Benefits Specialist- 72002496

Requisition No: 846894 

Agency: Management Services

Working Title: Benefits Specialist- 72002496

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 72002496 

Salary:  35,361.61 

Posting Closing Date: 02/27/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Benefits Specialist

Division of Retirement

State of Florida Department of Management Services

This position is located in Tallahassee

Position Overview and Responsibilities:

• Calculates the cost for forensic upgrades and military leaves of absence. 
• Calculates the cost to buy back into the pension plan from the investment plan. 
• Processes termination and reemployment violations, divorce estimates, and benefit recalculations.
• Provides customer service through counseling and personal interviews with members; and consultative and technical assistance to employment agencies; or investigates discrepancies for Third Party Administration and audit staff.
• Audits and balances individual member accounts and approves the eligibility of a member to claim retirement credit for military service, past service, prior service, in-state/out-of-state service and leave of absence.
• Gathers and analyzes member information for verification of service credit, eligibility dates and retirement plans.
• Adjust contributions, salary and service credit in retirement accounts in which reporting errors have occurred for both active and retired members. 
• Prepares estimates of retirement benefits for members who are contemplating retiring or entering DROP.
• Prepares statement of accounts to reflect the contributions required to balance the members' retirement accounts in accordance with the retirement systems and plans in which the members participated. 
• Determines the eligibility of members for service retirement, participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), approves retirement applications for DROP members and calculates retirement benefits for members and joint annuitants who qualify for retirement.
• Serves on committees and in workgroups to improve or maintain bureau or division wide administration of the retirement system. 
• Performs other duties as required. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to collect, evaluate and analyze data relating to retirement benefits.
• Knowledge of principles and techniques of effective verbal and written communication and basic arithmetic.
• Understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures relating to retirement benefits.
• Compose correspondence; organize data into logical format; utilize problem solving techniques; work independently; perform basic arithmetical calculations; plan, organize and coordinate work assignments; communicate effectively verbally and in writing; establish and maintain relationships with others.
• Ability to operate a personal computer with proven proficiency in Word, or comparable processes.
• Accountability, Communication, Empowerment, Flexibility, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Two years of professional experience in the areas of insurance, retirement or social security, administration, call center, customer service, fiscal work, statistics, personnel, or any other combination.
• Postsecondary education may be used as an alternative for years of experience on a year-for-year basis.

Our Organization and Mission:

Under the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis, Secretary Pedro Allende and DMS’ Executive Leadership Team, the Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) is a customer-oriented agency with a broad portfolio that includes the efficient use and management of real estate, procurement, human resources, group insurance, retirement, telecommunications, fleet, and federal property assistance programs used throughout Florida’s state government. It is against this backdrop that DMS strives to demonstrate its motto, “We serve those who serve Florida.”

Division of Retirement:

The mission of the Division of Retirement (division) is to deliver a high quality, innovative, and cost-effective retirement system. The division currently has 225 full-time retirement staff and manages a FY 2024-25 operating budget of $48,864,720. The division administers the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan, currently the fourth largest state retirement system in the US with more than 2.7 million active, retired, and terminated vested and non-vested members and $187.2 billion in assets. The division pays out $12.9 billion a year in retiree benefits and maintains the service history, vesting and membership status records, and collects nearly $5.5 billion annually in employer and employee contributions from more than 1,000 employers for all FRS members. 

Special Notes:

DMS is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. We recognize the extensive training, experience, and transferrable skills that veterans and individuals with disabilities bring to the workforce.  Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact our recruiter for guidance and answers to questions through the following provided email addresses:
DMS.Ability@dms.fl.gov
DMS.Veterans@dms.fl.gov
An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the DMS Human Resources (HR) Office at (850) 488-2707. DMS requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.
Successful completion of background screening will be required for this position.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.