Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
US occupation · SOC 43-4061
Job titles people report: Benefits Program Tech (Benefits Program Technician), Business and Employment Specialist, Case Manager, Eligibility Examiner, Eligibility Specialist, Eligibility Worker, Program Eligibility Specialist, Social Welfare Examiner (SWEX), Workforce Advisor, Workforce Services Representative (WSR)
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $54,210
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $45,910 – $63,610
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 154,800
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +1.6%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 12,700
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Determine eligibility of persons applying to receive assistance from government programs and agency resources, such as welfare, unemployment benefits, social security, and public housing.
Main tasks
- 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.
- Initiate procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate assistance, or refer applicants to other agencies for assistance.
- Check with employers or other references to verify answers and obtain further information.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Social: helping, teaching and caring for people
- Enterprising: leading, persuading and making business decisions
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
- Community Organization and Advocacy
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
$50,610 median · -6.2% projected
- Human Resources Specialists
$75,940 median · +6.4% projected
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
$78,210 median · +6% projected
- Social and Community Service Managers
$80,390 median · +7.2% projected
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
$49,230 median · -1.9% projected
- Compliance Officers
$80,730 median · +3.8% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk