Lead Disability Assistant

About the Role

The Lead Disability Assistant coordinates the administrative processing of disability determinations for all in and out of state contracts under the general supervision of the Operations Manager. This position makes strategic decisions on case assignment, ensures cases stay on timeline, manages workflow, and trains Disability Assistants. The role serves as the primary hub for all incoming and outgoing correspondence, disability supplements, and interfaces with clients, agencies, and DES staff regarding medical information, mail, transportation, and records. Decisions made in this role directly impact the timeline for the disability review process, the workload of review staff, and the determination of benefits for applicants.

Responsibilities

• Manage unit workflow, ensuring proper assignment of Disability Assistants to daily tasks.
• Train new and existing Disability Assistants in work functions and job duties.
• Monitor customer service phone queues for adequate coverage and provide call escalation response for front-line staff.
• Monitor unit key performance indicators.
• Act as unit Disability Liaison for agency partner inquiries and issues.
• Track priority case requests and ensure prompt completion of work on such cases.
• Perform initial review of all disability supplements for accuracy and completeness, alerting SPMP of priority cases and important clinical information.
• Make complex decisions regarding privacy matters associated with client cases, including HIPAA compliance for information exchange, mailing, and conversations.
• Determine if requests for information are legally complete and communicate with agencies about cases that do not meet HIPAA requirements.
• Consult with SPMP about decisions regarding whether to return cases to agencies or clients for further development.
• Contact clinical treating sources by telephone to ensure timely receipt of clinical information at SPMP’s request and direction.
• Review information in external databases (e.g., Massachusetts Medicaid Information System, MassHealth MA21) to identify cases SPMP could complete quickly.
• Coordinate transportation of clients to consultative examinations and provide feedback to SPMP on unusual circumstances impacting the review process.
• Make decisions for rescheduling client clinical evaluations based on agency guidelines and provide input to SPMP.
• Explain complex state and federal regulations to clients, agencies, and medical providers, and answer disability process questions as they arise.
• Perform other duties as required.

Requirements

• 2-year College Degree in business or a related field.
• 5-7 years of relevant office experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of medical terminology or willingness to take a course in Medical Terminology.
• Knowledge of HIPAA laws and regulations, especially regarding confidentiality of PHI.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Demonstrated ability to monitor and generate reports.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills for interacting with all levels of personnel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a medical setting.
• Knowledge of DEScovery database.
• Experience working in an inbound/outbound call center.
• Experience training staff on complex tasks.
• Ability to create PowerPoint demonstrations for training purposes.
• Thorough understanding of DES’s processes and procedures for all in and out of state contracts.
• Ability to create processes and procedures for new programs as needed.