case manager

child welfare specialist

social worker

case aide

safety specialist

State of Arizona

I've worked for the State of Arizona as a Security Officer I at the Arizona State Hospital for one year at this point.

It is an amazing place to work and it is a true pleasure to be able to serve the people of Arizona by working for them at the State Hospital.

A typical day as a security officer involves receiving a briefing about the previous two shifts' activities, any pertinent information and upcoming events, then obtaining keys and radios and heading to post. There are posts at the Civil and Forensic hospitals, the traffic booth, the hospital grounds patrol, and the ACPTC Sexually Violent Predator unit. Officers make patrols to ensure the facilities are secure, and no doors are unlocked. There is frequent contact with mental patients and sexually violent predators. Officers assigned to unit interiors will often respond to code situations, which often involve patients in various states of crisis. Some officers are assigned to control rooms and will monitor radio traffic from the units and the officers assigned there, as well as monitor surveillance systems. Officers will report to supervisors and make reports of their activities on their shift.

Since becoming employed as a security officer at the hospital, I have learned several techniques in dealing with mentally unstable persons and in managing crises. I have learned a great deal about physical security and corrections.

Management at the supervisory level is generally good. Our leads and shift commanders are often very attentive to our needs and our points of view. Our security chief and the upper level administration maintains an "open door policy" but is rarely seen interacting with officers in the field. Many concerns from the rank and file appear to be ignored or disregarded by upper administration. Hospital administration on the whole does not appear to know how to use security officers effectively and does not seem interested in increasing the training and capabilities of the security force at large.

The hardest part of this job is knowing you do not have effective tools or training to deal with armed or highly dangerous patients and residents. There have been several incidents where patients or residents have severely assaulted staff or other patients with weapons. Training consists of Non Violent Crisis Intervention, which is very effective for patients who are a danger to themselves, but is not effective against patients who are an active danger to others. In fact, policy prevents security staff from using force against escaping patients, regardless of their danger to themselves, others, or the general public.

The most enjoyable part of this job is the camaraderie with other officers and other staff at the hospital. It is a joy to work with these people who have devoted their careers to helping the most severely mentally ill people in Arizona. It is also very enjoyable to work closely with Phoenix Police and Phoenix Fire Department, as well as the Maricopa Medical Center. The broad nature of the job lends to a wide variety of working environments and no shift is the same.

As of July 2019, a pay raise is slated to take effect that will increase security officer pay by up to 24%. There is a shift differential for 2nd shift (5%) and 3rd shift (10%). On weekends, there is also a differential for weekends (5%).

February, 5 2005 to August, 26 2005

 State of Arizona – ALTCS
 Arizona Long Term Care Service
 Department of Member Services
 Financial Eligibility Specialist I

  Responsibilities include: Informing the Client
  And Authorized Rep. what ALTCS is, how 
  The application process is. I have to explain
  The client has to be in need of Nursing home 
  Level of care such as, not being able to dress, bath, 
  Feed; get into or out of bed, and they are not able to get up and
  Use the restroom 
  Interviewing clients or their Authorized Representative
  I would have to determine if the client meets the eligibility requirements                            
Financially 
If the client appears to be financially eligible at the present time
The client cannot receive over $1737.00 a month earned or unearned Income or have over $2,000 in Resources.
PAS Pre assessment Screening for the medical
I have client sign and date all Required/Mandatory Forms
ALTCS Application DE-112-Authorized Representative This form lets us know who the client authorizes to be their representative DE-113-Customer’s Rights and Responsibilities Rights: they cannot be discriminated against in any way, because of beliefs, race, color, religion etc.  Responsibilities: Must maintain any information needed to determine the clients eligibility such as, their income, resources, and medically.DE-805 – Share of Cost Estimate that the Customer Must Pay towards Share of Cost while the client is in a nursing facility.
We take their total Gross income and subtract a PNA Personal
Needs Allowance and any other expenses they might have such
As, rent utilities, and if they have a spouse or dependents at home, 
After subtracting the total expenses and if any money left is what they will pay to the nursing facility while they are there.
If client or their Authorized Representative do not show for the Financial and Medical Interview the client who applied will be denied ALTCS benefits.
Be denied for ALTCS Benefits. They can re-apply as many times as they want.
Aged, Blind, or Disabled by Social Security Administration They have to PAS the Medical Assessment requirements WE use ACE, a computer program along with PMMIS We can tell if client is disabled, blind, or aged by a form called a (WTPY) that is issued from SSA. This shows us how Much Social Security someone is receiving by the SS claim # and if it is their spouses or their own claim number, and if a Client is SSI Cash and how much they are receiving.
How much and what claim number receiving the amount.  I have to verify all the clients’ resources such as, checking accounts, Life insurances and trusts. Property owned. Grazing Permits, trust, or if they have transferred any money, homes, etc.  Income has to be verified also if it is earned or not and how often they are Paid, and how much. Apply for Potential benefits, such as VA, Retirement pension.
Living arrangements have to be verified this is where the client resides.  If living in a Nursing Facility the client may have to pay a SOC for their Care, while they are in the Nursing Facility. If client at home no SOC.
Have to Verify the Fiscal County because this determines what program 
Provider is responsible for providing benefits that Program Contractor provider is responsible for setting up a specific care plan for the client.
They will be assigned to a Case Manager from that provider. 
ACES, PMMIS, are two computer interfaces that allow communication between the State and Federal Government.

DCS sets employees up for failure with their job requirements, case load, and under-appreciation of staff. Upper management is slow to address problems within the work place and will push the importance of following the "Chain of Command", however, DCS will shut down all employee identified concerns at all levels within the chain. 

DCS has a very high case load and there are consistent reports for each case, it is very easy to be behind on documentation even taking a sick day will set you behind in your work causing problems for you with supervisors and for your performance reviews (maps). The work week is advertised as 40 hours however you will frequently find yourself voluntarily working 45 hours a week as your work load is so high you do not have the time for an hour lunch. DCS is very hesitant about paid overtime and will give immense push back and will ask you to flex your hours rather than pay you for your work. The unwillingness to pay over time reinforces the employee's needs to voluntarily work through their lunch in order to get document's completed in a timely manner. The Department consistently encourages employees to take lunch breaks but it is merely not possible in this position.

High turnover among supervisors adds to work stressors as it does effect the employees ability to get required documentation in on time. Every supervisor has different requirements for their documentation (court reports, CCSRA'S, and case plans) when a supervisor is switched out it will take months for an employee to get used to the new supervisor's requirements. 

Employees hard work consistently goes un-noticed and there is rarely a positive thing said to employees by upper-management. Employees are given an absurd about of requirements for their "Standard Work" however these standards are next to impossible to meet as the work load is so high. DCS set employees up for failure and does little to assist them in their work load. If I could go back in time and pass on the job offer, i would have as it has caused a lot of damage to my mental health. Leaving the work in the office is very hard as they ask us to have our work phones on when we are on "mandatory on-call shifts". This makes leaving the work at the office hard as they do not tell us what the number they will be calling on, leaving us to answer the phone to all clients when they call. If an employee does not answer they will be reprimanded and employees are threatened with disciplinary actions. 

Overall, working for DCS has been a very stressful, tiring and mentally draining experience. DCS does not care for employees and only seems to add more to their already overflowing pot. DCS overworks, under pays, and under appreciates their employees making it a very difficult department to work for. If you are considering taking a position here, i strongly advise against it. 

A typical work day is extremely busy starting at 8:00am, we use a tracking system to check clients in deemed on there reason for visiting the local office. I personally see mainly what we call the blue track, which are clients renewing there food stamp, medical or cash benefits. Each case is individual due to the unique diversity of the cliental.

Every day is a learning experience, the states policies for benefits changes consistently, allowing for employees to be proactive in absorbing new information on a regular basis.

Management in a local office is typically 1 Local office manager (or LOM) 1 Assistant Local office manager (or ALOM) and 4 to 5 office supervisors who have several PSE's (or Program Service Evaluators) (which is my position) The Management positions are highly demanding and this makes there time valuable and at some points difficult to receive the assistance we need as employees to complete some of our cases.

Co-Workers are mainly pleasant and polite, as with any job, there is times when you want to be apart of the group and other times when we work together as a full team to complete cases to clear our lobby's so that we can leave on time....at times there is plenty of gossip and drama, which I stay away from. Sadly there has been theft in my office due to not being able to lock up our personal belongings such as purses or wallets, and a few lunches have been stolen...as for myself I just come to work, do my job, help my clients to the best of my ability, and go home. I work well with a team or as an individual.

The hardest part of my job is trying to separate myself from my kind giving heart and having to be cold in my tone and take control of the interview, it is something that I am capable of doing, I just prefer to be empathetic with client rather then be cold to a person who is already under stress, or mentally/physically disabled or even intoxicated. Many of my clients want to share all of there life stories with me, and have even told me they see me as a social worker and counselor, which I am not either. I can offer them referrals to seek help but most of them decline. Having to tell  single mom with 4 to 7 children, who is working two jobs that she is only going to get 120.00 a month in nutrition assistance is not an easy thing to do.

The most enjoyable part about my job is doing what I love the most, Helping others....I can relate to a lot of what my clients are going through and the drive to wanting to assist them and being able to give them the benefits they really need is all the award I need, for them to say thank you with tears in there eyes and want to hug me due to being grateful, means more to me then any award the state can offer. 

I love helping others, and showing compassion, understanding and kindness is best way I know how.

This place is a joke to work for.

Management:
Completely inept and won't listen to any suggestions on how to make operational or organizational improvements. The supervisors and managers show complete favoritism towards certain employees. If they decide they you don't belong in their "inner circle", they will try to make you quit by railroading you into the ground (since it's nearly impossible to get let go of by HR). I have witnessed co-workers quit because management basically targeted them with big red bullseyes. You will NEVER receive any kudos from management for a job well-done, but will let you know if you blew your nose wrong.

Organization:
There is a complete disconnect between all other I.T. departments. No real communication exists which creates all kinds of confusion on who is supposed to handle what, where and when which causes delays by days on getting end users back up and running to be able to perform their jobs. Software and OS's get broken on a daily basis from updates or changes that are pushed out without any testing before a rollout

Pay/Advancement:
Don't expect a raise, EVER. They simply do not give them. Health insurance costs have increased every year as well as your ASRS deductions, but not a single pay increase in several years for anyone on our team. The only way to get a pay increase is to be one of the lucky few to get an advancement. Again, favoritism comes into play here. If you are not in management's "inner circle", good luck no matter what your qualifications, appraisals or achievements are. When a known advancement position is coming up, they have already selected who they want well before the job is posted. They needlessly waste everyone's time with interviews because the state requires multuple candidate interviews. But, you have no chance for a position no matter how well your interview went or what your qualifications are. Management will simply pick someone from the circle.

Summary:
I left a pretty good employer for my current position with the state. If I had known working here would have been this bad, I would never have left my last job. I took a pay decrease taking this position thinking that a state government job would eventually go somewhere for career opportunities, advancement and retirement. The retirement would be good...if I could put up with this for another 17 years. Not a chance.

There are plenty of more negatives I could list here, but I will post these  after I find new employement.

I have relocated to this position. The work culture here is really bad.  The training system is horrible. You will have to self-educate. Coworkers and supervisor plays dirty trick which means you are told one thing half way. Which means you will get it wrong which means you will look bad. You are monitored on your breaks, luches, and overall on what you are doing. Your supervisor will send other people to check in on you when he is gone. You have to complete alot of writting the ISP are 21 pages long. the reviews are 9 pages. You can end up completed 12 to 13 ISP per month. The 90 day review reassessments are 9 pages which in some aspects you can end having more than 20 appointments a month.  which means 20 X 9pages review=180 pages you will type. Oh, I almost forget you are not allowed to see clients untill you are finger print cleared. This takes about two months. Which means your supervisor and co-workers take you with them but will you will complete it yourself. 6 months from your hired date you will end up taking the training relevant to your Job.  I swear to god I'm not lying about anything. People quit this place left and right and when you inherit cases you can see how many people left within 2-6 months period. The culture is a mess.Management do not do any discipline. Therefore this place is a no man's land. Your retirement does not start until 6 months later.  THERE ARE NO RAISES , BONUSES, OR ANYTHING . THIS MEANS IF YOU START WITH 28000 YOU STAY THERE WITH THE SAME SALARY. YOU WILL DRIVE TO ALL YOUR CLIENTS HOME TO COMPLETE ASSESSMENT. YOU WILL DRIVE WITHIN PHOENIX, TEMPE, SCOTTSDALE, AND FOUNTAINHILL. FOUNTAINHILL TO PHOENIX IS 55MINUTES DRIVE. YOU FIGURE OUT IF YOU HAVE THREE OR FOUR CLIENTS IN DIFFERENT CITIES YOU WILL END DRIVING LIKE A TAXI DRIVER.  Absolutely, if you have to take this position, please be someone who is emotionally strong, cunning, and deceptive. those are who can survive in this jungle AT DDD. I YET TO MEET ANYONE WITH PURE GOODNESS IN THEIR HEARTS. DDD at AZ has alot of organization and restructuring to complete. THEY ARE POORLY DISORGANIZED WHICH MEANS ALL YOUR ASSESSMENT WILL BE COMPLETED IN MICROSOFT OFFICE AND YOU WILL BE THE AUTHOR FOR IT.  I wish you good luck the next Support Coordinator.

Imma current employee there and I feel like since I’ve started working this job, there hasn’t been any malpractice fair opportunity or justice in regards to working for the state. DCS is a place where they hassle you with cases and workload when they don’t pay enough what the competitors pay to make you stay at the company. They have benefits but they don’t equal for everything else that we have to go thru, I know a lot of people see the job title and believe that there is opportunity and a long term career but honestly it isn’t, I should not have to be looking for other work due to the problems I personally face at work and have been facing. It’s always an issue and things just have grasped and changed over time. So I’ve tried to understand and let things pick up it’s course as they go. But nothing seems to be fair with this company, they tell you things about having fair justice or opportunity when it is not true, you feel uncomfortable and you feel like there is no one by your side to where you feel like it is an experience worth staying for let alone work and keep things at bay. If you apply here be satisfied with them taking out 11.8% of your paycheck and then being stuck at the same pay unless your moved to management or a different salary position elsewhere. So if you apply to be a dcs specialist or work anywhere for the DCS or DES just be aware of the set pay and the non raised your going to get, be aware of management working against you and not having your back when it comes to certain things, be aware of management, also talking about you behind your back, and not giving you opportunity to do anything let alone work with you and upper management for resources or different unfair justice when working with external issues or problems. Let alone the job is great, performance is great and working with children investigating there cases are always the best part for working with child crimes, police, and other crises teams and prevention units. I hope this post can be beneficial for anyone applying within the company or just applying online.

Was interviewed and hired by a recruiter for the Unemployment division as a "At Will" Temp Employee. 

Was told that this position would be telecommuting after a training period, was told VERY casual dress, was told benefits start from day 1, was told straight hours 8 to 5, was told supervisor was a certain person only to end up being someone else, etc. 

Only to find out none of it was true. Did a 2 week training period, but after 2 days was put out on the floor and assigned to a team. It was then that we ALL found out the hours were 8 to 5, but they also threw in that weekend work was required and some teams will have to work different hours that what they were previously hired for. 

Was told the 1st day of training that this was a complex job and that if the job wasnt for us, then we needed to inform the management and they would be understanding!!! Ya right. 

After being told about weekend work either opening or closing hours, we were all informed that we would also be working Thanksgiving Day and possibly Christmas day as well. 

Management wants to rush you into getting the training done and throw you to the wolves listening to very and highly upset customers. Needless to say, after my 2 weeks, I decided I didnt appreciate being misled and just told the basics to get me in the door, and when you hit the floor is when everything else comes to light. 

Unless you enjoy that type of environment, this is not the place to be. This department has a HUGE turnover rate, hiring classes are every 2 weeks, but most dont come back or stay very long because once they find out the truth of the matter, its very easy to see why people dont stay and why they are hiring ALL of the time. 

They claim its because they need a lot of agents, which is true for the volume, but what they wont tell you is the truth. Stay away from this department like I said, unless you really enjoy being misled. Ask the questions and demand the details, or you will be finding out after the fact. 

Oh, before I forget, if you also enjoy having a supervisor walk down your row 3 times a day to make sure you are at your desk and you enjoy being micromanaged like that, then this is the place for you!!

It looks like a steady 8-5, reality is it's a come early, leave late, sometimes work weekends (mandatory on call shifts you are only paid for if you get called in, but you are required to be near a phone and near the office for all shifts and waiting to be called in)
Specialists have mandatory week long shifts on call with a small stipend but it's not voluntary at all and often you'll end up working 65 hour weeks when you're on call and be told to try to flex anything above the 40 away so you get as little OT as possible.
People are focused on themselves and brown nosing. Supervisors are a close knit hive of favoritism, selfishness and hypocracy. If you cross the wrong worker or a worker/supervisor decides they don't like you, or if you just don't bend and paint yourself to match their vibe, or if you dare to expect more than a petty childish office from a professional governement job...they will put in effort to cut you out and get you to quit and then tell everyone you couldn't handle the job.
You work thankless weird houra. You get cussed out, cried at and more by clients. You have a stressful job. The workplace offers no support or compassion unless you play into the vapid politics and kiss supervisor a&& and make allies. 
Don't bother trying to think the paycheck is worth it, mandatory auto remove 12% of your check for retirement, then there's insurance to remove, and taxes, then all the money you spend on last minute daycare for your own kids.
Prepare to devote your very existence to this job, and then be told you're not doing your job well or that you just aren't doing enough and are bad at prioritizing work over your personal issues.

Despite terrible APS management, Field Investigator job is rewarding when actually helping vulnerable adults resolve their issue. Management seems to do everything possible to make you hate your job as they are most interested in themselves, cya, and having good statistics. The latest APS leader sends out new policy monthly - like 300 pages that workers are supposed to review each time its sent out.  Then supervisors and managers tell us new procedures daily so there is no consistency or reliability in how to do your job. This job sets you up for failure. New workers have said they hate this job, cannot make sense of 'latest' procedural changes. Management pulls a bait and switch on prospective employees. In the past week, 1 worker just walked off the job & that was a good productive dedicated employee. Policy & Procedure minutia are contrary to AMS required by governor to run government like business. AMS works with widgets and paperwork, not social services for people. Managers and administrators are exact opposite of what they expect workers and 1st line supervisors to be like. This is not the place to work with ever-increasing job duties but you are expected to do it just as FAST as before, then they inform you of every little thing you do wrong ignoring your successes. Verbal or email scolding by DPM is common. Workers are treated like misbehaving children.  Punitive place, its only bearable because of great co-workers who are in this disaster with you.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Case manager 164 salaries reported	$21.72 per hour
Child welfare specialist 73 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Social worker 92 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Case aide 5 salaries reported	$18.07 per hour
Safety specialist 28 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour

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