Job Abstract

The current vacancy is within Patient Financial services with the Health Care Agency. Under general supervision (I) or direction (II), the Collections Officer collects monies owed to the County of Ventura for services rendered and/or taxes/fines/ fees levied.

Collections Officer I ($17.89 - $25.00 hourly) is the entry level classification of this series. Incumbents gain experience and demonstrate competency in collections, practices and techniques within the assigned area (e.g., tax, medical or court collections).

Collections Officer II ($19.74 - $27.62 hourly) is the journey level classification of this series. Incumbents manage a full caseload within an area of account specialization (e.g., tax, medical or court collections); and may return cases to court or initiate property liens for failure to pay.

IDEAL CANDIDATE:
The ideal candidate will possess excellent customer service skills and a proven ability to effectively communicate with clients, coworkers, and other stakeholders. Additionally, they will be detail-oriented and be capable of managing multiple tasks simultaneously while maintaining high accuracy in their work. Finally, the ideal candidate will have experience handling high-volume phone calls, working with Microsoft Excel reports, and using electronic health record systems such as Cerner.

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Health Care Agency – Administration

VETERAN’S POINTS: At the Collections Officer I level, Veteran’s Points may apply to eligible candidates. Documentation of military service (DD-214) must be submitted prior to close of recruitment in order to receive points.

Collections Officer I/II are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies for this position only. There are currently two (2) Intermittent vacancies.

NOTE: An Intermittent Employee is a person employed for intermittent/temporary work on a day-to-day basis. Intermittent employees are not regular County employees and are not eligible for County benefits. Additionally, Intermittent employees are limited to working a maximum of 1,664 hours per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: June 4, 2024
CLOSING DATE: June 14, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Manages a caseload of collection accounts;
• Establishes debtor account records to determine delinquent balance, evaluates payment history and verifies client information pertinent to the collection of fees, fines and/or taxes (e.g., address, employment, earnings/assets, bank of record);
• Identifies patient credits and ensures they are processed within the required time frame;
• Investigates changes in financial status;
• Establishes and implements course of action to collect monies owed;
• Contacts debtors to modify payment schedule, update case records, explain legal obligation or penalties for and consequences of non-payment, explain regulations/rules/ procedures related to payment of account, and provide goodbye letters;
• Locates debtors by contacting relatives, neighbors, bank of record officials and employer(s) or through researching tax roll, voter registration, court document and other official information sources;
• Analyzes account to provide client with payment and fee/penalty information and to determine the need for payment plan modification or civil and/or criminal legal action;
• Updates manual and/or automated case files;
• Updates patient encounters to include insurance coverage when identified;
• Prepares routine correspondence and reports;
• Ensures patient balances are reviewed for accuracy prior to statement generation and statements are sent timely;
• May collect and receive money as payment on account; and
• Performs other related duties as required.

These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
Collections Officer I:

• The equivalent to three (3) years of clerical experience which includes public contact and training, OR
• One (1) year experience in accounts receivable or account collections

Collections Officer II:

• Two (2) years medical account collections experience

Substitution: Two (2) years of related education/training may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to interact effectively and professionally with customers

DESIRED:

• Experience in public health care patient collections
• Experience working with Microsoft Excel
• Experience working with Cerner

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
Thorough knowledge of: practices utilized in the collection of delinquent accounts receivable, difficult public contacts and determination of financial assets and obligations; regulations and legal procedure applicable to delinquent account collections; and financial interviewing techniques.

Working ability to: understand, interpret and explain laws, regulations and policies governing collection operations; make decisions and independent judgments; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; communicate effectively with people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and temperaments; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships; determine the appropriate course of action in emergency or stressful situations; understand program objectives in relation to departmental goals and procedures; demonstrate tact and diplomacy; collect and analyze data to draw logical conclusions and make appropriate recommendations; prepare routine narrative and statistical reports; comply with laws, regulations and professional practices governing delinquent account collection operations; deal firmly and fairly with clients; maintain accurate records and document actions taken; organize and prioritize work assignments; make routine arithmetical calculations; use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation; proofread and/or edit for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and mathematics; project consequences of decisions; maintain confidentiality of information; recognize and respect limit of authority and responsibility; and, work effectively with others who have objectives counter to assigned role.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities at the II level:
Thorough knowledge of: the functions and general operations utilized by the system (e.g., medical, judicial or tax) for which account collections are made; techniques available to locate debtors; and, clerical procedures involving account processing.

Working knowledge of: lead supervisory practices and/or techniques utilized in the training of entry level Collections Officers.

FINAL FILING DATE: Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application and supplemental questionnaire.

LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.