How To Become An Eligibility Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an eligibility specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Eligibility specialists determine if applicants vying for a position or program are eligible or qualified for the position or not. Eligibility specialists can work in different fields or sectors which include the education, banking, and insurance sectors. In the education sector, you will be tasked with gathering admission forms, studying the qualifications of all applicants, and selecting or shortlisting them for admission. In the banking sector, you are to ensure all application forms are completed, check the validity of all documents submitted, and approve eligible candidates. Eligibility specialists in the insurance sector check the eligibility of candidates, approve claim applications and grant compensations.

This job requires you to have a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field. You must also be proficient in basic computer usage and must be able to communicate and pay attention to detail. The average salary is $32,392 a year or $15.57 an hour.

ScoreEligibility SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,322

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 8.11%

Black or African American 14.07%

Hispanic or Latino 17.18%

Unknown 3.78%

White 56.04%

Gender

female 81.89%

male 18.11%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an eligibility specialist

Explore eligibility specialist education requirements

Most common eligibility specialist degrees

Bachelor's

49.4 %

Associate

23.3 %

High School Diploma

11.0 %

Start to develop specific eligibility specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Medicaid	14.25%
Patients	11.49%
Provide Technical Assistance	5.57%
Social Work	4.81%
Data Entry	4.77%

Complete relevant eligibility specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New eligibility specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an eligibility specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real eligibility specialist resumes.

Research eligibility specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage assignments of paying medical bills limit in depth that include organizing and researching regulations as pertain to veterans eligibility.
Demonstrate competency in basic understanding of Medicaid, policies, forms and DHS policy.
Coordinate these efforts by working with DES staff, other state agencies, FEMA and other volunteering private organizations.
Conduct Medicaid and TANF eligibility interviews.

Prepare your eligibility specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your eligibility specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an eligibility specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable eligibility specialist resume templates

Build a professional eligibility specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your eligibility specialist resume.