Posted 1mo ago

PA Program Specialist

@ PHEAA
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
$42k/yrHybridFull Time
Responsibilities:examine eligibility, communicate decisions, analyze reports
Requirements Summary:Experience with eligibility verification, data analysis, and quality control in student aid programs; ability to communicate decisions and collaborate with stakeholders.
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Job Description

PHEAA is a nonprofit student aid organization that holds a mission of providing affordable access to higher education.

 

Give back tomorrow by joining us today!

 

Salary: Grade 12, Commensurate with experience starting at $42,351.00


Shift: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Hybrid 2 days a week onsite.


Location: 1200 North 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102.


Department: State Grant & Special Programs

 

JOB PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This role is responsible for the daily processing, analysis, and quality review of department work.  This includes, but is not limited to, complex eligibility reviews related to the PA State Grant and all Special Programs administered by PHEAA.  This position validates a PA State Grant recipients’ or a state or federal Special Program recipients’ eligibility for grant reconsideration through verification of the eligibility points as provided by the student record from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid, recipient and school. Post disbursement verification and continued eligibility requirements being met at a student and institutional level are included in the validation.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Integrity and Quality Control

Independently examine State Grant and Special Program applicants/recipient requests for consideration of eligibility for a grant.  To include validating eligibility criteria, collecting/requesting, interpreting, and resolving account documentation/discrepancies to make sound decisions regarding eligibility.

Concisely communicate decisions of eligibility and respond to customer inquiries via electronic mail, USPS mail and telephone.

Work with external and internal stakeholders by reviewing requests and communicating resolutions.

Research, analyze and perform reviews and tasks that may lead to upholding or reversing eligibility decisions made on recipient accounts.

Respond on behalf of the Agency to internal and external customers after researching, communicating, and resolving program-related issues. 

Process and analyze system-edit flag reports to resolve data integrity issues potentially associated with system failures which require collaboration with DTS, as necessary.

Access Department of Education’s web applications to monitor and verify relevant information needed to review cases and validate critical information used for decision-making to include but not limited to Default and enrollment status.

Process system generated reports identifying errors on student accounts due to system edits flagging suspicious accounts and providing analysis and trending to SGSP management to include proposed system and program enhancements.

Perform program integrity audits and reviews specific to high-risk populations.

Support Institutional Review’s Program Reviews by providing confirmation all student populations extracted for audit were properly awarded funds based on student eligibility reviews (financial and non-financial) and school processes and records. To include but not limited to domicile, high school, citizenship, assets and income, veteran, financial independence, and legal independent reviews.

Member of the Grant Refund Collection (GRC) team responsible for GRC write-ups, GRC letters, validation of refund due, billing support, legal case support, and creation of GRC record in the system. 

Student and program advocacy to improve procedures and program guidelines.

Support/perform Quality Control (QC) functions for all programs administered by the department.

Support/perform Quality Assurance (QA) functions for inbound/outbound phone calls.

Research escalated disbursement discrepancies and provide resolution/update accounts accordingly.

Review procedure changes and make recommendations for process improvement.

Research school related inquiries and provide resolution including making recommendations for process improvement.

Assistance request review and trending including recommendations for improvement.

 

 

Report Trending and Analysis

Create and analyze monthly reports delivered to SGSP management for process improvement and strategic decisioning.

Software testing for report functionality

Create reports for populations identified through trending and analysis of high-risk groups. 

 

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and maintain operational and analytical procedures and reporting. 

Comply with the Agency’s enterprise security and privacy policies and departmental procedures.

Train and educate staff on Agency/Department of Education processes and systems.

Other duties as assigned.