Vocational Case Manager

The Standard • Portland, OR

2d • Remote

About The Position

The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard. A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer-first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high-performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer-first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference? Job Summary The Vocational Case Manager serves as consultant to claims adjudicators - utilizing vocational expertise and independent judgment to assess claimants' education, training and work experiences; alternate occupations and modifications to work site or duties to prevent or minimize disability claims. Applies critical thinking to develop and implement comprehensive plans of reemployment or vocational rehabilitation for claimants. Collaborate with employers to retain or return employees to work. Initiates claim prevention, intervention and return to work programs for employers.

Requirements

• Education: Master’s degree in a related field - Required
• CRC (Certified Rehabilitation Counsellor) - Required
• Experience: 4 years of work experience in the vocational rehabilitation field to include: Advanced knowledge of Vocational rehabilitation concepts and practices including job development and placement, and, development of retraining programs.
• Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate Demonstrated skills: Application of advanced vocational knowledge and development of appropriate strategies for effective claim resolution. Effective identification and resolution of problems. Persuasive communication with claimants, employers, physicians, and others. Clear expression of ideas in both written and oral communications. Effective collaboration with peers and team members. Requires skill in therapeutic communication and motivational interviewing.
• Ability to: Achieve professional designation. Utilize computer software and hardware applications. Communicate by telephone. Shift priorities to meet demands from various customer groups. Make independent decisions in the absence of specific direction. Facilitate group discussions.
• Working knowledge of: Government resources and programs for rehabilitation and retraining services, and how to establish a claimant support system; the Americans with Disabilities Act, family leave laws, Fair Claims Settlement Practices Act, and laws governing client confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Comprehensive Vocational Assessment & Occupational Analysis - Independently conduct vocational assessments from file reviews and during consultations with claims adjudicators. Apply advanced education to analyze and interpret vocational and educational records and reports, and interview claimants and employers to determine claimants' transferable skills and their ability to perform own or other occupations, with or without modifications. Recommend alternate occupations claimants could perform; include identification of assistive devices for job performance. Provide wage and labor market information.
• Return-to-Work Planning, Claimant Counseling & Provider Network Management - Develop, document, implement and counsel claimants on comprehensive and cost-effective return to work or retraining plans, which address medical, vocational and psychosocial components. Communicate with claimants, employers, medical treatment providers, outside rehabilitation counselors, and other carriers, such as workers’ compensation providers to ensure understanding and the goal of returning to work. Motivate claimants and employers to participate in light duty or rehabilitation programs to ensure return to work. Develop, hire, train and manage an effective network of vocational rehabilitation providers across the country. Assure cost containment and effective utilization of outside vendors and accommodation expenses.
• Disability Prevention, Workplace Accommodation & Employer Partnership Programs - Provide claim prevention services by working with employers to evaluate their organizations' trends in disabilities. Coordinate site visits and assessments; advise on educational programs for employee groups; recommend job site modifications and safety or procedural changes. Understand employer requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act and coordinate workplace modifications. Collaborate with sales, underwriting, and our medical and benefits staff to recommend, develop and implement intervention and return to work programs and practices for employers and to promote sales and service to enforce and potential policyholders.

Benefits

• A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
• An annual incentive bonus plan
• Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure
• A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement
• Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance
• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools
• In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee-focused benefits support work-life balance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level