Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To ensure the accuracy and complete processing of applications/claims filed under the various tax credits and benefits programs (e.g. OHOSP, GAINS, OCCS, etc.); to review and ensure compliance with the relevant legislation, policy and procedures; to identify and collect monies owing for adjusted/disallowed claims; and to provide customer service by responding to enquiries and resolving discrepancies.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1) Reviewing/analyzing client accounts and supporting documentation to ensure compliance with legislation, policy and procedures; identifying discrepancies and non-compliance issues; determining the most effective way to determine validity of entitlement, contacting clients or their authorized representatives to verify and obtain omitted or additional information. Contacting Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)/Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and other various provincial offices, to verify discrepancies in order to establish entitlement to OHOSP tax credit or GAINS benefit claims and contact municipal government and/or child care agencies to clarify/confirm child care expenses to establish entitlement to OCCS. Providing service to walk-in clients or their representatives.

2) Determining acceptance, adjustment or disallowance of claims, investigating and preparing permanent files of findings and evidence with respect to OHOSP, GAINS benefit, OCCS supplement entitlement adjustment or disallowance, calculating retroactivity entitlement/accrued interest and issuing adjusting payments as appropriate, either manually or via the system and informing ineligible clients of the Minister's determination via standard or customized letter; identifying and listing OHOSP accounts for federal reassessment.

3) Calculating and collecting amounts owing (including accrued interest as appropriate) for disallowed or adjusted claims; determining and applying the most appropriate and cost-effective collection activity by negotiating the best possible repayment arrangements to ensure maximum recovery of overpayments keeping in mind the nature of the client group for each different program; monitoring accounts to ensure repayment arrangements are maintained; responsible for the destruction of post dated cheques which are no longer required from clients; performing skip-tracing activities to locate clients or their representatives by retrieving information from various databases; applying sanctions appropriate for delinquent accounts, recommending delinquent accounts for write-off or income tax set-off. Identifying cases that are contentious, non-routine, or are not covered by policies, procedures or guidelines, and referring those to Senior Verification Officer.

4) Initiating and responding to telephone and written enquiries from clients, and/or their representatives, including MPP offices by producing standard and customized correspondence to advise entitlement, underpayment / overpayment calculations and applicable legislation, or requesting additional information required to process applications using Ontario Public Service Standards.

5) Verifying and completing manual documentation and coding input fields and/or updating on-line mainframe databases to adjust/update client personal and financial information/records; analyzing and resolving rejected manual transactions and system generated audit/exception/error reports to maintain the integrity of the database. Preparing statistical workload reports for management. Organizing and maintaining Work and setting priorities based on client/branch demands or peak period requirements.

6) Assisting in the development and improvement of administrative procedures and manuals by identifying and analyzing verification problems, recommending changes to procedures and participating on project assignments.

7) Investigating and resolving compliance and/or transactional problems, application errors and the validity of client information by reviewing system generated reports in order to monitor compliance trends for audit purposes.

8) Provide one on one training of new staff on verification officer functions such as established interpretations of legislation, internal procedures and instructions on mainframe databases and office equipment.

Management has the right to assign additional duties.

Staffing and Licencing :

Security check mandatory.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of the tax credits & benefits programs (OHOSP, GAINS, and/or OCCS) and relevant legislation, policies and procedures to ensure compliance, to verify/establish entitlement and to collect delinquent accounts; knowledge of other provincial/federal programs, e.g. federal and provincial income tax legislation, OAS/GIS legislation; child care subsidy programs and Canada Child Tax Benefit for referral of clients to those programs/agencies; knowledge of accounting principles and practices to scrutinize applications and supporting documentation; knowledge of customer service techniques and practices relating to a varied and politically sensitive client base; knowledge of skip tracing/collection techniques to address delinquent accounts; knowledge of FOIPPA to ensure client confidentiality; knowledge of on-line and batch computer systems (e.g. EXTRA, Imaging, MTO and OASYS) and use of computers and ministry related software (e.g. WordPerfect, LOTUS 123, Access, Internet/Intranet and Canada 411 etc.) to maintain records and produce correspondence/reports and calculation worksheets. Knowledge of other office technologies, specifically e-mail and voice mail

Skills :

Job requires analysis and verification to determine the nature of issues or problems regarding eligibility, retroactive adjustments or disallowance according to legislation, policies and procedures; analysis includes reviewing supporting documents, contacting CRA/HRDC for further information/clarification and retrieving information from various databases; reviewing, evaluating and clarifying all information in order to determine the specific information required to update client's account, detect potential fraud, non-compliance and misrepresentation as poor judgement in this area would result in a negative impact on work unit, the branch, the Ministry and/or the Government; determining and applying the most appropriate and effective solution regarding the disallowance or adjustment of entitlement (under/overpayment); calculating retroactivity entitlement/accrued refund or recovery interest; determining most effective progressive collection activity including skip tracing within procedural framework; identifying and recommending write-off for delinquent accounts when reasonable collection activities are exhausted. Job requires verbal and written communication skills to explain legislation, program requirements, filing/application requirements to program clients and/or their representatives; exercising sound judgement and awareness of correct protocol to view/retrieve only necessary information from confidential databases; to request omitted and additional information; to encourage compliance and to negotiate payment schedules/repayment of monies owed; to produce standard and customized correspondence; to interact in a courteous and professional manner with clients/representatives. Job requires interpersonal, persuasive and customer service skills to deal courteously professionally, tactfully and effectively with all client groups.
Job requires planning, coordinating and prioritizing own workload to meet program determined deadlines. Job requires working with minimal supervision on most cases and in accordance with policies, procedures and guidelines. Job requires keyboarding skills to work with on-line mainframes and various software applications to update and respond to enquiries and obtain/provide information and produce various output (correspondence/reports and calculation worksheets)

Freedom of Action :

Job requires complying with relevant legislation, Ministry policies, procedures and guidelines relating to various tax credits and benefits programs (OHOSP, GAINS, OCCS) staff have latitude, within procedural framework, in making decisions in determining the most appropriate course of action in response to eligibility/recovery enquiries e.g. system payment, manual cheque, amount of deduction; staff work with minimal supervision on most cases consulting with Senior Verification Officer or manager only on contentious cases not covered by policies, procedures and guidelines; negotiating the most effective and appropriate repayment arrangements and recommending delinquent accounts for write-off or income tax refund set-off.