Disability Determination Examiner I (5 Positions) - Charleston, Columbia, Greenville Offices

Disability Determination Examiner I (5 Positions) - Charleston, Columbia, Greenville Offices

Salary

$39,300.00 - $53,100.00 Annually

Location

Lexington County, SC

Job Type

FTE - Full-Time

Job Number

187609

Agency

Vocational Rehabilitation Department

Division

DDS Central Office

Opening Date

05/08/2026

Closing Date

Continuous

Class Code:

GA71

Position Number:

187609

Normal Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday (8:30 - 5:00)

Pay Grade

GEN07

Hiring Range - Min.

$39,300.00

Hiring Range - Max.

$53,100.00

Opening Date

05/08/2026

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity Employer

Agency Specific Application Procedures:

Applicants must submit the on-line application before 5 PM on the closing date. Resumes/cover letters are welcome but please include all current and previous work history and education on the State Application as the resume will not be accepted nor reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position. Special accommodations needed for interviewing must be requested in advance by calling Human Resources (803-896-6500).

Veteran Preference Statement

South Carolina is making our Veterans a priority for employment in state agencies and institutions.

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Responsibilities

Join South Carolina state government where you can have a meaningful career, incomparable benefits, and a positive work-life balance!

Under direct supervision, a disability determination examiner I evaluates a basic caseload of claims for the Social Security Administration after completing the provided training. In this position you will perform the following job duties:

• Review applications for disability claims for the Social Security Administration.
• Request and review medical, psychological, vocational, employment, and other evidence needed to determine eligibility for benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act.
• Read and analyze medical reports and other disability file documents and make a judgment as to the existence of physical or mental impairments confirmed by medical diagnosis.
• Recognize the sufficiency of evidence and recommend purchase of consultative examinations as needed to provide updated and current documentation of files.
• Contact applicants, usually by telephone, to document medical and nonmedical evidence as well as determine the existence of pertinent medical sources of evidence.
• Identify and resolve conflicts in medical, vocational, and other evidence; and contact physicians and other medical sources by telephone or by letter to resolve these conflicts.
• Choose from a variety of approaches to accomplish claim documentation; but must ensure claim quality and production standards are met.
• Make judgments or finding of fact regarding the way impairments impact the applicants' ability to perform specific work-related activities based on the presence of medically determinable physical or mental impairments and submit these documents for Medical Consultant review.
• Make judgments regarding the accuracy of the treating physicians' opinion as to the severity of the applicants' impairment, comparing the physicians' supporting medical evidence to the opinion rendered.
• Initially assist agency medical and psychological consultants to establish residual functional capacity (ability of an applicant, given their current physical condition, age, education, and work history, to function in the workplace) and findings of fact regarding age, education, and vocational background to determine eligibility for benefits, eventually completing a designated percentage independently upon experience.
• Prepare analysis and make decisions as to eligibility for benefits on a medical basis alone or remaining functional capacity of applicants to perform work.
• Utilize federal database to make judgments as to what occupations would be appropriate given the remaining functional capacity, relevant work skills, age, and education, if the claimant is not eligible for benefits.
• Prepare a formal determination of eligibility for benefits based on regulations for Title XVI of the Social Security Act, court orders, rules, and regulations.

Minimum and Additional Requirements

• High school diploma and 6 years of professional experience.

• A bachelors degree or an associates degree may be substituted on a one for one year of required years of professional experience.

• Individuals selected for positions with the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Departments Disability Determination Service (DDS) will go through a complete federal background investigation. A suitability determination by the Social Security Administration is necessary to determine whether an employee can be issued credentials in order to have access to Social Security disability data, records, and systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Interpersonal relations skills

• Basic typing skills

• Competency in electronic applications

• Knowledge of casework practices and interview techniques.

• Knowledge of investigative techniques and practices,

• Ability to analyze case data and make appropriate decisions.

If invited to interview, please obtain your Official 10 year driving record from the Department of Motor Vehicles to bring with you.

Official transcripts will be required to verify college degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• BA with 2 years of professional experience.

Additional Comments

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including, but not limited, to lactation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department offers an exceptional benefits package for FTE positions that includes:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
• Paid parental leave
• Flexible work schedules
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs

Benefits for State Employees

The state of South Carolina offers eligible employees generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid vacation and sick leave. Plus, work-life balance programs such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules are available to employees of some state agencies.

Insurance Benefits

Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, which includes prescription coverage and wellness benefits. Other available insurance benefits include dental, vision, term life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending accounts for health and child care expenses.

Retirement Benefits

State employees are also offered retirement plan options, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Additionally, eligible employees may elect to participate in the South Carolina Deferred Compensation Program, which is a voluntary, supplemental retirement savings plan offering 401(k) and 457 plan options.

Workplace Benefits

State employees may also be eligible for other benefits, including tuition assistance; holiday, annual and sick leave; and discounts on purchases, travel and more.

Note: The benefits above are available to most state employees, with the exception of those in temporary positions. Employees in temporary grant and time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some or none of these benefits as benefits are associated with each position type. For these positions, contact the hiring agency to determine what benefits may be available.

01

Do you possess a high school diploma and 6 years of professional experience.

• Yes
• No

02

Have you ever been a Disability Examiner in the past?

• Yes
• No

03

Are you currently an employee of SCVRD or have you been one in the past?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have a family member who is a current employee of SCVRD or do you reside in the same household with a current SCVRD employee?

• Yes
• No

05

If you do have a family member who is a current employee of SCVRD or you reside in same household with a current SCVRD employee, please provide the name(s) of the employee(s).

06

If offered employment with SCVRD, would you plan to continue additional employment elsewhere?

• Yes
• No

07

If yes, please provide details concerning the employment.

08

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability: Why are you being asked to complete this form? Because we do business with the government, we must reach out to, hire, and provide equal opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. To help us measure how well we are doing, we are asking you to tell us if you have a disability or if you ever had a disability. Completing this form is voluntary, but we hope that you will choose to fill it out. If you are applying for a job, any answer you give will be kept private and will not be used against you in any way. If you already work for us, your answer will not be used against you in any way. Because a person may become disabled at any time, we are required to ask all of our employees to update their information every five years. You may voluntarily self-identify as having a disability on this form without fear of any punishment because you did not identity as having a disability earlier. How do I know if I have a disability? You are considered to have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity, or if you have a history or record of such an impairment or medical condition. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: •Blindness •Autism •Bipolar disorder •Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) •Deafness •Cerebral palsy •Major depression •Cancer •HIV/AIDS •Multiple sclerosis (MS) •Obsessive compulsive disorder •Diabetes •Schizophrenia •Missing limbs or partially missing limbs •Impairments requiring the use of a wheelchair •Epilepsy •Muscular dystrophy •Intellectual disability (previously) called mental retardation OMB Control Number 1250-005 Expires 1/31/2020

• YES, I HAVE A DISABILITY (or previously had a disability)
• NO, I DONT HAVE A DISABILITY
• I DONT WISH TO ANSWER

09

Pre-Employment request for Veteran Classification: South Carolina Vocation Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD) is a Government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002, 38 U.S.C. 4212 (VEVRAA), which requires SCVRD to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment: (1) disabled veterans; (2) recently separated veterans; (3) active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans; and (4) Armed Forces service medal veterans. These classifications are defined as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veterans discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Protected veterans may have additional rights under USERRA - the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. In particular, if you were absent from employment in order to perform service in the uniformed service, you may be entitled to be reemployed by your employer in the position you would have obtained with reasonable certainty if not for the absence due to service. For more information, call the U.S. Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), toll-free, at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed above, please indicate by checking the appropriate box below. As a Government contractor subject to VEVRAA, we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA.

• I IDENTIFY AS ONE OR MORE OF THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF PROTECTED VETERAN LISTED ABOVE
• I AM NOT A PROTECTED VETERAN
• I DECLINE SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Required Question

Employer State of South Carolina

Agency Vocational Rehabilitation Department Address 1410 Boston Avenue

West Columbia, South Carolina, 29170

Phone 803-896-6500

The language used in this document does not create an employment contract between the employee and the agency. This document does not create any contractual rights or entitlements. The agency reserves the right to revise the content of this document, in whole or in part. No promises or assurances, whether written or oral, which are contrary to or inconsistent with the terms of this paragraph create any contract of employment.