New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Insurance Fund Hearing Representative

Written Test To Be Held
November 01, 2008
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
September 29, 2008

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Salary Salary Grade Fee
25-066 Insurance Fund Hearing Representative $58,850 G-22 $35

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before November 1, 2008, you must have:

  1. an LLB or JD from an accredited law school; OR
  2. a bachelor's degree and either:
    1. three years of experience as a Workers' Compensation Board licensed representative or representing or defending carriers, third-party administrators or self-insureds at hearings before any state or federal Workers' Compensation Board, or involving claims examination, investigation, audit, adjustment, or payment of lost time and permanency claims in accordance with state or federal Workers' Compensation Law; OR
    2. four years of experience representing or defending carriers, third-party administrators or self insureds at hearings before quasi-judicial or administrative boards, agencies or hearing officers (i.e., arbitrations and mediations), or claims examination, investigation, audit, adjustment, or payment of no-fault, casualty or similar insurance claims.

Substitution: A master's degree may substitute for one year of required experience in option 2.

Non-Qualifying Experience: Experience exclusively in small claims court and experience in paying medical insurance claims/bills are not considered qualifying.

Notes

  1. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
  2. New York State residence is not required.
  3. Your degree must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S4ICC.
  4. A promotion examination is also being held for this position. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
  5. Although a promotion examination is being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of the examination open to the public.
  6. You may file for this examination by completing one OC-APP application form or applying on the Internet. Unless you are eligible for a fee waiver, the indicated processing fee must be submitted for each examination listed on your application.
  7. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel within a designated area of assignment. Appointees to these positions may be required to operate a motor vehicle or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the transportation needs of the job. If the position requires that you operate a motor vehicle, you must possess a driver's license valid in New York State at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter. Field work and travel expenses are reimbursed on a fixed schedule.
  8. If you expect to meet the educational requirements by January 31, 2009, you can be admitted to the written test but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirements to the New York State Insurance Fund.
  9. DO NOT SEND RESUMES.

The Positions

These positions exist in the New York State Insurance Fund at various locations in New York State.

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Duties

As an Insurance Fund Hearing Representative, you would prepare workers' compensation cases for hearings, meetings, or depositions which are of an adversarial nature in order to present evidence, examine lay and medical witnesses, and argue questions of fact and law. You would determine the nature of evidence to be produced at hearings, meetings, and depositions and direct its procurement through recommendations to the case managers, or in some situations, procure it yourself. You would timely prepare reports of proceedings of hearings, meetings and/or depositions, and prepare such briefs or memoranda of law as might be necessary using current computer hardware and software.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. Principles, practices, and procedures in the field of Administrative Law including the ability to make Findings of Fact - These questions test for a knowledge of principles, practices and procedures used in administrative proceedings as well as the ability to make Findings of Fact.
  2. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
  3. Workers' Compensation case law - These questions are based on the status of Workers' Compensation case law in effect on January 1, 2008. All of the cases presented in these questions contain the fact patterns of actual Workers' Compensation cases decided in New York State courts. To answer each question correctly, the candidate must recognize the fact pattern and apply the appropriate legal precedent.
  4. Workers' Compensation Law and related rules and regulations - Tests for knowledge of the New York State Workers' Compensation Law and related rules and regulations (not including the Volunteer Firefighters' Benefit Law nor the Volunteer Ambulance Workers' Law) in effect on January 1, 2008.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at 518-457-8480.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center.

S4/TC1 ICC-vla
Issued: 8/15/08

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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