Hours: 20 hrs/wk (somewhat flexible)
Location: Anywhere – you will work remotely by phone/internet
Who We Are: After Innocence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Oakland, California that provides one-on-one re-entry assistance to exonerees – individuals who have been released after having been imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. We serve more than 800 exonerees nationwide. They range in age from 25 to 85, live in areas urban and rural, and have been out of prison for anywhere from a few days to a few decades. Very few of them have had access to reliable, consistent re-entry help.
We are working to change that with phone-based, reliable assistance in a few key re-entry areas: increasing access to and good use of the health care and public benefits, coordinating legal services, and facilitating warm hand-offs to local social service agencies.
Job Description: As an After Innocence Case Manager & Re-Entry Advocate, you’ll work one-on-one with our exoneree-clients in order to evaluate their eligibility for health care, public benefits, and social services in their communities, and then provide the start-to-finish help each one needs to ensure that they obtain and can make good use of those resources. This is intensive, hands-on case management that requires tenacious follow-up to maximize the chance that each client will get the
most out of what is available for them. We partner with other orgs and agencies whenever we can, but frequently we are the client’s primary resource.
You’ll do nearly all of this work by phone or video – the only way we can efficiently reach a very large number of exonerees spread across the country – and often in counties where we have no prior connections or clear paths to get the work done. This one of the great challenges of doing this work.
You’ll also collaborate with the growing After Innocence staff – two social workers, a lawyer, a Medicare benefits expert, and dozens of partner organizations – to problem-solve as a team, and discover ways to better serve our clients, including by developing new areas of assistance, such as adult education, job-seeking assistance, mentorship programs, and peer-to-peer support.
We are looking for a mid-level to senior level candidate with significant case management experience. A self-starter who is comfortable working independently, will efficiently manage a large caseload, keep careful notes, and provide a high level of service to our clients, in particular, through tenacious follow-up. You’ll need to be deeply caring and empathic, and also able to maintain clear boundaries, in particular around expectations about the services we provide.
It would be preferable if you have previously worked with people who were formerly incarcerated, or other underserved populations, and have some deep familiarity in these areas:
• how to help people use (not just enroll in) health care plans – whether through Medicaid, an employer, or purchased individually (including Marketplace plans with subsidies), Medicare (including Medicare Advantage and Medigap)
• how to manage a disability case (SSI & SSDI) - not just file an application, but counsel a client on how to maintain benefits, avoid trouble, and (where possible) work toward transitioning back to work
• accompanying a client through the public benefit process, from evaluation to application, to explanation and management of benefits, to problem solving
• building relationships with local social service organizations to maximize the chance your client will get the most out of what they offer
Please note some important aspects about this position:
• This is not a clinical position.
• While many case managers work face-to-face, you will be interacting with clients almost entirely by phone (or video), even after COVID restrictions are withdrawn.
• Most case managers work with multiple clients in the same county, and make use of a familiar set of locally available services and relationships with service providers. In this position, you’ll work with clients in many different counties and different states, and will need to determine what’s available locally and develop relationships as you go.
Please email your cover letter highlighting what draws you to this position and the experiences you have that is most relevant, and resume, to [email protected]