Career
Eligibility interviewers, government programs
Decide who qualifies for government programs.
$54,210
Median pay
+1.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
12,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Compute and authorize amounts of assistance for programs, such as grants, monetary payments, and food stamps.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $54,210 a year and 12,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Community Organization and AdvocacyCIP 44.0201
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610 · -6.2%
- Human Resources Specialists$75,940 · +6.4%
- Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan$45,920 · -10.4%
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists$78,210 · +6.0%
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 · +7.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.