Career profile for Program Eligibility Examiner

What does a Program Eligibility Examiner do?

Program Eligibility Examiners determine eligibility of persons applying to receive assistance from government programs and agency resources, such as welfare, unemployment benefits, social security, and public housing.

What kind of tasks does a Program Eligibility Examiner perform regularly?

Program Eligibility Examiners are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Interpret and explain information such as eligibility requirements, application details, payment methods, and applicants' legal rights.
Interview benefits recipients at specified intervals to certify their eligibility for continuing benefits.
Keep records of assigned cases, and prepare required reports.
Compile, record, and evaluate personal and financial data to verify completeness and accuracy, and to determine eligibility status.
Answer applicants' questions about benefits and claim procedures.
Interview and investigate applicants for public assistance to gather information pertinent to their applications.
Initiate procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate assistance, or refer applicants to other agencies for assistance.
Check with employers or other references to verify answers and obtain further information.

The above responsibilities are specific to Program Eligibility Examiners. More generally, Program Eligibility Examiners are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Working with Computers		Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work		Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public		Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with People Outside the Organization		Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Working with Computers

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

What is a Program Eligibility Examiner salary?

The median salary for a Program Eligibility Examiner is $47,110, and the average salary is $47,990. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Program Eligibility Examiner salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Program Eligibility Examiners earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Program Eligibility Examiners earn less than $31,800 per year, 25% earn less than $37,300, 75% earn less than $57,690, and 90% earn less than $65,390.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Program Eligibility Examiners is expected to change by 3.8%, and there should be roughly 13,700 open positions for Program Eligibility Examiners every year.

Median annual salary: $47,110
Typical salary range: $31,800 - $65,390
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 3.8%

What personality traits are common among Program Eligibility Examiners?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Program Eligibility Examiner are usually higher in their Social, Conventional, and Enterprising interests.

Program Eligibility Examiners typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Program Eligibility Examiners typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Lastly, Program Eligibility Examiners typically have moderate Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Program Eligibility Examiner tend to value Relationships, Support, and Independence.

Most importantly, Program Eligibility Examiners strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Program Eligibility Examiners moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Program Eligibility Examiners moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Program Eligibility Examiners must consistently demonstrate qualities such as self-control, stress tolerance, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Program Eligibility Examiners, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Concern for Others		Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Concern for Others

Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

What education and training do Program Eligibility Examiners need?

Program Eligibility Examiners often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Program Eligibility Examiners usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Program Eligibility Examiners

1.1% did not complete high school or secondary school
10.9% completed high school or secondary school
25.7% completed some college coursework
14.6% earned a Associate's degree
37.4% earned a Bachelor's degree
8.9% earned a Master's degree
1.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Program Eligibility Examiners

Program Eligibility Examiners may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, administrative, or computers and electronics knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Program Eligibility Examiners might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administrative		Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics		Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Psychology		Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Administrative

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Important Abilities needed by Program Eligibility Examiners

Program Eligibility Examiners must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Program Eligibility Examiners need abilities such as oral expression, oral comprehension, and written expression in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Program Eligibility Examiners, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech Clarity		The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Critical Skills needed by Program Eligibility Examiners

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Program Eligibility Examiners frequently use skills like speaking, active listening, and reading comprehension to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Program Eligibility Examiners, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension		Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Writing		Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

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Program Eligibility Examiner

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