Public Contact Career Path

A public contact career is both challenging and rewarding. You will provide the highest caliber of service as the voice of Social Security. Opportunities exist throughout the Mid-Atlantic area in Field Offices, Teleservice Centers and the Program Service Center. As a public contact representative, your daily tasks may include:

• Speaking with beneficiaries about their rights under the Social Security laws
• Gathering facts and evidence to establish eligibility for benefits
• Making critical decisions to determine the amount of benefits paid to individuals
• Using state-of-the-art computer technology to access and update information about claims.

Opportunities exist for Claims Representative, Claims Authorizer, Benefit Authorizer, Service Representative and Teleservice Representative positions. Public contact representatives receive extensive training in Social Security programs and state laws. Bilingual individuals are often hired for these positions.
Employees are paid according to the General Schedule (GS) Classification and Pay System. Some salaries are adjusted for locality.

Learn more about working for Social Security and how to apply for a position with us.

Claims Representative/Claims Authorizer

As a Claims Representative or a Claims Authorizer, you will assist the public in person or by phone to establish entitlement to Social Security benefits. Your contacts will allow you to obtain, clarify and verify data used to analyze claims and make benefit entitlement decisions.

Claims Representatives work in each of our Field Offices located throughout the Mid-Atlantic area . Claims Authorizers work in the Mid-Atlantic Social Security Center in Philadelphia.

Before assuming your duties, you will participate in 13 weeks of training. Your career as a Claims Representative will allow you to develop skills that can prepare you for promotions into positions as a technical expert on Social Security programs or a manager.

Salary:
You will begin at the GS-5 or GS-7 level. With good performance, you will reach GS-11, the full-performance level, in 2-3 years. Your actual salary will reflect the locality pay available in your part of the country.

Benefit Authorizer

As a Benefit Authorizer, you will work the public via phone or mail regarding benefit and payment amounts for various Social Security programs.

Benefit Authorizers work in the Mid-Atlantic Social Security Center in Philadelphia.

A 6-month training program will prepare you for the duties of a Benefit Authorizer. Further career development may lead you to the technical assistant or specialist positions or the Claims Authorizer position.

Salary:
You will begin at the GS-5 or GS-7 level. With good performance, you will reach GS-9, the full-performance level, in 1-2 years. Your actual salary will reflect the locality pay available in your part of the country.

Service Representative/Telephone Service Representative

Service Representatives provide assistance to the public by answering a wide variety of questions by interviewing the individual, investigating the situation and resolving the problem.

Service Representatives work in each of our Field Offices located throughout the Mid-Atlantic area . Teleservice Representatives work in one of our four Teleservice Centers located in Baltimore, MD, Manassas, VA, Pittsburgh, PA or Philadelphia, PA and have phone contact with the public.

The length of the training course for these positions is 8 or 9 weeks. Career advancement from these positions can be to a Claims Representative position or to another position in a Teleservice Center.

Salary:
You will enter this position at the GS-4 or GS-5 level. With good performance, you will reach GS-8, the full-performance level, in 3-4 years. Your actual salary will reflect the locality pay available in your part of the country.

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