LASSD – Behavioral Heath Advocate – CCHEA

Company Intro

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) is the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County and is an employer of choice.

Are you the right applicant for this opportunity Find out by reading through the role overview below.

LASSD strengthens our communities by resolving our clients’ legal problems and empowering access to and effective participation with legal, governmental, and social systems.

LASSD encourages self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. Our staff are proudly committed to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services.

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Job Description / Duties

Job Title : Behavioral Heath Advocate – Consumer Center for Health Education and Advocacy (CCHEA)

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Behavioral Health Supervising Attorney and / or the attorneys, provide clients with information, referrals, advice, and problem resolution with regard to mental health and substance abuse services. Investigate grievances and appeals under the County of San Diego Behavioral Health Beneficiary and Client Grievance and Problem Resolution Process (Problem Resolution Process). Conduct community outreach and educational trainings as needed. This position reports to the Senior Program Manager.

Essential Functions :

• Review consumer grievance and appeal requests through telephone and walk-in appointments while following established protocols.
• Assess clients’ needs and provide appropriate referrals or advice / representation according to LASSD’s policies and procedures. Gather necessary information, develop a case plan, and determine a preferred course of action.
• Enter accurate information for each case into the proprietary databases and always maintain client confidentiality.
• Investigate and effectively resolve grievances with providers, organizations, and other entities as appropriate by advocating on behalf of the clients.
• Collect and analyze evidence from clients, providers, and health plans by using applicable legal standards, including ASAM criteria. Provide advice to clients regarding the relative merits of their case. Advocate on clients’ behalf with providers, county representatives, and other entities.
• Prepare client and provider correspondence for consideration under the county’s Problem Resolution Process, complying with mandated timelines.
• Respond to clients in a calm, empathetic, and professional manner while courteously directing the conversation to the pertinent issues.
• Assist callers 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.
• Negotiate resolution of client grievances and appeals by working cooperatively with the government department or organization involved in the client’s problem / dispute.
• Use a strength-based and trauma-informed approach to work collaboratively with clients and providers to help support clients in their recovery.

Job Criteria

Qualifications :

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

Salary and Benefits :

The CCHEA Advocate position is a non-exempt hourly position with a pay range of $21.98 - $30.77 per hour. The starting hourly rate is $25.28. 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 with 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.

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.

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Salary : $22 - $31