Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Office and administrative support / 43-4061.00

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.

US jobs
154,800
Median wage
$54,210 a year
Job family
Office and administrative support

Can agents do the work of eligibility interviewers, government programs?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Office and administrative support:

  • Task levelStrongOn computer-use and office-task benchmarks, top agents pass most tasks: 90.2% on OSWorld-Verified (humans: 72.4%), 83.1% on SpreadsheetBench, and 63.3% on WorkArena L1 under the standard protocol. Limits: many top entries are self-submitted and not re-run by the maintainers, and on TheAgentCompany's multi-step workplace tasks the best agent resolves 42.9%.
  • Project levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, but GDPval tasks are one-shot and fully specified. No benchmark in our collection tests multi-day administrative work, such as running a calendar or a purchasing process.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in office and administrative support, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • 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.
  • Initiate procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate assistance, or refer applicants to other agencies for assistance.
  • Check with employers or other references to verify answers and obtain further information.
  • Answer applicants' questions about benefits and claim procedures.
  • Provide social workers with pertinent information gathered during applicant interviews.
  • Refer applicants to job openings or to interviews with other staff, in accordance with administrative guidelines or office procedures.
  • Schedule benefits claimants for adjudication interviews to address questions of eligibility.
Other job titles for this occupation (75)

Benefits Program Tech (Benefits Program Technician) · Business and Employment Specialist · Case Manager · Eligibility Examiner · Eligibility Specialist · Eligibility Worker · Program Eligibility Specialist · Social Welfare Examiner (SWEX) · Workforce Advisor · Workforce Services Representative (WSR) · Authorization Specialist · Business Employment Specialist · Case Coordinator · Case Technician (Case Tech) · Cash Application Clerk · Client Services Rep (Client Services Representative) · Contact Agent · Contact Officer · Contact Rep (Contact Representative) · Credentialing Specialist · Disability Coordinator · Disability Specialist · Eligibility and Occupancy Interviewer · Eligibility Assistant · Eligibility Clerk · Eligibility Consultant · Eligibility Services Representative (Eligibility Services Rep) · Eligibility Technician · Employment Adjudicator · Employment and Claims Aide · Employment Specialist · Enrollment Agent · Enrollment Coordinator · Enrollment Counselor · Enrollment Provider · Enrollment Representative (Enrollment Rep) · Enrollment Services Specialist · Enrollment Specialist · Enrollment Support Specialist · Family Independence Case Manager · Grants Administrator · Grants Manager · Grants Officer · Housing Counselor · Housing Specialist · Insurance Authorization Specialist · Insurance Verification Specialist · Intake Clerk · Intake Specialist · Interviewer · Job Services Consultant · Medicaid Eligibility Advisor · Patient Resources and Reimbursement Agent · Patient Services Assistant · Placement Secretary · Prior Authorization Specialist · Program Specialist · Provider Enrollment Specialist · Public Housing Interviewer · Referral Specialist · Rehabilitation Clerk (Rehab Clerk) · Rehabilitation Inspector (Rehab Inspector) · Social Case Worker · Social Security Benefits Interviewer · Tenant Selector · Transition Specialist · Unemployment Benefits Claims Taker · Unemployment Examiner · Unemployment Inspector · Veterans Employment Rep (Veterans Employment Representative) · Welfare Eligibility Interviewer · Welfare Eligibility Worker · Welfare Interviewer · Workforce Development Specialist · Workforce Professional