal computer to address case details, i.e., correspondence, account audits, etc.;
• Monitors support payments as ordered by the court and follows up with various enforcement tools;
• Builds accounts on CSMS in accordance with the court orders, makes adjustments to various ledgers, applies and/or transfers money, conducts account audits and computes interest on judgments;
• Accepts monies and issues receipts of payments made under special circumstances;
• Prepares various documents of a legal nature for submission to Courts, County Clerk, Department of Motor Vehicles, County Attorney, employers, etc.;
• Reviews court calendar, prepares case notes, attends hearings and testifies on account records;
• Updates computer after hearings and follows up on Hearing Examiner directives;
• Handles all calls and correspondence from clients; absent parents, attorneys, employers, DSS staff and other SCU personnel;
• Maintains a continuous case file of progress and results of investigations;
• Performs a variety of related activities as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:          Either

1. Associates degree; or
2. Graduation from high school or possession of a comparable diploma and two (2) years experience in interviewing or investigation work involving public contact which must have included at least one (1) year experience using a computer system or a personal computer; or
3. An equivalent combination of training and experience as stated in a) and b).

PLEASE NOTE: Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Access to transportation may be required to complete possible field work assignments in a timely and efficient manner.
2. Employees in this class will be required to obtain a Notary Public license after appointment.

APPLICATION: 

Applications and resumes may be submitted to the Putnam County Personnel Department by mail or email:

putnampersonnel@putnamcountyny.gov

Putnam County Personnel Department

110 Old Route 6, Bldg 3

Carmel NY, 10512