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Social security specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Adam Greer,
Ines Jindra
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical social security specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for social security specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 36.7% of social security specialist resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a social security specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 social security specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Social Work

Here's how social security specialists use social work:
  • Coordinate social work unit efforts with other departments in the agency and with external resources, for integrated case management.
  • Arrange consultative exams with the physician, psychologist, and licensed clinical social workers for those clients without current providers.

2. Crisis Intervention

Here's how social security specialists use crisis intervention:
  • Provide crisis intervention services to victims of family & domestic violence.
  • Engage in case plan creation and implementation, crisis intervention, permanency planning with focus on family preservation and family reunification.

3. Foster Care

Here's how social security specialists use foster care:
  • Make referrals as needed for contracted services; foster care, family preservation and provide family service work as necessary.
  • Maintain local data pertaining to investigations, Family Preservation, and Foster care on a monthly basis

4. Discharge Planning

Here's how social security specialists use discharge planning:
  • Assist residents with advance directives, insurance concerns, adjustment to a nursing facility and discharge planning.
  • Collaborate and assist medical professionals with discharge planning and placement of adults and children.

5. Social Security Administration

Here's how social security specialists use social security administration:
  • Worked with attorneys, clients and Social Security Administration to secure disability determination.
  • Served as liaison between Social Security Administration, Disability Determination Office and Office of Hearings and Appeals and the client.

6. Mental Illness

Here's how social security specialists use mental illness:
  • Provide psychosocial assessments to determine employability of clients with mental illness and physical disability.
  • Case manager and outreach specialist for vulnerable individuals with severe mental illness and elderly individuals experiencing homelessness in New Orleans.

7. Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is the non-financial assistance provided by local or international specialists. The purpose of technical assistance is to maximize the project's implementation and quality of the final product. Technical assistance consists of sharing information, the transmission of working knowledge, and other transfer of technical data which would aid the administration, management team and help build the project. The technical assistance focuses on particular needs identified by the beneficiary country and is delivered in the form of missions.

Here's how social security specialists use technical assistance:
  • Developed and provided technical assistance and training for business and community leaders of organizations served by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
  • Administered technical assistance to perspective child day providers regarding statutory requirements and the interpretation of licensed family day homes regulatory functions.

8. Social Services

Here's how social security specialists use social services:
  • Maintained case records and reports for students referred for Social Services.
  • Arranged social services and treatment for clients.

9. Social Security Disability

Here's how social security specialists use social security disability:
  • Provided employment counseling, benefits-planning and job services to a caseload of approximately 180 Social Security disability beneficiaries.
  • Market and promote the Company Social Security Disability Program to internal and external customers.

10. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how social security specialists use community resources:
  • Initiate referrals and develop appropriate community resources to facilitate placement or discharge.
  • Advocated and educated of community resources.

11. Community Agencies

Community agencies stand for the organizations operated to provide human service in the community.

Here's how social security specialists use community agencies:
  • Determined child safety requirements and made appropriat130e referrals to community agencies based on the family needs.
  • Worked with community agencies to help students and parents with maintaining school attendance and appropriate behavior in school setting.

12. Disability Benefits

Here's how social security specialists use disability benefits:
  • Used the sequential evaluation process to determine eligibility and eligibility for disability benefits.
  • Conduct phone outreach to patients in order to establish eligibility for Social Security benefits (SSI/SSDI) or MassHealth disability benefits.

13. Medicaid

Here's how social security specialists use medicaid:
  • Researched state and federal regulations and statutes pertaining to Medicaid.
  • Prepare Medicaid eligibility and restriction reports.

14. Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is the task of certain members of the community who work together to uphold the law by identifying, preventing, rehabilitating, or prosecuting others who break society's laws and norms. The phrase refers to the police, the judiciary, and the correctional system.

Here's how social security specialists use law enforcement:
  • Collaborate with community partners, law enforcement and the court system to ensure the safety of children is maintained.
  • Collaborate and maintain positive working relationships with law enforcement, court personnel, community partners, and families.

15. Court Hearings

Here's how social security specialists use court hearings:
  • Provide written reports for, attend and testify at Child in Need of Care court hearings.
  • Testify at court hearings for temporary custody, adjudication, and termination of parental rights.
top-skills

What skills help Social Security Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on social security specialist resumes?

Adam GreerAdam Greer LinkedIn profile

Career Services Specialist, Auburn University

Clearly, the distance/online working skills will stand out with our HDFS majors. Our students have a strong foundation in learning to work with people, and now they have a new way to work with people and remove barriers that might have previously prevented an in-person meeting.

What social security specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Ines Jindra

Associate Professor of Social Work, BASW Program Director, Idaho State University

With a BASW in social work, you are eligible for generalist, entry-level positions. In order to maximize your salary potential, look out for training opportunities, and consider going back for an MSW degree in social work a few years down the line (since for many social work positions, you will need an MSW degree).

What soft skills should all social security specialists possess?

Katherina Nikzad-Terhune Ph.D.

Associate Professor, MSW Program Director, School of Social Work, Northern Kentucky University

Regarding soft skills, we look for skills that are essential foundational skills within the profession. These include empathy, active listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, to name a few. These are essential for effective alliance-building with our clients and for making unbiased and ethical decisions. As social workers, we are often in the business of communication. Rarely do we work in isolation, as much of our work involves collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and individuals in other professional domains. As such, effective communication, organization, time management, and collaborative skills are necessary.

What hard/technical skills are most important for social security specialists?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

a. Must have strong basic computer skills and knowledge of software such as excel spreadsheets, google docs, etc. Most, if not all, agencies use electronic health records and treatment planning, so it is necessary to be competent in this area.
b. A degree and additional certifications will assist you in seeking employment. It will also increase your level of competency and diversify the communities you serve. For example, at Austin Community College, we offer our students a chance to complete a certification in Mental Health First Aid Training. This increases their marketability and skill level.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about social security specialist

List of social security specialist skills to add to your resume

Social security specialist skills

The most important skills for a social security specialist resume and required skills for a social security specialist to have include:

  • Social Work
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Foster Care
  • Discharge Planning
  • Social Security Administration
  • Mental Illness
  • Technical Assistance
  • Social Services
  • Social Security Disability
  • Community Resources
  • Community Agencies
  • Disability Benefits
  • Medicaid
  • Law Enforcement
  • Court Hearings
  • Protective Services
  • Social Security Benefits
  • Supplemental Security Income
  • Vulnerable Adults
  • Professional Judgment
  • Ssdi
  • Health Insurance
  • Court Reports
  • Social Studies
  • Family Services
  • Inbound Calls
  • Address Problems
  • Mental Health
  • Court System
  • Support Services
  • Child Protective
  • Educational Environment
  • Computer System
  • DHS

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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