Options Counselor

Job Description

August 2023

Job Title: Options Counselor Responsible to: Director of Services

Pay Rate: $22 per hour plus benefits

Pay Classification: Hourly, non-exempt

Hours: 35 hours per week (full time) Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00 Occasional nights and weekends

General Description

CORD’s Options Counselor provides short-term decision support counseling to assist people

with disabilities aged 18 and older and to elders over age 60 in making informed choices about

long-term care services and supports (LTSS). This support will be given by providing

information and referral and by assisting consumers in developing consumer-directed plans.

These services will be provided both in and outside of CORD’s office.

Essential Functions

· Will work with consumers both in the community and in nursing homes;

· Will educate persons with disabilities, elders, and family

members/caregivers/significant others on the types and range of community-based

long-term care supports available;

· Will provide information and assistance with referrals for community-based long-term

care benefits;

· Will assist a minimum of 45 consumers in developing consumer-directed plans that

include services, programs, financial resources, and other supports they have selected;

· Will provide timely and accurate assistance with referrals to support consumers in

accessing options for services and supports;

· Must follow-up with consumers as needed by communicating and consulting with

them to determine the outcomes of previous contacts and to offer additional assistance

using CORD’s workflow software and database systems;

· Must create and maintain confidential data of contacts, notes, and correspondence by

using CORD’s database and ensuring all consumer information is locked in the file

room;

· Will provide information and referral to callers on a variety of topics;

· Must participate in marketing and community education of Options Counseling and

CORD’s services by creating social media campaigns and conducting outreach and

other necessary activities to increase public awareness of services;

· Will attend regular CORD staff, program and other team meetings.

Other Required Job Duties and Functions

· Will provide information and articles for organization updates, newsletters, social

media posts, etc.;

· Will discuss assistive technology (AT) needs and the Title VII Part B program with

consumers to help them get AT and aids for daily living;

· Will develop materials and provide workshops/videos on topics such as the Personal

Care Attendant (PCA) program, emergency preparedness, waivers, home care services,

etc. – 2 per quarter;

· Will provide public presentations and other organization activities as deemed

appropriate;

· Will participate as directed in community advocacy efforts;

· Will participate in networking events as directed by joining community groups and

public education efforts;

· Will assist non-Options Counseling consumers as needed;

· Will work on general organization fundraising activities as required;

· Will complete required reports in a timely and satisfactory manner: Options

Counseling Quarterly report, Options Counseling Semi-Annual Narrative, OC/ADRC

Semi-Annual Narrative;

· Will actively seek new consumers through outreach and culling through I&Rs in the

organization’s database;

· Other duties as required.

Annual Program Deliverables

· A minimum of 30 Options Counseling consumers (subject to change)

· 70% of Options Counseling consumers must live in the community

· 260 hours of collaboration with other agencies, attending Options Counseling and

ADRC meetings and trainings, and attending networking events that correlate with

Options Counseling

· Perform eight (8) community education workshops plus videos

Primary Qualifications

· Must have a working knowledge of basic benefits programs, including SSI, SSDI,

MassHealth, Medicare, EAEDC, and other state grant programs, Section 8 and other

federal housing subsidy programs, MRVP, AHVP, and other state subsidy programs;

· Must be familiar with civil rights laws for persons with disabilities including fair

housing laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);

· Must become familiar with programs and services offered by the Massachusetts

Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB),

the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and the Department of Developmental

Services (DDS) including waiver programs;

· Must be able to advocate and coordinate services for the target populations;

· Must have the ability to learn about long-term care and social service delivery systems, community resources, and local services;

· Must be able to respond in a professional manner and according to CORD’s and the

ADRC of Cape Cod & Islands’ policies when working with consumers in crisis and

emergencies;

· Must complete consumer documentation in a timely and satisfactory manner;

· Must have the knowledge and ability to communicate across a variety of platforms

including, but not limited to, Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, etc.;

· Must have a working knowledge of basic computer programs such as MS Word and

the ability to learn data entry on the organization’s database software;

· Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality;

· Must be able to work independently or as part of a team as is necessary;

· Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing;

· Ability to organize and plan work effectively;

· Must be able to travel across Cape Cod and the Islands and occasionally other areas in

Massachusetts.

CORD is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer

Your voluntary disclosure of your disability is requested solely for the purpose of our Affirmative Action hiring policies and will not be used against you. Lived experience with a disability is considered an asset when working at CORD as it provides an outlook and wisdom that may not be attained otherwise. Your disclosure is strictly voluntary and will not subject you to adverse treatment. It will be used only in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $22.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person

Salary : $22