New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Open-Competitive Examination Open to the Public

Standards Compliance Analyst 2 (Mental Health)

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 December 1, 2012, you must have a bachelor���s degree in a human service field* AND two years of professional clinical experience working with persons diagnosed with mental illness in a mental health program or unit. (Note: fiscal or budget experience, or experience with the dually diagnosed outside a mental health program or unit is not considered qualifying experience.) AND one year of experience (in addition to the two years of professional clinical experience) in at least one of the following:

Either 1. the formal, on-site assessment of mental health programs or units for compliance with established legal requirements, standards, and/or contracts for program services;
Or 2. professional experience performing quality management activities in a mental health program or unit (i.e. TQM, CQI, LEAN, SIX-SIGMA, or other established quality improvement processes);
Or 3. responsibility, in a mental health program or unit, for the interpretation and assessment of compliance with laws, rules, or regulations to ensure program compliance;
Or 4. supervision and review of cases handled by other clinicians, in a mental health program or unit, for the purpose of assessing compliance with laws, rules, or regulations to ensure program compliance.

Substitution: a master's degree in a human service field may be substituted for one year of the professional clinical experience.

* For the purpose of this examination, a degree in a human services field includes the professional disciplines of audiology, community mental health, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, social work, speech/language pathology, and therapeutic recreation (including concentrations in art, dance, drama, music, or physical education). Also included are related academic disciplines associated with the study of human behavior (e.g., gerontology, human services, sociology, speech communication) or human skills development (e.g., counseling, education, human development). Examples of non-qualifying degrees include but are not limited to: criminal justice, political science, liberal arts, and business.

Notes

1. 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, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1KLB.
2. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel and overnight stays 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.
3. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.
4. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
5. Should language parenthetics be established for the Standard Compliance Analyst 2 (Mental Health), the eligible list resulting from this examination will be canvassed for candidates meeting the parenthetical minimum qualifications.

The Positions

These positions exist in the Office of Mental Health.

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Duties

Standards Compliance Analyst 2 (Mental Health) evaluate mental health programs against established standards, laws, rules and regulations. Program evaluations may involve on-site inspections including review of treatment/service plans, program spaces, staff, services, program practices, etc. Other duties may include issuing operating certificates; participating in quality management activities; providing technical assistance; and reviewing Prior Approval Review (PAR) applications.

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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. Ensuring effective inter/intra agency communications - These questions will test candidates��� understanding of techniques for interacting effectively with individuals and agencies, to educate and inform them about topics of concern, to clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one���s agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with the staff of one���s own agency and/or that of other agencies in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
2. Evaluating information and evidence - These questions test the candidates��� abilities to evaluate and draw conclusions from information and evidence. Each question consists of a set of facts and a conclusion based on the facts. The candidate must decide if a conclusion is warranted by the facts.
3. Interviewing - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.
4. Concepts and trends in mental health - These questions test for knowledge of current issues, initiatives, programs, and trends in the field of mental health. Questions will focus on broad concepts rather than specific clinical details associated with diagnosis and treatment. Questions may include such topics as adult, children, youth, and forensic services; evidence-based practice; community mental health; residential alternatives; psychiatric rehabilitation; consumer involvement; and mental health systems and programs.
5. 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.
6. Understanding and applying written material based on legal passages - Candidates will be provided with a reading passage taken from a published law or regulation and be required to answer one or more questions based on that passage. The questions may require the candidates to apply the passage to a hypothetical situation or situations described in the question(s) or summarize all or part of the passage. All factual information needed to answer these questions is provided in the reading selections. No prior knowledge of the material is needed to answer these questions correctly.

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

If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

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 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, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier 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

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 provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2]. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2]. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

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

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions 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. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB1 KLB-vla
Issued: 9/14/2012

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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