JOB TYPE: Full Time
LOCATION: Administration
REPORTS TO: Tribal Child Support Enforcement Director
SALARY RANGE: $19.63-$29.44

Any individual who receives an offer of employment or will receive a payroll check are required to submit to a drug and alcohol test as a condition of obtaining employment.
Mille Lacs Band Member/American Indian preference applies

SUMMARY:
The Case Manager is under the direct supervision of the Tribal Child Support Enforcement Director and is responsible to take necessary actions to establish, modify and enforce paternity and child support orders, and to locate parents and their assets. The Case Manager is the primary contact for individuals or other agencies that have requested child support or paternity services. The Case Manager may administer two hundred or more open paternity and/or child support cases at any given time.

The Case Manager accepts and reviews applications, interviews individuals, gathers necessary case documentation, monitors all case activity in physical and automated child support systems, and takes appropriate and timely actions pursuant to policy, statute, and federal regulations. The Case Manager is expected to prepare, with the assistance of OSG, petitions, motions, affidavits and other legal documents for filing in Tribal Court and ensuring all individual due process rights are protected.

Case managers must have the ability to compute complex child support obligations based on statutory guidelines, and to review and verify all payments received and distributed comply with court orders in accordance with statute, codes and regulations that are applicable. The Case Manager must have the ability to professionally communicate and coordinate with clients, OMB, Tribal Court, OSG, enrollment, employers, other state and tribal programs, and other partners.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• High School diploma or GED required. An Associates or Bachelor’s degree related to accounting, social services, or paralegal studies is preferred.
• Two (2) or more years of case management experience working directly with clients is required.
• Two (2) or more years’ experience working with Native American communities and sensitivity to, Native American culture is required.
• Must have the ability to read and analyze statutes, codes, regulations and other laws pertaining to child support and paternity in order to take appropriate actions.
• Have the skills to draft legal documents such as petitions, motions, and affidavits and coordinate with OSG for the proper processing of legal documents.
• Ability to effectively communicate and interview individuals, often dealing with sensitive matters. Must be highly organized and have the ability to track all case activities in both physical files and the child support automated system.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills required.
• Must have advanced computing skills with Microsoft office, including Word and Excel
• Must have the ability and willingness to be trained in the use of a variety of child support and public assistance databases, including the MTS, PRISM, and MAXUS.
• Ability to calculate complex calculations using business arithmetic; addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions percentages and decimals.
• Ability and knowledge to properly prepare case files for court and appear on behalf of the child support program in court and testify if requested.
• Must be willing to successfully complete training related to family mediation.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize tasks required.
• Must be able to maintain strict ethical and professional practices regarding client confidentiality. Previous experience in a position requiring strict confidentiality required.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with clients, internal departments and other outside agencies.
• Ability to work with the TANF office to set and lift case sanctions when clients do not cooperate with the establishment of child support and paternity.
• Must be able to remain positive, dependable, and trustworthy at all times.
• Must hold a driver’s license and be insurable under the Band’s auto and liability insurance policies.
• Ability to make fair and unbiased decisions based exclusively on the best interest of the child above all others involved in a case.
• Must have current valid driver’s license.
• Must be insurable under the Mille Lacs Band Drivers and Liability Insurance policies.
• Must pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol test.
• Background investigation required that shows no theft or fraud above a misdemeanor, no felony drug conviction and no sexual or crimes-against-a-person conviction at any level.
• A staff person with direct contact with or access to children in care must disclose the arrest, conviction, and applicant background information if that staff person:
(a) has a conviction of, has admitted to, has an adjudication of delinquency for, has been charged and is awaiting trial for, or a preponderance of the evidence indicates the person has committed:

1. a crime against a child;
2. an act of physical or sexual abuse;
3. neglect;
4. a felony;
5. the same or similar crimes as those in this subsection listed in the laws of another state or of the United States or of any Tribal law;
   (b) has a conviction of, has admitted to, has an adjudication of delinquency for, has been charged and is awaiting trial for, or a preponderance of the evidence indicates the person has committed any misdemeanor offense under Federal, State, or Tribal law involving crimes of violence; sexual assault, molestation, exploitation, contact or prostitution; crimes against persons; or offenses committed against children. The Licensing Committee may evaluate the nature and time of a misdemeanor assault charge as well as other types of misdemeanor crimes not specified in this section to determine whether employment is appropriate.
   • Must have left the Mille Lacs Band’s Tribal Child Support Enforcement Program in good standing”

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Facilitate client interviews to gather information for case processing and court hearing preparations and to gain cooperation of all parties involved.
• Determine appropriate case actions, including mediations, referral, income withholding, order establishment, or paternity testing.
• Maintain certification and perform buccal swab genetic testing by taking specimen samples and sending to the testing site for paternity establishment.
• Interpret and apply Mille Lacs Band Statutes and Rules, MN state laws and statues and federal regulations pertaining to paternity and child support establishment, modification, and enforcement.
• Must have the ability to effectively use the program’s automated child support system, the Model Tribal System (MTS) and attend all training events as scheduled by the Tribal Child Support Enforcement Director.
• Perform case management services for clients including case reviews, program updates, payment status, and the location of parents and their assets.
• Must be able to review and analyze manual and automated reports to determine if actions must be taken to establish, modify, or review paternity and child support cases.
• Meticulously maintain client case files and electronic records by keeping clear records of actions, conversations, and correspondence.
• Prepare court documents and appear in court as the MLB authority for child support.
• Ensure strict adherence to federal, state, and tribal confidentiality requirements.
• Coordinate client services with other social services to assist clients in removing barriers to employment.
• Cooperate with other jurisdictions in a professional manner to establish and modify paternity and child support orders, coordinate the modifications of orders in shared-cases, collect debts, locate parents and their assets, and negotiate potential debt forgiveness
• Work with non-custodial parents and employers to establish automatic wage withholdings utilizing the federal Notice of Income Withholding form
• Calculate current and past due debt obligations based on schedules and guidelines, and negotiate terms for repayment, assisting parties in reaching agreements.
• Investigate and locate parents and their assets and employment for potential collections by pursuing a variety of traditional and non-traditional sources for assistance.
• Ability to learn and use the MN state computer systems (PRISM, MAXUS &SIR) and maintain security clearance with the state.
• Must be highly organized and have the skills to prioritize and multi-task.
• Assist with program with the planning and attending educational events with MLB youth and DOL/TANF.
• Attend training as needed in-state, out-of-state and virtually.
• Assist in the collection and compilation of case demographical and statistical information
• Must be willing to cross-train and serve as back-up to other program staff as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Nature of work is such that incumbent experiences frequent periods of low to moderate stress while dealing with clients, family members, and others.
• Work is primarily indoors in a climate controlled office or a community setting, with no work outside or in a harsh climate.
• There is little threat of personal danger or risk.
• Hours are typically 8-5.
• Local travel is required. Some out-state travel may be required.