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Benefits Officer   This job has expired Job id: 28314046
Location: Merton, South West London (SW19)
Salary: £12.50 / hr
Company:Teamwork Technical Services Limited
Job type: Contract
Date posted: unspecified


Description: We have 3 posts for a Benefits Officer looking for experienced benefits staff who preferable have experience in using the IBS benefits computer systemPost: Benefits OfficerUnit: Benefits ServiceResponsible to: Team Manager - BenefitsJOB PURPOSE1. To be responsible for correctly administering claims for housing and council tax benefit in a timely, accurate manner and in accordance with the appropriate regulations and guidance. 2. To be responsible for providing a quality front line counter service and a prompt, efficient response to telephone enquiries using, at all times, a professional, fair, consistent, customer sensitive approach. 3. To carry out duties of the post in accordance with requirements of the Best Value policy.MAIN DUTIES1. To manage and assess, a number of housing and council tax benefit cases, including homeless families cases, in accordance with regulations and reference to guidance, within the statutory deadlines to achieve individual and unit objectives. 2. To ensure that change in circumstances are prioritised and acted upon within unit deadlines. 3. To authorise rent allowance payments are over £600.00 and to ensure that entitlement is checked in accordance with current procedures.  4. To ensure a high quality front line service in a professional, courteous, consistent, client sensitive and efficient approach. To promote the role of the unit by using this approach and to have regard for the integrity of the unit at all times.  5. To have extensive, in-depth knowledge of all information required to calculate Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and a working knowledge of other related benefits. 6. To identify clients, who may not be eligible for benefits, including Asylum Seekers and those subject to Habitual Residence Test, Immigration Status Test, and Rights of Residence Directives Test and contrived tenancy (Reg 11). To disallow claims where eligibility does not exist. 7. To answer enquiries and convey complex information to relevant agencies, clients and/or their representatives, in writing and verbally, to an excellent standard, using appropriate methods. To ensure that all correspondence is easy to understand and contains relevant legal definitions where required. 8. To be responsible for ensuring that all claims for benefit are examined and that personal and financial details are verified by contact with clients, cares and other government departments by correspondence, telephone or personal interview. To ensure the confidentially of client information at all times. 9. To ensure that all claims are properly supported with documentary evidence and to be responsible for requesting further evidence where appropriate. To be responsible, where required, for authorising all documentary evidence as original and valid. To identify potential forgeries and refer to the appropriate authority. 10. To identify potential fraud and refer to the appropriate department to ensure that public funds are protected. To determine from the information given in Audit reports whether claims can be amended or cancelled. 11. To undertake unaccompanied home visits as directed, in order to verify financial circumstances where the client is unable to attend the benefits office. To provide advice on other benefits and services provided by the authority. 12. To identify rents that must be referred to the Rent Officer Service. To ensure that all information required by the Rent Officer is supplied, including identification of ineligible and special needs charges. 13. To identify clients who may be eligible for additional Housing Benefit on the grounds of exceptional hardship and to issue the appropriate forms. 14. To be responsible for making a determination on an initial request for backdating, where the criteria for granting backdated award cannot be identified. To recognise and be responsible for obtaining further information needed for a determination and pass to a supervisor. 15. To liase with Local Taxation in relation to changes in Council Tax Benefit entitlement. To deal with resultant enquiries and to clear discrepancies. 16. To have a working knowledge of valuation bands, eligibility, discounts, exemptions and reliefs to advise Local Taxation sections of potential discrepancies and fraudulent claims for discounts and exemptions. 17. To liase with internal departments and external agencies to ascertain information in respect of client welfare, in particular maintaining god working relations with Local Taxation, Internal Audit, Housing & Social Services sections, Benefits Agency and Registered Social Landlord. To attend meetings as appropriate and assist in the resolution of problems, to establish a good partnership and working practises.  18. To operate all relevant IT systems required to manage the assessment of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefits claims. To ensure that systems are used to the required standard. To assist with the testing of new software applications associated with benefits administration. 19. To ensure that statements of calculation and reasons for a determination are supplied on request from the client, within the statutory deadlines. 20. To manually calculate claims where required and to undertake calculations regarding potential entitlement. To advise about potential entitlement on request from the client. 21. To identify overpayments of Housing Benefit and determine whether they are recoverable. To take action to recover overpayment, including deciding the appropriate method of recovery and requesting an invoice from the Overpayment Team. To ensure that debtors are correctly notified of the overpayment and to transfer overpayments to sundry debtors. 22. To ensure that performance statistics are provided promptly and accurately. 23. To be responsible for the accurate maintenance of spreadsheets and keep manual accounts of monthly Housing Benefit payments for homeless families. To provide financial information for other departments. 24. To undergo training and be responsible that the personal employment of that training is used to maintain the skills and knowledge required. To assist the Team Manager in the training of colleagues where appropriate. To ensure the work of other colleagues is covered in their absence. 25. To ensure that all the activities of the Unit reflect the Councils Equal Opportunities Policy in relation to both employment and service provision. 26. To ensure that the Councils Corporate Health and Safety policy is adhered to. 27. Such other duties as are required, which may include for management development and service flexibility reasons, movement to a similarly graded post.


Contact: Ian Lang
Reference: job/TTSL/rem/bens officer

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