Information & Referral Specialist

Burlington, MA, United States

Our missions is to enhance the health, well-being, and independence of people of diverse backgrounds as they navigate aging and disability, providing supports that empower them to live with meaning, choice, and dignity.

Learn more about us.

BENEFITS:

We provide a generous benefits package that includes health, dental, vision insurance, 3 weeks' vacation to start, 13 paid holidays (including a floating day off), generous sick time, long-term disability, life insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan along with the benefit of a flexible work schedule, and working with a great team of colleagues.

NOTE: Once trained, this position allows for work-from-home days.

POSITION SUMMARY:

An integral part of the agency and reporting to our Community Engagement Manager, the Information and Referral Specialist (I&R Specialist) is often the first point of contact for callers to our elder services agency. The I&R Specialist provides unbiased information about resources and services that aid in accomplishing our mission to enable older adults and/or adult disabled consumers and their family caregivers to live in the setting of their choice and hopefully improve the quality of their lives.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Develop a working knowledge of agency programs, services, public benefits, community resources and other relevant information.

Provide unbiased information to callers on a wide range of eldercare and disability issues. Locate alternative resources when needed.

Process referrals for applicable agency programs through consumer needs assessment, preliminary eligibility determination and, when appropriate, interdisciplinary consults.

Respond to all inquiries and processes all referrals in a professional and timely manner with a strong customer service focus.

Complete appropriate paperwork, documentation and data entry as required by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) and internal agency procedures.

Research and update resource information from federal, state and local agencies and other community or private agencies. Updates and maintains computerized database and internal database systems with current information.

Participate in staff meetings and regional Aging and Disability Resource Consortia (ADRC) meetings.

Complete required hours of professional development to enhance knowledge and skills and to adhere to I&R training requirements as outlined by EOEA and Minuteman Senior Services.

Comply with HIPAA regulations and agency policies to ensure the privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI).

Represent Minuteman at community events at the request of the Community Engagement Manager or at the request of the Director of Community Programs.

Carry out special projects as requested by the Community Engagement Manager or Director of Community Programs.

COMPETENCIES NEEDED:

Customer Service Orientation: Learns internal/external customer/consumer needs and how best to meet them. Responds to requests in a timely and thorough manner; does what is necessary to ensure consumer satisfaction; prioritizes consumer needs.

Communication Skills: Listens, speaks, and writes clearly and concisely; ensures all involved are kept informed about developments and plans; shares ideas and information with others who might find them useful; keeps supervisor informed about progress and problems.

Listening, Understanding and Responding: Creates effective interactions with others over the telephone; deals with callers in a direct, open, and respectful manner; cares about what others have to say.

Planning and Organizing: Establishes course of action for self to ensure that work is completed efficiently; allocates appropriate time for completing work, takes advantage of available resources to complete work efficiently; uses time effectively and prevents irrelevant issues or distractions from interfering with work completion.

Teamwork and Cooperation: Demonstrates willingness to work with others toward a common goal as part of a team.

REQUIRED EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE: Associate's Degree required, Bachelor's Degree is preferred, preferably in a social services, social work, psychology, or human services related field or equivalent experience working in human services as a service provider.

Good telephone, communication, customer service, and computer skills are necessary. Experience working with seniors is preferred.

Must complete required hours of training (required training hours are based on scheduled hours) over the course of the year as mandated by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA).

Experience utilizing MS Office including Word and Outlook for email and calendaring.

Experience utilizing a database.

About Us

For almost 50 years Minuteman Senior Services has been helping older and disabled adults age with independence and dignity in the setting of their choice which is most often their own homes and communities. We have been supporting caregivers, local and long distance, who want to do the right thing for their loved ones and need help and advice as they balance the competing demands of family, work and self.

We offer over 20 programs and services and are continually improving and expanding. Our consumers give us very high marks as do our professional colleagues and that is very important to us. With over 140 employees, 900+ volunteers and over 70 subcontracted service providers that make up our vendor network we bring a lot of expertise, experience and resources.

Learn more by visiting our website: https://www.minutemansenior.org