Aging & Disability Advocate

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), is a dynamic statewide nonprofit advocacy organization, dedicated to improving the choices, care, and quality of life for California’s long-term care consumers over the last 38 years. CANHR supports long-term care consumers and the legal services community through direct advocacy, community education, policy work, and litigation. CANHR is also a Legal Services Support Center, providing training, technical assistance and advocacy support to legal services programs throughout California.

The Position:

The Aging and Disability Advocate provides counseling and advocacy services to older adults, individuals with disabilities and caregivers, on Medi-Cal, Home and Community Based Services and long term care resident rights. The Advocate educates and empowers older and dependent adults who reside in long term care facilities, or who are seeking long term care services in the community. This position will assist with CANHR’s role as a Legal Services Support Center in providing advocacy, technical assistance and training to legal services programs throughout California, and works with CANHR staff to make recommendations for policy change at local and state levels. The position is full time 37.5 hours per week. Hours of operation are 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.

The Advocate position includes, but is not limited to:

Consumer Counseling and Advocacy

• Provide phone based counseling on Medi-Cal eligibility, alternatives to institutionalization, and residents’ rights
• Provide quality and service information on long term care facilities
• Offer advocacy intervention in response to consumer complaints regarding residents’ rights, long term care, Medicare and Medi-Cal
• Under the supervision of CANHR’s staff attorneys, work with legal services community to assist consumers with rights and remedies

Policy Change

• Participate in task forces and workgroups with other legal services organizations to advocate for policy change at local, state and federal levels
• Provide state agencies with comments and feedback on draft policies that impact older adults and individuals with disabilities

Community Outreach and Education

• Coordinate training sessions for social workers, discharge planners and others that work with long term care consumers and their families
• Speak to community groups
• Network with organizations involved in long term care issues
• Prepare consumer information materials
• Write articles for CANHR's quarterly newsletter

Special Projects

• Other duties as requested by supervisory staff.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) required; Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) preferred
• Three years of professional experience in legal services, social work or aging or public benefits-related field
• Excellent written, organizational and communication skills
• Computer literacy and ability to learn new tech skills; knowledge of Macs a plus
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and a passion for advocacy
• Experience with long term care issues and Medi-Cal or other public benefits
• Ability to speak Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin is desirable

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

COVID-19 considerations:

CANHR staff may be on a hybrid work schedule, to reduce the number of staff in the office. Masks are are required in the office when in a group setting, all staff have their own personal work space.