Benefit Assessment Officer (MRI/Academy)

• Interpreting and keeping up to date on complex legislation to assess and make necessary decisions on all types of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction applications including changes in circumstances. This must be done within required timescales including compiling all the necessary information to accurately calculate entitlement. This includes specialised cases such as self -employed, students and persons from abroad and ensuring notifications of entitlement are issued correctly and are legally compliant.
  
• Receive and action correspondence in respect of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction from customers, landlords, Rent Service, DWP and other stakeholders including replying to requests for further information, statements of reasons, reconsiderations, and requests for backdated benefit.
  
• Provide a high quality and customer focused service giving advice on Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Universal Credit and wider Welfare Benefits and Welfare Reform through face to face interviews, telephone, electronic channels and home visits as required.
  
• Communicate and liaise with landlords, Debt and Welfare Benefit team, Housing, Revenues, the Rent Service, DWP including Universal Credit Service Centre and other stakeholders to ensure entitlement is correct, vulnerable clients are supported and to maximise income.
  
• Ensure that overpayments are correctly identified and categorised in accordance with legislation and to maximise the subsidy income to the Council.
  
• Prioritise and manage own workloads to ensure objectives and targets are achieved and customer requirements are met and  to identify possible fraudulent cases, refer to Corporate Fraud team and provide information and evidence as required.
  
• Accurately maintain Council Tax records where changes are identified through Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction applications to ensure systems are aligned.
  
• To comply with new and existing Revenues and Benefits legislation and working practises,including keeping up to date with the contents of the procedure manual
  

Requirements

• Experience in the MRI/Academy systems
  
• English and Maths GCSE grade C or above / Proven literacy and numeracy skills
  
• Experience of assessing claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction and knowledge of welfare benefits.
  
• Demonstrate ability to understand, interpret and explain complicated government legislation and the ability to keep up to date with frequent legislative and procedural changes.
  
• Experience of working with IT systems including Microsoft products and document imaging/workflow systems.
  
• Good verbal and written communication skills with the ability to support and negotiate with customers, landlords and stakeholders in a calm, sensitive way in difficult situations.
  
• Proven ability to work on own initiative with the minimum of supervision and to use own discretion and judgment.
  
• Proven ability to prioritise large volumes of complex work to meet tight deadlines and targets while having regard to urgent more vulnerable cases and the need to be accurate
  

Benefits

• Hundreds of global and local perks, available online 24/7
  
• Free monthly lifestyle perks; such as free coffees,
  breakfasts, cinema tickets, etc
  
• Shopping discounts from the biggest brands, all year round
  
• Save money on everything from the supermarket shop to summer holidays
  

• Easy to follow videos for everything from yoga exercises, to
  strength training and HIIT workouts
  
• Mindfulness, meditation and sleep resources, available on all
  your devices
  
• Guides to help with everything from anxiety to stopping smoking
  
• Confidential mental health helpline, 24/7 access to a
  qualified counsellor
  

• A single place to find company updates, photos, benefits
  information and lots more!
  
• Stay in the loop with what’s happening by accessing Culture
  hub anywhere, at any time
  

• Identity Verification: Confirming
  the authenticity of your identity documents.
  
• Employment History
  Checks: Reviewing your occupation history for the past
  3 -5 years (depending on client requirement).
  
• Right to Work
  Verification: Ensuring you have the legal
  right to work in the UK.
  
• Unspent Conviction Check: Conducting a Basic DBS
  Check to reveal any unspent convictions.
  

• No member of the Armed Forces Community should
  face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial
  services compared to any other citizen
  
• In some circumstances special treatment may be
  appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.