Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

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 you'd actually do

• Compute and authorize amounts of assistance for programs, such as grants, monetary payments, and food stamps.
• 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.
• Interview and investigate applicants for public assistance to gather information pertinent to their applications.
• Interview benefits recipients at specified intervals to certify their eligibility for continuing benefits.
• Interpret and explain information such as eligibility requirements, application details, payment methods, and applicants' legal rights.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0.3% of eligibility interviewers, government programs are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, people-focused and take-charge.

Related careers

• Brokerage Clerks
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
• Financial Clerks, All Other
• Communications Equipment Operators, All Other
• Desktop Publishers

Quick questions

How much does a eligibility interviewers, government program make?

The median pay is $26.06 per hour — roughly $54,000 a year, with the real range running from about $18.70/hr (10th percentile) to $35.91/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a eligibility interviewers, government program?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a eligibility interviewers, government program actually do all day?

Compute and authorize amounts of assistance for programs, such as grants, monetary payments, and food stamps. 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.