JOB TITLE: Housing Benefits Officer
LOCATION: Hybrid working, 1 day a month in office (unless any urgent meetings), client based in West London
PAY RATE: 20.85 PAYE / 25.22 Umbrella per hour
START DATE: ASAP
DURATION/Hours: 3-month initial contract/ 35 hours a week
IR35 STATUS: Inside
Skills:
* Current iworld/northgate system knowledge
* Up to date knowledge of assessing housing benefits/council tax reduction claims within the last 3 months
* Experience of assessing housing benefit/council tax reduction claims
Role purpose:
* To be responsible for all aspects of the assessment of applications for Housing/Council Tax Benefit and renewal of ongoing cases and process those applications utilising Ealing's Information Technology Systems in accordance with the Benefit Regulations and relevant discretion within the Council's policies and procedures.
Duties:
1. Maintain comprehensive knowledge of Benefits legislation to administer applications for Housing/Council Tax Support entitlement and payment, in accordance with Statutory Regulations and the policies, schemes, procedures, and practices of the Council.
2. Obtain additional information as necessary via Image system or manually generated letter, telephone, or personal interview to determine claims.
3. Keep adequate records of all claims made and regularly update information received via the scanning/computer system or manually where appropriate.
4. Acquire and retain comprehensive knowledge of the Benefits, Image, and processing systems to input/amend/cancel claims/retrieve information to ensure Housing/Council Tax Support applications are administered in accordance with Statutory Regulations and the Council's policies and procedures. Check output and report errors to the Computer Development Officer.
5. Manually calculate entitlement to Benefits and effect payment as required.
6. Acquire detailed knowledge of Welfare Benefits and services provided by Government Agencies and the voluntary sector (e.g., DWP, Social Services, CAB, Law Centres) to advise on services provided, including claim procedures.
7. Compose and draft detailed letters using Word in response to inquiries, including explanations of assessments and payments, stage one complaints, and other routine correspondence from claimants.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of Benefits legislation to administer applications for Housing/Council Tax Support entitlement and payment, in accordance with Statutory Regulations and the policies, schemes, procedures, and practices of the Council.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of wider Welfare Benefits legislation and procedures and the ability to keep abreast of changes in legislation.
3. Exhibit good analytical skills to examine case files and make impartial decisions.
4. Possess good knowledge of Word and Excel and demonstrate the ability to learn computer systems required for carrying out duties of a Housing Benefit Officer.
5. Experience in working within a benefits environment with experience of assessing benefit entitlement.
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