Counselor

Position Description

Seattle's Human Services Department is hiring a full-time Care Coordinator for Aging & Disability Services to work with Seattle Housing Authority residents. This role involves conducting in-home functional assessments for elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients, developing individualized service plans, and providing on-site care coordination at SHA properties. The position manages caseloads across various Medicaid Waiver programs while working with clients who live in the Seattle/King County area.

The department seeks candidates passionate about racial equity, social justice, and helping vulnerable populations. ADS serves as the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle and King County, focusing on healthy aging, quality of life improvements, resource connections, and caregiver support. The City emphasizes antiracist culture and expects employees to actively participate in dismantling structural racism through the Race and Social Justice Initiative.

Job Responsibilities

• Conduct in-home functional assessments and reassessments for a caseload of approximately 35-40 Long Term Care CORE clients.
• Provide 12-15 hours per week scheduled office hours in SHA Low Income High Rise and Senior Housing Communities to provide Care Coordination and Information and Assistance support to non-Medicaid clients.
• Support the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative by recognizing the impact of racism in our communities.
• Regular communication with clients and other providers in person, by phone, email or MS Teams.
• Document activities in programs such as CARE, CAREWEB and OneNote.
• Collect personal data and analyze information to include diagnosis, skin condition, medications, treatment, psych/social information, and assistance with activities of daily living. Review financial eligibility annually and as needed.
• Evaluate client assessment data with healthcare professionals, mental health providers, nursing staff and others in the development and when change of condition occurs.
• Provide oversight of care being provided to assigned clients by phone or in-person. Conduct care plan reviews 3-4 times per year or as needed with assigned clients. Work with interpreters to provide services to persons who do not speak English.
• Provide collaborative problem solving with SHA staff and other community-based providers to prevent evictions and stabilize housing
• Make referrals into programs such as MAC/TSOA, PACE, New Freedoms, Foundational Community Supports, and Health Homes, and others that support safety and independence in the community.
• Connect clients and caregivers to services available to meet their needs. Referrals to appropriate services may include hospital to home support (Care Transitions), nursing services, client training, caregiver support programs and educational programs, mental health, adult protective services, drug and alcohol treatment, specialized medical equipment, nutrition, adult day health, self-directed care, nurse delegation, Chronic Disease Self-Management training, and other formal and informal support networks.
• Advocate with agencies or persons to help clients receive appropriate benefits or services.
• Authorize or reauthorize payment for client approved Medicaid funded services or terminate services in Provider One. Process client and provider overpayments.
• Conduct placement (i.e., Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Family Home, etc.) assessments and/or termination planning. Close Care Coordination services when indicated.
• Provide witness testimony during client and independent provider client appeal process.
• Maintain work standards to ensure compliance with DSHS Quality Assurance and HIPAA expectations.
• Assist with placements in nursing, assisted living, and adult family homes, etc., assessments and/or termination planning. Close Care Coordination services when indicated.
• Provide witness testimony during client and independent provider client appeal process.
Maintain work standards to ensure compliance with DSHS Quality Assurance and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) expectations.

• Required Approach
  • You are an advocate of racial equity and social justice; you advocate on behalf of your clients and the community to address systemic inequities.
  • You possess a non-judgmental attitude and value individual differences. You are responsive to cultural differences when serving clients and working with all and can build relationships to best serve, regardless of cultural background, age, gender, literacy skill level or disability. Active listening and critical thinking without bias or prejudice is essential.
  • You embrace lifelong learning. Whether attending training, receiving constructive feedback, or when differences in opinion occur, you embrace these experiences as learning opportunities and strive to develop your own professional competence.
  • When faced with multiple competing demands, you possess the ability to triage and prioritize clients’ needs and competing work assignments, so they are addressed in a timely manner. You are adaptive to change and skilled at crisis intervention, managing conflict, and problem-solving.
  • When faced with challenging work, you possess the skill and ability to practice self-care to promote and maintain a healthy work-life balance to ensure optimal health and well-being.

Qualifications

• Experience conducting comprehensive medical/psychosocial assessments and monitoring service delivery in a social service, health, and/or government agency.
• Experience serving elder adults or adults with disabilities with high risk factors, e.g., multiple physical and/or mental health problems, long-term care needs, and/or drug/alcohol problems.

• Experience developing and implementing confidential individualized service plans.
• Application of Motivational Interviewing and behavior change strategies.
• Experience using DSHS databases and tools, e.g., CARE, ProviderOne, ACES, PPL, and Barcode.
• Experience with Office Suite products, e.g., Teams, Word, Outlook, Excel, etc.
• Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

• Completed NEOGOV online application.
• Current résumé indicating relevant experience and education.
• Supplemental questionnaire responses

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Thinking you don’t qualify? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification. However, everyone brings different strengths to the table for a job, and people can be successful in a role in different ways. If you are excited about this job but your experience doesn’t perfectly check every box in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.