Karissa Sierra Pagan
Mayaguez
Summary
Organized and dedicated Administrative Assistant with proven track record of providing exceptional customer service in fast-paced environments. Offering keen attention to detail and strong decision-making skills to manage multiple, concurrent tasks. Self-motivated work ethic to perform effectively in independent or team environments.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Legal Administrative Specialist
Veterans Benefits Administration
Guaynabo, PR (Remote)
07.2023 - Current
- Company Overview: This is a federal job
- Directly communicate and interact with veterans and/or their representatives for the purposes of advising and providing information on benefits and rights; explaining pertinent legal provisions, regulations, and related administrative practices and their application to specific cases; and assisting individuals regarding how best to provide needed documents and evidence required, and/or initiate inquiries to resolve errors, delays, or other problems in obtaining benefits.
- Complete claim and appeal related work.
- Performs claim or appeal related work including, but not limited to, providing comprehensive claim or appeal status updates using mandatory scripting requirements, processing change of address requests, establishment of, or change to direct deposit banking information, burial allowance claims, dependency claim, etc.
- Assist in rescheduling examinations.
- Explains the types of documents necessary to facilitate timely processing of claims and appeals and assists with obtaining and completing such documents and forms in accordance with the type of claim or appeal being submitted.
- Completed data entry of legal documents into electronic filing systems.
CONTACT REP (SPANISH)
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
Guaynabo, PR
04.2022 - 07.2023
- Company Overview: This is a federal job
- Completes contact via telephone with individual taxpayers or their representatives, in English and Spanish.
- Handles calls with multiples lines such as Individual Taxpayer identification number line and Identity Theft line.
- Using sophisticated interviewing techniques, while also reviewing individual circumstances and goals to advise the most advantageous ways to meet them.
- Eliciting sensitive, personal, and financial information.
- Provide full explanation of inquiries that can involve body of law regulations that cover one or more types of issues of conditions, reporting requirements or regulatory provisions that affect a specific obligation involved.
- Also, explain regulations, policies about frequent legislative, administrative or amendments changes.
- Using programs that can included a full range of exemptions, deductions and exclusions coupled with business taxes involving different type s of exemptions, deductions, exclusions, capital gains taxes, gift taxes, excise taxes, employment taxes, and others to advise, inform, assess, and collect taxes, and associated liabilities.
- Making determinations and judgement concerning controversial matters in reporting appropriately, assuring the individuals understand their responsibilities and if errors in their records reflect honest mistakes or fraudulent intent.
- Develops, analyzes, and evaluates information involving the research of records of each inquiry to advise and resolve problems related to each individual circumstance.
- To finally explain future actions necessary to achieve voluntary compliance by computing and/or advising on tax liability and probable assessment of taxes.
- Ability to complete administrative tasks such and review, complete and work inventory cases for team.
- Assist the team as Acting Lead in January, May and June of 2023.
- Prepare team meetings and agendas for team multiple occasions.
- Create and present job aids and take down minutes for meetings provided by Leads.
Sales, Retail and Customer Service Associate
Marshall's
Mayagüez, PR
04.2015 - 04.2022
- While working at this company is indispensable that every associate listens and responds to every customer needs and preferences, to provide accurate advice or show them to the area or product they're looking for.
- As my experience, I've had attended at least 4,000 customers or more during my seven years of working there.
- After all, in the year 2018, the sales were up to 6 million at this store only.
- Also, is mandatory for a cashier to complete purchases with cash credit and debit payment methods for the expectations of the company and follow the 'ringing sequence' and complete every purchase as fast as possible to reach the great ratings and goals of the customer satisfaction survey.
- Other of the responsibilities is to attend and retrieved alternate items and sizes on request as soon as possible, for customers or for a cashier to complete transactions.
- While working on the floors, you must create attractive displays, clean up the areas or P.O.P.s and organize items in a visually appealing manner.
- During hiring season I've had to coach and guided new sales employees (approx. 15) on effective techniques and all the procedures that are up to date.
Enumerator
Department of commerce - U.S. Census Bureau
Mayaguez, PR
07.2020 - 10.2020
- Company Overview: This is a federal job
- Traveled door-to-door in assigned communities and requested participation in census interview, clearly explaining process and purpose.
- Assisted people in filling out surveys with complete and accurate information.
- Maintained the information given by the residents confidential and secured.
- Kept electronic equipment in optimal conditions.
- Recognized by supervisor as the enumerator on their team with the most completed interviews.
Internship Apprentice
CAVV (Centro de Ayuda para Víctimas de Violación)
Mayaguez, PR
01.2018 - 11.2018
- Transcript or translate, documents and formats with programs such as: Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.
- Organize intercessory and/or interviews with children, adolescents or adults, better known as the participants or the victims, their parents or legal guardians.
- Compiled information for approximately 50 cases.
- Trained and communicated psychoeducational techniques and information to parents or legal guardians.
- Interviewed with parents, family members or collateral's, collected all the paperwork that was required to fill such as: Development and Psychosocial records.
- I've had charted and recorded information for client files.
- Created and reviewed treatments and discharge plans for each client with the approval of the Director of CAVV or my direct supervisor.
- Verified and added all information compiled in a report with everything relevant to the case: motions, reports from the police, documents such as interviews with the participant, offender, parents, collaterals to use as an exhibit in court.
- Refered clients to other programs and community agencies to enhance treatment processes and efficiently gathered information from families and social services agencies to inform the development, results of the treatment plans.
- Helped with cases of abuse from the parents or legal guardians which activated the protocol 'Emergency Custody' by Law 246 of Puerto Rico.
- Completed 20 to 25 interviews, with the guidance of a supervisor, all of the practitioners had to know the NICHD protocol and the APSAC protocol.
- Accomplished goals in a fast-paced environment and met deadlines by prioritizing given, the high quantity of cases that were referred to the center.
Education
Master's degree - Clinical Social Work
Pontifical Catholic University
Ponce, PR05.2024
Bachelor's degree - Criminology, Forensic Psychology
Pontifical Catholic University
Mayaguez, PR12.2018
Skills
- Microsoft Office Word
- Microsoft Office Excel
- Microsoft Office Power Point
- Microsoft Office Outlook
- Typing Speed: 50 pm
- Legal writing
- Electronic filing systems
- Calendar management
- Document drafting
Timeline
Legal Administrative Specialist
Veterans Benefits Administration
07.2023 - Current
CONTACT REP (SPANISH)
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
04.2022 - 07.2023
Enumerator
Department of commerce - U.S. Census Bureau
07.2020 - 10.2020
Internship Apprentice
CAVV (Centro de Ayuda para Víctimas de Violación)
01.2018 - 11.2018
Sales, Retail and Customer Service Associate
Marshall's
04.2015 - 04.2022
Master's degree - Clinical Social Work
Pontifical Catholic University
Bachelor's degree - Criminology, Forensic Psychology
Pontifical Catholic University