Residence Requirements:

THIS EXAMINATION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES. The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill future vacancies in the Erie County Department Of Social Services.

The eligible list resulting from this examination will not supersede currently existing promotional eligible lists for this title, if any. The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Special Investigator supervises and performs duties in the field of Social Services investigations;  
Conducts training for lower level staff within the unit;

Conducts investigations to obtain information about client’s assets to obtain Liens of Assignments for the Department;

Performs independent investigations to process claims against clients assets, or estates;

Supervises staff in placing mortgages against client owned real property;

Contacts attorneys and other officials to process claims against client’s assets, as needed;

Follows agency regulations regarding reimbursement;

Prepares legal documents as required, or supervises preparation;

Supervises investigations and verification of Veteran's benefits due clients;

Supervises Social Services Investigators by assigning and reviewing work, and insuring quality and time limits are observed;

Reviews civil recovery and fraud cases, or other over grant packages;

Maintains statistical records, as needed;

Investigates and approves or denies application for County burial and maintains burial funds for clients;

Investigates allegations of fraudulent activity in Social Services, determines if fraud exists and documents the findings;

Makes field visits and interviews clients, relatives and business people regarding fraud allegations, or in other cases as needed;

Resolves allegations of fraud and provides written reports supporting conclusions, serves summonses and subpoenas;

Conducts various internal or confidential investigations, as directed;

Prepares deeds, mortgages and assignments as needed;

May conduct investigations, as needed in estates or negligence claims;

Conducts field investigations as required;

May conduct presentations to members of the public or other Department of Social Services staff regarding the activities of the SID/Resource of Third Party Health Insurance Units, or related topics.

Qualifications:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 24 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in the position of Special Investigator. 

Notes:

A Guide for the Written Test for Investigators is available at the New York State website:www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm .  Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Advanced investigative techniques

These questions test for knowledge of the more complicated and technical aspects of field investigations. The questions will cover such areas as: interviewing principles and practices, investigative principles, sources of information and reporting methods commonly used in field investigations, securing statements, rules of evidence and evidence collection, preparing cases for court or legal hearings, and testifying in the courtroom or in hearings.

Many of the questions are situational in nature. The questions are generic rather than dealing with investigations in a particular field.

2. Evaluating information and evidence

These questions test for the ability to evaluate and draw conclusions from information and evidence. Each question consists of a set of facts and a conclusion based on the facts. The candidate must decide if the conclusion is warranted by the facts.

3. 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.

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.

INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED:  Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70.  Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority:  For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points

1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point

Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points

Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points

Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points

Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

VETERANS:  Disabled and non-disabled veterans as defined in Section 85, New York State Civil Service Law, will have 5 and 2.5 points, respectively added to their earned scores if successful in the examination.  You must claim these credits when you file application but you have an option to waive them any time prior to appointment.  If you have already used these credits for a permanent position in NYS, you may not claim them again.

**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.