Description:
Conduct hearings to decide or recommend decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters and prepare decisions. Determine penalties or the existence and the amount of liability, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims, or compromise settlements.
Tasks
- Prepare written opinions and decisions.
- Review and evaluate data on documents, such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, and physician or employer records.
- Research and analyze laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions to prepare for hearings and to determine conclusions.
- Confer with individuals or organizations involved in cases to obtain relevant information.
- Recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or compromise settlements according to laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions.
- Explain to claimants how they can appeal rulings that go against them.
- Monitor and direct the activities of trials and hearings to ensure that they are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.
- Authorize payment of valid claims and determine method of payment.
- Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, and enforcement of health and safety regulations.
- Rule on exceptions, motions, and admissibility of evidence.
Knowledge
- Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Clerical
- Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension
- The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension
- The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity
- The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Oral Expression
- The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Inductive Reasoning
- The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Deductive Reasoning
- The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Near Vision
- The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Problem Sensitivity
- The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Written Expression
- The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Information Ordering
- The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Work Activities
- Getting Information
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
- Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Processing Information
- Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Interacting With Computers
- Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
- Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
- Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Work Context
- Frequency of Decision Making
- How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
- Telephone
- How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
- Electronic Mail
- How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
- How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?
- Deal With External Customers
- How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
- Contact With Others
- How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
- Structured versus Unstructured Work
- To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Interests
- Enterprising
- Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
- Investigative
- Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
- Social
- Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
- Conventional
- Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
- Artistic
- Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
- Realistic
- Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Work Style
- Integrity
- Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Attention to Detail
- Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
- Dependability
- Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
- Self Control
- Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
- Analytical Thinking
- Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
- Independence
- Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
- Stress Tolerance
- Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
- Cooperation
- Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
- Achievement/Effort
- Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Work Value
- Achievement
- Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
- Recognition
- Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
- Working Conditions
- Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
- Independence
- Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
- Relationships
- Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
- Support
- Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Related Occupations
- Insurance Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
- Licensing Examiners and Inspectors
- Political Scientists
- Lawyers
- Immigration and Customs Inspectors
Common Lay Titles
- Adjudicator
- Administrative Hearing Officer
- Administrative Judge
- Administrative Law Judge
- Appeals Examiner
- Appeals Referee
- Appellate Conferee
- Claims Adjudicator
- County Ordinary
- Hearing Examiner
- Hearing Officer
- Judge
- Justice of the Peace
- Legal Activity Adjudicator
- Ordinary
- Referee
- Social Security Administrative Law Judge
- Social Services Analyst
- Surrogate
- Traffic Court Referee
- Unemployment Claims Adjudicator
- US Administrative Law Judge (United States Administrative Law Judge)
- Veteran Appeals Reviewer