Eligibility Worker

As an Eligibility Worker, you speak with people who are applying for specific government aid, and determine who does and doesn’t qualify. Aid ranges from food stamps and housing options to Social Security and unemployment benefits. Benefit programs are vital to helping others, but they can attract those who would abuse the system without an Eligibility Worker around to enforce the rules.

Time on the job as an Eligibility Worker is spent in your office where new applicants come to apply. Upon first meeting an applicant, you gather basic information about who they are, where they live, and what kind of work they do, or did in the past. You create a profile for them in your database.

Next, it’s time to determine if they qualify for any benefits. Depending on whether or not they’re employed and how much money they have, they may qualify for programs that help find low-income housing and provide monthly food stamps. Those with disabilities may qualify for programs that help cover bills if they cannot work.

Once you’ve narrowed down what services they need for support until they can support themselves, you follow set guidelines to calculate how much assistance each person can receive. For example, an unemployed single mother needs more money to feed herself and her kids than a person living alone.

The process wraps up when you make follow-ups with applicants to check their eligibility. Once one person lands a new job, you can give their assistance to another person who needs it more.