Client Service Representative

The Office of Labor Relations (OLR) represents the Mayor in the conduct of all labor relations between the City of New York and labor unions representing employees of the City. The Commissioner serves on behalf of the Mayor as the City’s liaison with both labor and management in the private sector. The office is authorized by Executive Order 38 (February 7, 1967), amended by Executive Order 13 (July 24, 1990). Additionally, OLR administers the Health Benefits Program, Management Benefits Fund, Employee Assistance Program, Work Well NYC, Medicare Part B Reimbursement and Pre-Tax Benefits & Citywide Programs including the Deferred Compensation Plan and NYCE IRA. In addition to negotiating collective bargaining agreements, OLR serves as a resource to agencies with regard to workforce labor issues and works with the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to pursue innovations in a variety of areas, particularly regarding City health insurance programs. The staff at OLR assist their fellow agencies in handling personnel and payroll issues, conducting labor-management meetings, representing the City at representation hearings, and handling all employee grievances and arbitration matters while also negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the City's 149 bargaining units.

Job Description The Retiree Client Service Department consists of ten (10) Client Service Representatives and one (1) Supervisor who provide critical customer service to approximately 270,000 retired and pre-Medicare City of New York retirees, eligible dependents, and employees preparing for retirement. The unit manages a high-volume workload, handling more than 10,000 telephone calls each month and conducting approximately 300 in-person appointments monthly. The Client Service Representative serves as the primary point of contact for all matters related to retiree health benefits, dependent health coverage, Medicare Part B reimbursement, and retirement health insurance enrollment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Responding to telephone inquiries from retirees, employees, and eligible dependents.
• Guiding employees and retirees through the health insurance enrollment process.
• Assisting retirees with health insurance issues by coordinating with the Operations Unit, health insurance carriers, and pension systems to resolve complex cases.
• Managing and responding to inquiries received via email.
• Assisting retirees with enrollment in the Medicare Part B Reimbursement Program.
• Assisting retirees with Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) reimbursement applications.
• Researching and resolving Medicare Part B and IRMAA reimbursement issues.
• Providing COBRA counseling and benefits guidance to survivors, including line-of-duty survivors.
• Meet quality, quantity, and timeliness standards to achieve individual and department performance goals as defined within the department guidelines.

Minimum Qualifications

a. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university plus one year of full-time paid experience within the last six years in fire, casualty or surety insurance as a corporate insurance manager, insurance agent, insurance underwriter or insurance broker; or b. High school graduation or evidence of having passed an examination for the high school equivalency diploma or the U.S. Armed Forces G.E.D. certificate with a score of at least 35 on each of the five tests and an overall score of at least 225 in the examination for the certificate; plus five years of satisfactory experience within the last six years as described in (a) above; or c. A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience. However, all candidates must be high school graduates with at least one year of experience in the last six years as described in (a) above.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

Preferred Qualification Requirements

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Five years’ experience working in a customer service center answering a high volume of client calls, along with meeting with clients in-person.
• A passion for serving others with the ability to be empathetic and the desire to go above and beyond to help resolve clients’ questions at the first point of contact.
• A client advocate willing to listen and find creative solutions to address and resolve clients’ questions, issues, or concerns.
• A composed individual able to multi-task, navigating multiple computer applications and working efficiently while communicating with and serving the client.
• Must have a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility to your teammates and clients, demonstrated by the simplest things like being on time and available to meet clients’ needs, to being accountable for commitments made to clients or others and ensuring follow-ups are completed.
• Flexible and quick learner, willing to adapt to changing client and office needs.
• Preference will be given to candidates with knowledge of the City's database system including NYCAPSR and NYCAPSN.