What does a disability specialist do?
A disability examiner is primarily in charge of conducting assessments and examinations to determine an applicant's eligibility for disability benefits and programs. Their duties usually include reviewing medical and health records, conducting interviews, and evaluating applications. There are also times when a disability examiner must directly coordinate with healthcare providers to obtain and assess records. Moreover, as a disability examiner, it is essential to assist clients by answering inquiries, providing instructions and advice, and helping them understand the extent of procedures.
Disability specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real disability specialist resumes:
- Manage programs dealing with TSG, COPA and enrollment.3.
- Manage and maintain eight classrooms with twenty-one staff members and 102 EHS and HS children.2.
- Track and manage HR/Payroll leave records; liaise with payroll to ensure accurate leave usage and balance.
- Refer staff to disability case managers, vocational rehabilitation services or community resources.
- Provide clients assistance with daily (ADL's).
- Attend various funding meetings, rallies and trainings pertaining to EHS and HS.4.
- Contact claimants for vocational information, as well as ability to perform ADL's.
- File all necessary appeals, send in complete paperwork and follow up with case managers.
- Coordinate return to work plans, accommodations, and transition to long-term disability and SSDI applications.
- Assist with submission of payroll for workers compensation claims, wage statements, and modify duty return to work program.
- Demonstrate compassion, empathy, flexibility, confidentiality, organization, and ability to problem solve throughout the leave process.
- Develop and conduct comprehensive training on all aspects of employee health, risk management, ADA, FMLA and workplace safety.
- Supervise Medicaid status and eligibility.
- Administer denials in accordance with ERISA guidelines
- Process medical records and disability paperwork within HIPAA guidelines.
Disability specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Disability Specialists are proficient in Social Work, Rehabilitation, and Developmental Disabilities. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Disability Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 11%
Collaborated with social workers from Veterans Administration Hospital to procure disability information and provide appropriate supports to student veterans.
- Rehabilitation, 11%
Submitted monthly reports to my immediate supervisor and the Department of Rehabilitation Services
- Developmental Disabilities, 8%
Develop and maintain community collaborations with local/state agencies and organizations to assist in serving children with intellectual developmental disabilities.
- Social Security Administration, 5%
Document the case with adequate information for correct adjudication of cases in accordance with agency and Social Security Administration policies.
- Mental Health, 5%
Case management of mental health and medically complex short-term disability claims in accordance with short-term disability plan provisions.
- Workers Compensation, 4%
Interviewed injured workers and determined eligibility for workers compensation benefits according to Arkansas Workers Compensation laws.
"social work," "rehabilitation," and "developmental disabilities" are among the most common skills that disability specialists use at work. You can find even more disability specialist responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a disability specialist to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Additionally, a disability specialist resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "coordinated communication between the claimant and client via telephone and written correspondence through all aspects of claims process. "
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform disability specialist duties is compassion. Disability specialists responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Disability specialists also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "demonstrated compassion, empathy, flexibility, confidentiality, organization, and ability to problem solve throughout the leave process. "
Interpersonal skills. disability specialists are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to disability specialist responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." A disability specialist resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "developed lasting client relationships by applying effective communication and interpersonal skills in resolving problems and responding to customer inquiries. "
Organizational skills. disability specialist responsibilities often require "organizational skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." This resume example shows what disability specialists do with organizational skills on a typical day: "signed off on step 3 out of a 4 step approval process for organizational short-term disability claims. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a disability specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what disability specialists relies on this skill, since "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." How this skill relates to disability specialist duties can be seen in an example from a disability specialist resume snippet: "work cohesively with other members of the hr team to ensure all project deadlines were met timely. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to disability specialist responsibilities. Much of what a disability specialist does relies on this skill, seeing as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of disability specialists: "make outbound calls to claimants, to ensure resolution and customer satisfaction. "
The three companies that hire the most disability specialists are:
- Telamon5 disability specialists jobs
- Lane County Engineer3 disability specialists jobs
- One Vision2 disability specialists jobs
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Compare different disability specialists
Disability specialist vs. Addictions counselor
An Addictions Counselor helps patients overcome personal addiction problems, such as dependence on drugs, alcohol, and other substances. They evaluate the condition of their client through examining, asking questions, and recommending the proper treatment options.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a disability specialist are more likely to require skills like "taking care," "developmental disabilities," "social security administration," and "mental health." On the other hand, a job as an addictions counselor requires skills like "patients," "chemical dependency," "crisis intervention," and "substance abuse treatment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Addictions counselors earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $47,326. On the other hand, disability specialists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $55,709.addictions counselors tend to reach higher levels of education than disability specialists. In fact, addictions counselors are 12.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Disability specialist vs. Therapeutic support staff
A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real disability specialist resumes. While disability specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "taking care," "social security administration," "workers compensation," and "fmla," therapeutic support staff use skills like "autism," "criminal justice," "emotional support," and "compassion."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Therapeutic support staff tend to reach similar levels of education than disability specialists. In fact, they're 4.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Disability specialist vs. Mental health consultant
A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from disability specialist resumes include skills like "taking care," "developmental disabilities," "social security administration," and "workers compensation," whereas a mental health consultant is more likely to list skills in "healthcare," "substance abuse," "patients," and "crisis intervention. "
Mental health consultants earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $66,424. Comparatively, disability specialists have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $55,709.Most mental health consultants achieve a higher degree level compared to disability specialists. For example, they're 14.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Disability specialist vs. School social worker
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
Types of disability specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
