5403 Benefits Specialist

CLASSIFICATION Nonexempt

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Assistant Director of Human Resources, Benefits

MAJOR ADMINISTRATOR Director of Human Resources

GENERAL FUNCTION

The Benefits Specialist works with employees and their departments regarding the use of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), determines eligibility and tracks usage, and coordinates with payroll regarding any deductions from pay.  The Benefits Specialist prepares accident reports for Worker’s Compensation, serves as the liaison with the Central Accident Reporting Office (CARO) at the State of Missouri for the Early Return to Work Program, and coordinates with payroll regarding offsetting leave adjustments and payroll deductions.  The Benefits Specialist administers the fee waiver benefit for credit and non-credit courses, calculates leave payouts for terminating and retiring employees, monitors leave accruals and use for policy compliance, processes leave adjustments, and provides information about leave policies to employees.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A Bachelor’s degree is required.

Experience: Three years of progressively responsible administrative experience in Human Resources is required.  Experience with FMLA, Worker’s Compensation, and/or leave administration is preferred.

Skills: Effective oral and written communication skills are required. Effective interpersonal skills are required. Proficiency with word processing and spreadsheet applications is required.  The ability to learn and use an administrative business system, such as Banner, is required. Must have knowledge of or have the ability to acquire knowledge of relevant employment laws, including but not limited to the Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Must be detail-oriented, highly organized, and have the ability to work independently.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Works with employees regarding FMLA leave by providing information about the leave, responding appropriately within time frames required by law when such leave is requested, determining eligibility for leave based on current regulations, providing the appropriate forms within the required time frames, and tracking ongoing FMLA leave usage.

2. Provides information to the employee’s department about FMLA leave and the job protections extended by law to employees covered by the leave.

3.  Coordinates with the Benefits Assistant regarding continuing coverage of benefits requiring a payroll deduction if employees are on FMLA leave without pay.

4. Provides Payroll with the dates of leave without pay and deductions for intermittent leave for faculty and exempt staff.

5.  Refers employees to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance for ADA accommodations when appropriate.

6. Prepares worker’s compensation accident reports and transmits to CARO within required time frames.

7. Works with injured employees and their departments to implement CARO’s Early Return to Work program by facilitating agreement on modified job duties.

8. When an employee has received a disability rating, works with the department to return the employee to work, refers the situation to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance for possible accommodations, or discusses the use of any remaining paid leave and refers to the Benefits Assistant to begin the application for long-term disability.

9. Coordinates with Payroll to make deductions from pay to offset temporary total disability payments received by employees and calculates and processes leave adjustments to offset the portion of pay that is not compensated by temporary total disability payments.

10. Serves as the liaison regarding worker’s compensation and provides appropriate information to CARO, medical providers, and employees.

12.  Tracks and reports the number and type of injuries to General Counsel.

11. Administers the for-credit and non-credit course fee waiver program by providing information to employees, determining eligibility according to program guidelines, processing requests and payments, monitoring program use and remaining balances, providing amounts of taxable benefits to payroll, and reporting non-credit fee waiver usage to Financial Services for budget transfers.

12. Provides information about leave to employees, monitors leave accrual for accuracy, makes accrual adjustments when needed, monitors leave usage for compliance with Employee Handbook policies, and calculates unused vacation and sick leave payouts as appropriate.

13. Provides information about catastrophic leave to involved parties, processes catastrophic leave requests, and coordinates with Payroll regarding payment of catastrophic leave.

14. Prepares and provides estimates of vacation and sick leave payouts to potential retirees.

15. Assists with other projects as assigned by the Assistant Director of Human Resources-Benefits such as reviewing information, reports, and policies and providing input, gathering information and reviewing it for accuracy, serving on committees as assigned, etc.

SUPERVISION

The Benefits Specialist is supervised by the Assistant Director of Human Resources, Benefits.

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

JULY 2011

Factor 1: Educational/Experience Requirements of the Job

Level 8 - 1460 Points: A combination of education and experience equivalent to a Level 8 as indicated by the Equivalencies Chart, when permitted by the Minimum Acceptable Qualifications.

Factor 2: Complexity and Technical Mastery

Level 5 - 580 Points: Advanced skill in oral and written communication, the ability to make basic mathematical calculations, the ability to understand and follow instructions, knowledge of moderately complex or other work procedures, the ability to work independently and coordinate a variety of activities and events, specific professional skills, and/or skills in managing a wide variety of complex processes are required.

Factor 3: Responsibility for the Work of Others

Level 1 - 0 Points: No responsibility for the work of others.

Factor 4: Guidelines

Level 4 - 370 Points: The work involves operating under general supervision expressed in terms of program goals and objectives, priorities, and deadlines. Supervision is given through statements of departmental, program, or project objectives and available resources. Administrative guidelines are relatively comprehensive, and incumbents need only to fill in gaps in interpretation and adapt established methods to perform recurring activities. In unforeseen situations the incumbent must interpret inadequate or incomplete guidelines, develop plans, and initiate new methods to complete assignments based on those interpretations. Assignments are normally related in function, but the work requires many different processes and methods applied to an established administrative or professional field. Problems are typically the result of unusual circumstances, variations in approach, and incomplete or conflicting data. The incumbent exercises judgment in interpreting the intent of guidelines, methods, and procedures, and determines the best process to achieve objectives.

Factor 5: Contacts

Level 5 - 345 Points: Interactions with others are somewhat unstructured. The purpose may be to influence or motivate others, to obtain information, or to control situations and resolve problems. Interactions may be with individuals or groups of coworkers, students, or the general public, and may be moderately unstructured, and may involve persons who hold differing goals and objectives. Individuals at this level often act as a liaison between groups with a focus on solving particular unstructured problems.

Factor 6: Work Impact

Level 4 - 475 Points: Work activities normally address conventional problems or situations with established methods to supply other employees with information, services, or products they use to perform their work. Work products or services facilitate the work of other employees and directly affects the ability of other employees to timely complete specific tasks or processes. Work activities may affect the quality of services provided to moderate numbers of employees, students, or the public, and the services, information, or products provided have significant effects on the welfare of the affected groups.

Factor 7: Physical Effort and Work Environment

Level 1 - 25 Points: The work environment consists of exposure to physical conditions typical of a normal office environment. Most of the job is performed while sitting, although the work may require occasional standing or walking and/or the lifting and carrying of small objects.