Description
Position Summary
Under the supervision of the Senior Attorney, provide clients with information, referrals, advice, and problem resolution with regard to health coverage and access to care issues. Provide holistic screening and high-touch connection to Legal Aid's broad array of civil legal services. Work collaboratively with health providers to ensure clients obtain needed health services and overcome access to care barriers. Provide community education to partner clinic provider staff about identifying legal issues and referring patients for LASSD services. Conduct community outreach and educational training as needed.
About the Organization
Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients’ legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental, and social systems and encouraging self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere
Essential Functions:
• Assess consumers' legal needs and provide appropriate referrals, assessment for LASSD services, and, as appropriate, provide legal advocacy services according to LASSD and team policies and training. policies and procedures. Gather necessary information, develop a case plan, and determine a preferred course of action.
• Enter accurate information for each application, intake, and case into LASSD's databases and always maintain client confidentiality.
• Collect and analyze evidence from clients, providers, and health plans. Research and analyze facts against applicable legal standards. Provide advice to clients regarding the relative merits of their case. Advocate on clients’ behalf with providers, plans, county representatives, and other entities.
• Respond to clients in a calm, empathetic, and professional manner while courteously directing the conversation to the pertinent issues.
• Assist consumers with communication barriers, including those who may be emotionally upset, those with physical or mental disabilities, and those for whom English is a second language.
• Build effective working relationships with agency, community-based organization, and other clinical partners.
• Conduct community outreach and education with community-based organizations and relevant agencies, including resource events and presentations about program services.
Requirements
Qualifications:
• A bachelor’s degree and/or professional experience with poverty populations and/or those in
homeless living situations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated experience conducting effective interviews and/or fact gathering.
• Must have reliable transportation
Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Ability to interview applicants and clients to obtain relevant facts and give clear advice and enter case notes into our database systems in a clear and concise manner.
• Commitment to the rights and empowerment of clients.
• Excellent time management skills, organizational, results-oriented problem-solving, analytical, and evaluative, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to work with clients and providers to resolve problems at the lowest level whenever possible.
• Ability to determine and provide meaningful referrals to the most appropriate programs and agencies to help clients access the right level or care.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with members of the public, professionals, and government employees.
• Experience in customer service, including obtaining personal information for intake, interviewing clients about sensitive and personal issues, and research related to these issues, or experience in the field and understanding of related systems, laws, and regulations.
• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish or other county-designated threshold languages.
Salary and Benefits:
The MLP Health Advocate position has an annual salary range of $41,000 - $56,000. LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer-paid medical premium, 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as, dental, vision and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b)-retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.
LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.
Hybrid Work Environment:
Legal Aid Society of San Diego (“LASSD”) has adopted a hybrid work environment in which most staff are required to work in the office part of the week and permitted to work remotely for the remainder of the week, provided their job duties allow. All employees are issued LASSD computers and provided appropriate supplies to perform their work. LASSD has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make our hybrid working environment as efficient and connected as possible. All employees must be available to travel to LASSD offices and service locations throughout San Diego County as needed and in compliance with public health advisories. Applicants must reside in or near San Diego County or plan to relocate in or near the County prior to their start date and must be able to commute to the physical Legal Aid Society of San Diego office locations or service delivery locations within San Diego County. LASSD’s normal business hours are 9am-5pm, but we are open to providing flexible work schedules to the extent feasible for the position. LASSD reserves the right to change these policies at any time.
Mandatory Vaccination Policy:
LASSD has implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. We will consider individual requests for exemption from the policy for: (1) medical reasons, and/or (2) based on an applicant or employees sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Any applicant or employee requesting an exemption should submit a completed exemption request form to Human Resources. Upon receipt of a completed exemption request form and any supporting documentation, LASSD will engage in an interactive discussion with the applicant or employee to determine whether an exemption is appropriate and can be granted without posing an undue hardship to LASSD or a direct threat to the health or safety of the individual making the request or others at LASSD. Any individual granted an exemption from the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement may be subject to conditions and restrictions (such as being required to use additional personal protective equipment or submit to LASSD-provided COVID-19 testing) to mitigate the risk to the individual and others at LASSD. LASSD will require employees to be up to date on their vaccinations which will include at least one booster.
Diversity and Inclusion:
It is vitally important to LASSD that we represent the community that we serve. LASSD is a signatory to the San Diego County Bar Association’s Diversity Pledge. We pledge to promote diversity and inclusion through hiring and retention, promotion and leadership, engagement of outside counsel, and participation in legal community diversity initiatives. We strongly encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply.