Disability Benefits Analyst Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $87,444.09 - $122,433.74 Annually
Location : Ventura, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 0748RET-26AA (YM)
Department: Ventura County Employees' Retirement Association
Opening Date: 05/27/2026
Closing Date: 6/9/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
Description
WHAT WE OFFER

• General Salary Increase - 3.5% effective December 20, 2026, and 3.5% effective December 19, 2027.
• Educational Incentive - An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a master's degree that is not required for the classification.
• Annual Leave - 208 hours per year, increasing to 288 hours after 5 years of service.
• Annual Leave Redemption - The ability to "cash in" or redeem up to 100 hours of Annual Leave per year after using 80 hours in the preceding twelve months.
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
• Health Plans - Full-time employees are afforded a flexible credit allowance up to $26,626.86 for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans.
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts, which increases spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS-approved dependent care and health care expenses.
• Pension Plan - Both the County and employees contribute to the County's Retirement Plan and to Social Security. If eligible, reciprocity may be established with other public retirement systems, such as PERS.
• Holidays - 13 paid days per year, which includes a scheduled floating holiday.

THE POSITION
Under general direction of VCERA's Disability Retirement Benefits Manager, the Disability Retirement Benefits Analyst will serve as a senior-level analytical and operational specialist, taking on complex responsibilities that enhance workflow efficiency, strengthen internal review processes, and provide critical support to the Disability Manager. This role will assume key duties such as drafting Medical Analysis documents, overseeing select internal procedures, reviewing disability retirement calculations, evaluating board meeting materials, oversight of administrative hearing process facilitation, and conducting preliminary invoice reviews for professional services. The Analyst will also share responsibility for drafting recommendation documents, ensuring compliance with the County Employees' Retirement Law (CERL) of 1937, assisting with fiscal inquiries, and providing reliable backup to disability unit staff and Disability Manager as needed.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate is a highly skilled, detail-oriented professional with strong analytical judgment, excellent written communication abilities, and the capacity to manage sensitive, confidential, medical, technical, legal, and procedurally complex information with minimal oversight. They should be a collaborative problem-solver who can serve as a knowledgeable resource for the team, provide an additional layer of quality control, and support long-term operational stability. They should possess considerable experience with benefit related procedures and legal requirements and must exercise excellent tact, discretion, and sound independent judgment in with a role with a relatively high consequence of error.
Payroll Title
Program Administrator III
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary, Fixed-Term) vacancies for this position or similar positions. There is currently one (1) Full-Time Regular vacancy within the Retirement Administration Office.
The Program Administrator III is a management classification and not eligible for overtime compensation.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: 05/27/2026
CLOSING DATE: 6/09/2026
Examples Of Duties
Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Drafts Medical Analysis documents and prepares Preliminary and Final Recommendation documents, synthesizing medical, administrative, and legal information into clear, defensible analyses.
• Serves as the unit's lead specialist, providing guidance to staff on complex cases, procedural questions, and policy interpretation.
• Reviews board meeting materials prepared by staff to ensure accuracy, completeness, and readiness for final managerial review.
• Reviews disability retirement calculations prepared by other disability unit staff for accuracy, methodology, and compliance prior to managerial approval.
• Oversees facilitation of the hearing process, ensuring all correspondence, notices, and procedural steps meet legal and administrative requirements.
• Confers with the Disability Manager and other departmental leaders on policy matters, operational issues, and program challenges, providing informed recommendations.
• Interprets policies and procedures for staff and stakeholders, ensuring consistent understanding and application.
• Represents the unit in communications with other County departments, external agencies, and professional service providers.
• Prepares required reports and documentation for internal leadership, the Board, and external stakeholders.
• Designs and maintains operational workflows, tools, and monitoring methods to support efficient case processing and program performance.
• Oversees designated internal procedures by evaluating their use, identifying needed updates, and ensuring staff follow established standards.
• Responds to inquiries from the Fiscal division regarding disability payments, offsets, and related benefit calculations.
• Reviews invoices from external professionals (e.g., legal counsel, hearing officers, medical evaluators) for accuracy and contract compliance before manager approval.
• Assists in planning and delivering in-service training to support staff development and ensure consistent application of procedures.
• Conducts or reviews special projects and analytical studies, preparing findings and recommendations to improve program operations.
• Provides backup to the Disability Manager on an as-needed basis, without performing these duties routinely.
• Provides backup to lower-level staff on an as-needed basis, without performing these duties routinely.
• Plans, organizes, and coordinates disability retirement program functions, ensuring consistent application of policies, procedures, and statutory requirements.
• Compiles, analyzes, and interprets narrative, financial, and statistical data to evaluate program performance and recommend improvements.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE
Considerable administrative support experience, which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills and abilities. An example of qualifying experience is:

• Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in disability retirement, workers' compensation, legal support, and/or other medical/ benefits administration.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT

• Some experience with legal terminology.
• Ability to review the work of others for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with policies and legal requirements.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Excellent written communication skills must be demonstrated in the completion of the employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

DESIRED:

• Experience acting as a lead worker.
• Experience with pension administration software and large enterprise software, such as PeopleSoft.
• Some experience with medical terminology and/or medical analysis related to benefit eligibility.
• Some experience with investigation of claims for disability retirement and/or Worker's Compensation benefits.
• Paralegal certificate or experience working in a civil-litigation environment.
• Knowledge of and experience with County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL) and/or other laws that govern public employee benefit plans.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities
Working knowledge of: principles and practices of employee benefits program administration, including planning, workflow design, performance monitoring, and process improvement; disability retirement program requirements, including medical, administrative, and legal components relevant to case analysis and recommendations; techniques for analyzing medical records, legal, and administrative documentation to support program decisions; methods of preparing clear, defensible analytical documents such as Medical Analyses, Recommendations, and calculation reviews; the relationship between disability determinations and benefit payment calculations; principles of organization, staffing, and workload coordination within a specialized program unit; administrative applications of data systems used for case management, reporting, and performance tracking; public relations and interdepartmental communication practices necessary for working with staff, management, external agencies, and professional service providers; personnel administration concepts applicable to providing guidance, training, and functional leadership to staff.
Skill in: conducting complex analytical work, including reviewing medical and legal information related to benefit eligibility, evaluating calculations, and synthesizing multiple data sources into clear conclusions; designing and refining operational workflows, tools, and procedures to improve efficiency and accuracy; preparing high-quality written materials, including analytical reports, recommendations, board materials, and correspondence; reviewing the work of others for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with policies and legal requirements; coordinating activities across units, departments, and external professionals involved in disability case processing and hearings; interpreting and applying policies, procedures, and statutory requirements to varied and complex case situations; presenting information clearly and effectively to staff, management, and external stakeholders.
Ability to: analyze administrative, legal, medical, and benefits issues; identify problems; and develop sound, well-supported recommendations; plan, organize, and coordinate program activities, including monitoring workflows and ensuring the timely completion of case-related tasks; provide functional guidance and serve as a technical resource to staff on complex cases, procedures, and policy interpretation; understand and apply laws, rules, and written procedures; review and evaluate calculations, invoices, board materials, and hearing documentation for accuracy and compliance; prepare clear, concise, and accurate reports, analyses, and recommendations for management and the Board; communicate effectively in writing and verbally, including explaining complex legal concepts to staff, members, and external partners; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with internal departments, external agencies, and professional service providers; assist in planning and delivering training to support staff development and ensure consistent application of procedures; work successfully in a team environment, make positive contributions and assist others as necessary; manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing program needs; exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality in handling sensitive medical and personnel information.
Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE
Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
To apply online, please refer to our website at . A paper application form can be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129. Our address is: County of Ventura, Human Resources Division, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click for additional information.
Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying
All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position.
APPLICATION SCREENING - qualifying
Candidates' applications, resumes, or other required documentation will be evaluated on a comparative basis against pre-established criterion. Those individuals whose materials best indicate possession of the stated requirements, will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION
A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets th...