Public Benefits Specialist 5 pay range
State of Washington · class code 165K
- Class code
- 165K
- Salary range
- 54
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Public Benefits Specialist 5 is $61,332 to $82,440 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 165K.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Step progression
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) assigns this class to salary range 54 in the General Service Salary Schedule. The range pays 13 steps; a step is normally earned on a periodic increment date, not negotiated.
| Basis | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $61,332 | $62,880 | $64,512 | $66,072 | $67,704 | $69,348 | $71,136 | $72,900 | $74,748 | $76,608 | $78,504 | $80,496 | $82,440 |
| Monthly | $5,111 | $5,240 | $5,376 | $5,506 | $5,642 | $5,779 | $5,928 | $6,075 | $6,229 | $6,384 | $6,542 | $6,708 | $6,870 |
| Hourly | $29.37 | $30.11 | $30.90 | $31.64 | $32.43 | $33.21 | $34.07 | $34.91 | $35.80 | $36.69 | $37.60 | $38.55 | $39.48 |
Steps as published. The monthly and hourly rows are the state's own, not conversions of the annual row.
Class specification
The OFM classified job specification for this class is published by Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications.
What the state says the job is
Supervises a unit of Public Benefits Specialists who determine eligibility for financial, medical, food and childcare benefits. Influences outcomes and builds strategic partnerships with entities, such as: other state agencies and local community offices for the delivery of human services to individuals, families and communities.
Examples of the work
Supervises a staff of Specialists in gathering information regarding clients' eligibility for public assistance programs; Supervises Public Benefits Specialists with assistance of lead worker through individual and group conferences by reading and analyzing records and reports and evaluating performance; recommends placements and reassignments; Establishes unit workloads and quality standards; reviews completed complaints and eligibility determinations to ensure that appropriate data gathering and verification techniques were utilized and that findings were adequately documented; Controls overall flow of work processed by the unit; reviews activity reports to ensure that planned unit volume ...
Minimum qualifications
One year of experience as a Public Benefits Specialist 3 or 4. OR Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience examining/processing medical insurance or rehabilitation claims, unemployment insurance claims, or a job providing staff support in public assistance eligibility determination, or in a job analyzing, verifying, and evaluating financial data and information. Three years of out-of-state experience, conducting financial eligibility determination for public assistance to include financial, medical and food benefit programs will be considered toward experience. Note: Related or closely related employment experience may substitute year for year for education.
Quoted from the OFM classified job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) publishes this figure in Classified Job Listing joined to the OFM salary schedules effective July 1, 2026. Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The dollar figures come from the salary schedule the listing assigns this range to.