State of Louisiana Hiring for Program Monitor-DHH at LA, United States Full Time

Salary : $4,177.00 – $8,194.00 Monthly

Location : Statewide, LA

Job Type : Classified

Job Number : OPH / AS / 187519

Department : LDH-Office of Public Health

Opening Date : 12 / 08 / 2023

Closing Date : 12 / 22 / 2023 11 : 59 PM Central

Supplemental Information

This position is located within the Louisiana Department of Health / Office of Public Health / Bureau of Nutrition Services / East Baton Rouge Parish or Orleans Parish.

Announcement Number : OPH / AS / 187519

Cost Center : 3262107630

Position Number(s) : 50590752

This vacancy is being announced as a classified position and will be filled as a part-time WAE appointment.

Please note Part-time WAE appointments are temporary and may last up to a year. Employees can only work a total of 1,245 hours within a 12-month period.

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

The Office of Public Health (OPH) is the office within the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Louisiana by providing public health services to protect and promote the health of all individuals and communities in Louisiana through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, prevention of disease and injury, and dissemination of information impacting population health.

In order to carry out the above responsibilities, OPH is organized into three centers which include the Center for Community and Preventive Health (CCPH), the Center for Finance and Operations, and the Center for Community Preparedness and Health Protection.

The Bureau of Nutrition Services (BONS) is one of five Bureaus within CCPH.

BONS is responsible for the administration and management of two federally funded nutrition programs : the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Commodity Supplemental Nutrition Program (CSFP).

WIC has an annual budget of approximately $110 million ($70 million is dedicated to supplemental food costs) and provides supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to healthcare services to approximately 105,000 participants (low-income women, infants, and children up to five years of age) monthly.

Through the WIC Program, BONS also administers the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Grant Program (annual budget of approximately $1 million).

CSFP has an annual administrative budget of approximately $4.5 million and provides supplemental foods to approximately 40,000 participants (low-income individuals over 60 years of age) monthly.

The value of the USDA donated supplemental foods is approximately $12 million annually. These services are provided to eligible Louisiana residents at over 60 CSFP distribution sites and 105 WIC clinics across the state.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) provides regulatory guidance for both of these federally funded programs.

With approximately 60 BONS state agency staff, the Bureau oversees all programmatic operations, executes and monitors 50+ contracts, provides technical assistance to local staff and authorized vendors (grocery stores), and conducts required monitoring site visits, management evaluations, and investigations to ensure compliance with federal regulations and state statutes and policies.

POSITION AND SECTION DESCRIPTION :

The incumbent in this position serves as WAE Program Monitor in the Vendor Operations Section in BONS. The Vendor Operations Section has three functional areas (Monitoring and Outreach, EBT and Food Management, and Fraud and Investigations) and is responsible for the oversight of more than 475 WIC-authorized vendors (grocery stores) that provide over $70 million worth of supplemental foods to participants throughout the state, redemption of vendor electronic benefit transfer (EBT) claims (processing over $400,000 per day), food management and the maintenance of the approved product list (APL), routine monitoring and compliance investigations, vendor sanctions and terminations, authorization and reauthorization of vendors, competitive pricing, training and technical assistance, policy development and customer service.

The duties and responsibilities of this position are as follows :

30% Program Integrity :

• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of USDA regulations relative to WIC vendor operations and program integrity efforts
• Maintains up-to-date files on all WIC authorized vendors
• Under the directions of the Program Manager, conducts regular vendor file audits
• Under the direction of the Program Manager, assists with assessing vendors for compliance with the Vendor Agreement, Vendor Guide, and Program selection criteria
• Conducts audits of vendor information entered into SOAR EBT and LAWIN. Ensures that information entered, including, but not limited to, peer group, banking information, and contact information is up-to-date and accurate.
• Under the direction of the Program Manager, gathers and provides program information as requested to assist in management evaluations, audits, and quality assurance reviews
• Provides bi-weekly updates to supervisor via e-mail relative to Program and project activities
• Maintains the confidentiality of vendor and participant information as required by Program policy

30% Vendor Investigations / Monitoring

• Conducts Routine Monitoring Visits, Inventory Audit Reviews, and covert Compliance Buys at WIC-authorized vendors throughout the state as assigned
• Conducts Vendor Education Transaction Trainings with WIC-authorized vendors throughout the state as assigned, to assist vendors in adhering to the policy and procedures for transacting WIC
• Ensures initial and follow-up vendor investigation and monitoring activities adhere to program policy
• Tracks all data related to investigations and monitoring for inclusion in the USDA mandated annual Food Delivery Portal (FDP) report
• Under the direction of the Program Manager, may testify on behalf of the State Agency at hearings or in civil court proceedings

25% Vendor Relations / Technical Support

• Provides routine technical assistance to vendors regarding WIC program rules, regulations, and requirements
• Reviews and analyzes data to track training and technical assistance needs. Uses data to develop educational materials and training programs for vendors.
• Assists with coordinating and planning the annual WIC vendor training program
• In consultation with the Program Manager, assists in planning and participates in the Vendor Advisory Committee to enhance communications, awareness, and collaboration on vendor related policies, procedures, and support
• Assists in developing educational materials and training programs for vendors regarding changes to WIC program rules and requirements

10% Policy and Planning

Maintains up-to-date knowledge of Program rules and requirements as found in the Louisiana Administrative Code, WIC Vendor Operations Policies and Procedures, the Vendor Agreement, and the Vendor Guide

Keeps abreast of WIC Program rules and regulations and makes policy recommendations to meet changes in Program requirements

Collaborates with policy planners to develop and / or revise policies to ensure Program compliance and to drive consistent, efficient administration and integrity of the Program

5% Other

• Performs other duties not listed above but necessary for the effective operations of BONS
• Participates in continuing education by attending in-services, workshops and conferences at local, state, regional, and national levels to maintain current knowledge of required areas
• Fulfills obligation for State’s emergency preparedness and response efforts as assigned during an emergency and assists impacted vendors to assure they are back in operation as soon as possible following the event.
• Travels as necessary for the effective operations of BONS

o This position requires regular to frequent travel throughout the state to complete federally required vendor investigation and monitoring activities

To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities.

Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process.

Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

Resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.*

A resume upload will NOT populate your information into your application. Work experience left off your electronic application or only included in an attached resume is not eligible to receive credit

For further information about this vacancy contact :

Angela Selders

LDH / HUMAN RESOURCES

BATON ROUGE, LA 70821

225 342-6477

This organization participates in E-verify, and for more information on E-verify, please contact DHS at 1-888-464-4218.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS :

A baccalaureate degree plus two years of professional level experience in administrative services, economics, public health, public relations, social services, health services, or surveying and / or assessing health or social service programs or facilities for compliance with state and federal regulations.

SUBSTITUTIONS :

Six years of full-time work experience in any field may be substituted for the required baccalaureate degree.

Candidates without a baccalaureate degree may combine work experience and college credit to substitute for the baccalaureate degree as follows :

A maximum of 120 semester hours may be combined with experience to substitute for the baccalaureate degree.

30 to 59 semester hours credit will substitute for one year of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.

60 to 89 semester hours credit will substitute for two years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.

90 to 119 semester hours credit will substitute for three years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.

120 or more semester hours credit will substitute for four years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.

College credit earned without obtaining a baccalaureate degree may be substituted for a maximum of four years full-time work experience towards the baccalaureate degree.

Candidates with 120 or more semester hours of credit, but without a degree, must also have at least two years of full-time work experience to substitute for the baccalaureate degree.

Graduate training with eighteen semester hours in one or any combination of the following fields will substitute for a maximum of one year of the required experience on the basis of thirty semester hours for one year of experience : public health;

counseling; social work; psychology; rehabilitation services; statistics; experimental / applied statistics; economics; business, public, or health administration.

A Juris Doctorate will substitute for one year of the required experience.

A master’s degree in public health; counseling; social work; psychology; rehabilitation services; economics; business, public, or health administration will substitute for one year of the required experience.

Graduate training with less than a Ph.D. will substitute for a maximum of one year of the required experience.

A Ph.D. in public health; counseling; social work; psychology; rehabilitation services; economics; business, public, or health administration will substitute for the two years of required experience.

NOTES :

Health services include all services dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disease, or the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health for sick or injured individuals.

Public health includes jobs such as sanitarian, public health engineer and public health epidemiologist.

NOTE :

Any college hours or degree must be from an accredited college or university.

Job Concepts

Function of Work :

To perform research, analysis and policy management activities related to statewide health or social service program(s).

Level of Work : Advanced.

Advanced.

Supervision Received :

Broad from a Program Monitor SupervisorDHH or higher level.

Supervision Exercised :

None.

Location of Work :

Department of Health and Hospitals; Human Service Districts as established; and other social service entities as established by an approved DSCS Allocation Criteria Memorandum.

Job Distinctions :

Differs from Program Monitor SupervisorDHH by the absence of supervisory responsibility.

Differs from Program Manager 1-ADHH and Program Manager 1-BDHH by the absence of responsibility for administering small or less complex statewide program(s).

Examples of Work

Assist with coordination, management and monitoring of statewide program(s).

Plans and coordinates the monitoring and reporting process for statewide program(s).

Develops and implements policy procedures for statewide program(s).

Monitors contracts for adherence to deliverables. Monitors service providers for compliance with federal / state guidelines and financial solvency.

Writes, negotiates and processes programmatic and budgetary contracts; initiates and negotiates contracts for new clinic agencies.

Assists with the writing and managing of grant funds.

May provide functional supervision to regional employees.

Analyzes data to track training and technical assistance needs. May conduct or coordinate training for agency staff.

Presents information to community partners and to relevant agencies.

Prepares and reviews reports from facilities and other programs outlining statistical analysis and trends.

Serve on various committees for the purpose of formulating of policies and quality assurance methods.

Assesses regional needs related to resources, information gaps and barriers to service.

Implements provider recruitment strategies to address resource and service needs.

Assists rural and underserved communities in their efforts to secure grant funding for community-based projects to improve access to local health care services by way of : skill-building, training, grant writing, technical assistance, etc.

Monitors expenditures and accounts payable for grant and contract deliverables.

Tracks occurrences and participates in investigations.

Coordinates and maintains department’s internal monitoring procedures for legislation.

Coordinates with Information Technology staff for the design and maintenance of data reports.

Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service.

With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program :

Insurance Coverage More information can be found at

Holidays and Leave – State employees receive the following paid holidays each year :

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Mardi Gras,
• Good Friday,
• Memorial Day,
• Independence Day,
• Labor Day,
• Veteran’s Day,
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement – State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works).

These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries.

State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to) :

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
• Teacher’s Retirement System of Louisiana (),
• Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (), among others
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