Residence Requirements:

THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

Examples of Duties:

A Benefit Specialist manages, coordinates and implements benefit programs administered at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; 

Manages the receipt, processing and submission of benefit applications and various correspondence related to employer-related benefits;

Develops and implements communication strategies for benefit-related activities such as Open Enrollment, benefit fairs, retirement seminars and Employee Wellness Program;

Administers the Employee Wellness Program; develops and implements initiatives designed to inform employees on diet, exercise and lifestyle choices and their effects on personal health;

Analyzes demographics, claims and respective benefit usage data to determine trends and areas for improvement; develops, implements and promotes organizational initiatives in relation to such findings;

Performs audits of benefit records to ensure accuracy and compliance with organizational policies, collective bargaining agreements and specific benefit plans;

Provides explanation of benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, New York State Retirement, disability retirement, COBRA, deferred compensation, flexible spending accounts and annual Open Enrollment;

Oversees and may perform various calculations including liabilities, premium calculation and premium remittances; communicates premium payment obligations to employees and retired employees;

Interprets provisions of collective bargaining agreements or managerial/confidential terms of employment for administering benefit plans;

Inputs and maintains data input into electronic software applications; prepares and maintains detailed databases and/or spreadsheets to track benefit submission and payments into benefit plans by employees and retired employees;

Serves as liaison to the Labor-Management Healthcare Fund (LMHF) and Finance Department for benefit-related matters;

Troubleshoots file transfer and reconciliation issues relative to automated electronic file interfaces;

Performs special benefit-related projects as assigned;

Participates in and may organize meetings, committees, benefit-related events and conferences.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in and three (3) years of experience in benefit administration, of which included processing and advising on employer-provided benefit programs and utilizing Microsoft Excel applications; or:

B.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate’s Degree or completion of sixty (60) semester credits hours and five (5) years of experience in benefit administration, of which included processing and advising on employer-provided benefit programs and utilizing Microsoft Excel applications; or:

C.) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

Notes:

1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

2. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Office record keeping

These questions test your ability to perform common office record keeping tasks. The test consists of two or more "sets" of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of data from several sources; scheduling; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

2. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

3. Public contact principles and practices

These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact with other people, to gather and present information, and to provide assistance, advice, and effective customer service in a courteous and professional manner. Questions will cover such topics as understanding and responding to people with diverse needs, perspectives, personalities, and levels of familiarity with agency operations, as well as acting in a way that both serves the public and reflects well on your agency.

4. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

5. Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.   

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.