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Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

Determine eligibility of persons applying to receive assistance from government programs and agency resources, such as welfare, unemployment benefits, social security, and public housing.

Also called: Benefits Program Tech (Benefits Program Technician), Business and Employment Specialist, Case Manager, Eligibility Examiner, Eligibility Specialist, Eligibility Worker

Compare with my current job (Financial Clerks, All Other)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$67,320
$32.37/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,360
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.1%
160 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$48,030$52,570$67,320$74,070$81,450

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Compute and authorize amounts of assistance for programs, such as grants, monetary payments, and food stamps.
  • Keep records of assigned cases, and prepare required reports.
  • Compile, record, and evaluate personal and financial data to verify completeness and accuracy, and to determine eligibility status.
  • Interview and investigate applicants for public assistance to gather information pertinent to their applications.
  • Interview benefits recipients at specified intervals to certify their eligibility for continuing benefits.
  • Interpret and explain information such as eligibility requirements, application details, payment methods, and applicants' legal rights.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure89 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 81
  • Language-model AIOE 92
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 94

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is in the higher range, and observed AI use is at some level. AI tools can help with checking records, figuring out benefit amounts, and preparing reports. Interviewing applicants and making fair decisions about people's cases still rely on human judgment. Massachusetts is projected to grow by 4.1% over 2024-34.

Likely to change

  • Checking data for completeness and accuracy
  • Calculating benefit amounts and writing reports

Still relies on people

  • Interviewing applicants about their situations
  • Making fair eligibility decisions on cases

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

5 programs near Boston (plus 2 graduate)

Related occupations

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