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Legal Assistant 2 - Social & Health Services Caseload

State of Washington See More Job Openings by This Employer

Full Time
$42,696 - $56,880/year

Multiple Locations Statewide, WA

November 4, 2024 Administrative Assistant Health Law

Job Description

Description

Legal Assistant 2
Office of Administrative Hearings

Social & Health Services Caseload

NOTE: This position is eligible for full-time telework but may be required to report to an OAH facility on occasion.

The Opportunity
The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is currently looking to fill multiple Legal Assistant 2 (LA2) positions supporting our Social & Health Services (SHS) caseload.

The LA2 position is critical to the successful completion of the OAH mission and contributes to the mission by providing legal support services to the agency. This includes scheduling, case management, arranging for interpreters or court reporters as needed, order formatting and development, creating and processing case-related documents, transmittal of records, ensuring timely and proper service of legal documents, managing case documents, data entry, and providing support to parties and Administrative Law Judges (ALJs).

This is a represented position under the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE)-General Government collective bargaining agreement.

About the Agency
The 1981 Legislature created the OAH to offer Washingtonians an independent, fair and neutral forum to hold administrative hearings on disputed matters referred by state and local government agencies. Operating out of field offices in Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, and Spokane Valley there are currently 230 employees, including 120 ALJs who preside over administrative hearings involving unemployment insurance benefits, child support, food assistance, medical benefits, business and professional licensing, and more. OAH conducts hearings for more than 30 agencies and 160 programs. Our referring agencies include the Employment Security Department (ESD), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Health Care Authority (HCA), Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB), Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and others. For more information about OAH, please visit our website at oah.wa.gov.

OAH Mission: To hear and independently resolve disputes between the public and state agencies with an impartial, quick, and easy to access process. OAH Vision: All people of Washington can meaningfully participate in their hearing and understand the result.

OAH Values:

Fairness and independence
Diversity, equity, inclusion and respect
Performance excellence
Integrity

OAH Goals:

Performance Excellence: We deliver high quality, timely work.
Convenience & Accessibility: We make it easy for people to do business with us.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect: We promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect.
Good Stewards: We are efficient, effective, and accountable.

OAH Offers:

Work that is important and makes a difference.
In-house training and professional development opportunities.
Healthy work/life balance.
Comprehensive benefits package.

This recruitment announcement may be used to fill multiple open positions for the same classification, in addition to the position listed in this announcement.

Duties

Scheduling Cases:

Process incoming requests for hearing, accurately inputting case and party information into the OAH case management system (PRISM).
Schedule hearings and other case events, distributing cases evenly among ALJs and ensuring that hearing can be conducted and have decisions issued timely according to caseload requirements.
Contact agency representatives and attorneys to determine availability and possible scheduling conflicts.
Process exhibits timely according to caseload and agency requirements.
Handle and process complex appeals, including analyzing information to determine the proper processes.
Ensure each case party receives the necessary documents both prior and after their hearing.
Plan, organize, and schedule workload, including assigning dockets to ALJs to ensure all deadlines are met.
Make changes to scheduling and workflow processes in order to meet goals set by management.
Coordinate coverage for ALJs when the assigned ALJ is unavailable.
Provide postponement coordination for ALJs.

Case Management:

Processes requests from participants, parties, and ALJs.
Track and organize incoming documents, and exercise independent judgment in reading documents received to assess the next appropriate action to be taken.
Ensure all case information is accurate in PRISM and in all case files, and make appropriate and accurate case notes in PRISM to reflect current case status and case documents.
Interpret office rules, WACs and RCWs for the caseload ensuring that all processes are followed and deadlines are met.
Maintain constant, clear, and open communication with agency representatives, parties, attorneys and ALJs regarding case-related issues and scheduling changes.
Take appropriate case action when return mail is received.
Ensure that case files are prepared and complete prior to the hearing, with enough time for the ALJ to prepare for the hearing.
Archive case-related documents for back-up purposes.
Assist Legal Assistant 3 (LA3) in maintaining desk manual for assigned caseloads so that manuals are easy for back-up staff to use when needed.
Notify Office Manager of potential high-profile cases where media attention is a possibility.
Provide electronic copy of hearing oral record upon request.
Route all documents requiring ALJ attention to the appropriate ALJ.
Refer all ALJ complaints and other miscellaneous documents requiring supervisory review to appropriate supervising ALJ or Division Chief.

Process Notices and Orders:

Generate notices of hearing and notices of pre-hearing conference for all parties, ensuring that all notices are served timely according to caseload and agency requirements.
Proof orders for punctuation, dates, headers/footers, names, etc. tracking errors and proofing data for ALJs.
Provide back-up to Legal Office Assistants (LOAs) when needed to process outgoing notices, as well as publish initial decisions, defaults, dismissals, subpoenas, postponements, and other case-related documents.

Office Calendaring and Assignments:

Add non-hearing events to ALJ calendars to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Ensure the hearing calendars are up-to-date and accurate.
Create dockets and maintain dockets when scheduling changes occur.
Monitor case deadlines and utilize PRISM dashboard for tracking case status.
Schedule conference rooms and other locations for in-person hearings.
Monitor leave calendars for ALJ availability.

Accessibility to Hearings:

Coordinate in-person hearings when needed.
Arrange and manage interpreters, court reporters, or note-takers as needed for hearing following guidelines put forth by OAH Headquarters.
Complete interpreter surveys following requests for service.
Coordinate ADA accommodation requests with the agency ADA Coordinator.
Ensure that all interpreter, court reporter, and note-taker information is accurately entered and updated in PRISM.
When needed, work with the LA3 or Office Manager to set up safety and/or accessibility to OAH facilities.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Option 1: A high school diploma or equivalent AND two (2) years of experience in a legal environment supporting an attorney, Administrative Law Judge, Industrial Insurance Appeals Judge, review judge, or equivalent.
Option 2: One (1) year of experience as a Legal Assistant 1 for the State of Washington.
Option 3: A two-year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal Studies or related field AND one (1) year of legal office experience.
Option 4: A combination of four (4) years of college education and/or relevant experience.

Successful candidates will also possess the following qualifications:

Demonstrated skills in keyboarding/typing, filing, proofreading, grammar, spelling, and use of office equipment.
Familiarity with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), Washington Administrative Code (WAC), the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and knowledge of citations, case type regulations and procedures, and various legal form requirements.

Supplemental Information

How to apply:
To begin the online application process, click the green "Apply" button on this announcement at careers.wa.gov or governmentjobs.com. To be considered for this position, you must include the following information in your online application and complete the supplemental questionnaire. Application materials must clearly show how you meet the qualifications for the position in order to be considered.

Application must include:

A letter of interest describing what interests you in this position and what makes you a viable and competitive candidate.
A resume highlighting relevant experience AND a completed online application profile that includes education and employment history.
A minimum of three professional references with your application, including at least one supervisor.
- A professional reference is defined as an individual who has either been paid to supervise your work or worked directly with you and can attest to your work performance, technical skills, and job competencies. If your references do not meet these criteria, please include non-related professionals, such as educators or other professional associates.

OAH is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, honorably discharged veteran, veteran status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.

For questions about this recruitment, or to request reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email us at OAHHR@oah.wa.gov. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

Salary

$42,696 - $56,880/year

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