Cash Disbursement Specialist (Hybrid)

at  Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Balance and control the release WSIB system generated payments to workers/survivors/employers. Process foreign currency and manual/demand payments. Maintain direct deposit banking information. Process payment maintenance activities, and update WSIB systems to reflect the payment status. Verify/reconcile daily control reports related to cash disbursement activities and investigate discrepancies. Investigate all requests related to payment inquiries.

EDUCATION

• Post secondary diploma up to two years in accounting/finance or business administration.

EXPERIENCE

• Two years prior experience in accounting/treasury.

1. Balance and control release of WSIB system-generated payments including Loss of Earnings, Pension, Survivor, Accounts Payable, Demand, and Employer Refunds by:

• Reviewing payment related registers/control reports from WSIB systems/banks to ensure WBS, Cheque Writing, PeopleSoft and ACES systems have been appropriately updated with payment status and all production reports and SharePoint control reports are in balance to payment registers;
• out-sorting cheques related to over-limit, third-party, employer refunds, voids, damaged and DO NOT MAIL addresses etc. for further processing before advising the 3rd party service provider to mail the verified cheques.
• Preparing daily fund transfer report for Schedule 2 benefit payments;
• Controlling the release of over limit and third party cheques after validating and verifying the approvals and investigating/clearing outstanding over limit activities in ACES;
• Preparing cheques for courier;
• Updating payment reference information for third party cheques before mailing;
• Processing monthly wage garnishment program cheques with payment reference for third party cheques,
• Reviewing payment records to ensure all cheques out-sorted for special handling have been actioned and following up on any outstanding issues related to cheque release.

1. Processing foreign currency payment requests by:

• Obtaining and reviewing all foreign currency banking info via secured email for foreign currency payments
• Advising case managers and health care of mailed foreign currency requests received
• requesting translation for foreign currency forms and correspondence (when necessary)
• creating foreign payment profile for each recipient using service provider portal
• Purchasing and/or uploading payment requests using service provider portal, Processing returned foreign currency payments
• Advising Operations or Accounts Payable of processed payments and conversion details
• logging/tracking foreign currency payment activities
• Monitor daily WSIB FX file and HC incoming activities through ACES and SharePoint

1. Processing manual/demand cheques

• Reviewing payment request for accurate and detailed completion, appropriate approvals, and adequate supporting documentation;
• Preparing manual/demand cheques and batches for on-line data entry system (ODE);
• Processing manual cheque requests through WSIB bank portal for printing by the bank
• Providing confirmation of payment details to requestor
• Preparing journal entries to record manual cheques as appropriate;

1. Maintaining direct deposit banking information by:

• Accessing the direct deposit requests from Total Content Management (TCM) to verify the forms are accurate;
• advising Case Managers of incomplete/incorrect forms;
• Uploading banking info requests received through ACES to TCM
• Entering, verified direct deposit enrolment forms to WSIB Systems;
• Verifying/reconciling the accuracy of direct deposit banking information using TCM, WSIB systems and control reports and changing the payment status to direct deposit;

1. Processing payment maintenance activities such as recalled, returned, or rejected direct deposits, and cancelled, stopped or stale dated cheques in WSIB systems by:

• Recalling direct deposits on request or over limit payments;
• Downloading bank reports to identify returned or rejected direct deposits and updating WSIB systems with payment status, notifying appropriate parties;
• Processing cheque cancellations on-line or manually by preparing the appropriate forms based on the cheque type, and notifying appropriate parties;
• Processing stop payment requests via the WSIB bank portal
• Updating WSIB systems on-line with stop payment information after bank confirmation or preparing manual form for data entry;
• Preparing and batching account rescind forms to update stale dated cancels/stops to accident cost system;
• Reimbursing banks/other financial institutions and cashing institutions for cashed stopped cheques after verifying the request and cheque status;
• Reviewing and processing accident cost adjustment requests via the online data entry system (ODE).

1. Verifying/reconciling daily cash disbursement transactions using control reports and investigate discrepancies by:

• Validating/reconciling payment maintenance activities (including stops, cashed stops, cancels, for cheques and direct deposits, forged, status changes and accident cost adjustments using Mainframe or control reports from WSIB Bank, SharePoint, and PeopleSoft Queries;
• addressing discrepancies for resolution and submitting IT service tickets when applicable
• Verifying/reconciling and logging daily transmissions to WSIB bank, addressing any discrepancies or exceptions;
• Confirming the payment register was uploaded on the Octacom database;
• Maintaining statistics related to cash disbursement activities.

1. Act as WSIB contact for inquiries related to Cash Disbursement activities by:

• Investigating and processing lost cheque inquiries by checking historical data and providing cheque images or payment status;
• Responding to payment related inquiries including direct deposits, foreign payments over-limit cheques, third-party cheques and initiating a payment trace request at the bank
• Providing guidance on the appropriate completion of the direct deposit forms
• Maintaining the stale dated cheque register by downloading the monthly file from WSIB systems and updating with comments related to reissue and inquiries.

1. Perform other duties as assigned or required, such as:

• Identifying and escalating issues for resolution;
• Ensuring security and confidentiality of cheques, direct deposit and foreign banking information;
• Maintaining signing authority forms as appropriate
• Cross training staff