OPERATION MILITARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CASE MANAGER – LEE COUNTY

JOB SUMMARY:

To provide outreach and case management services to veterans and their families through the Operation Military Assistance Program (OMAP), coordinating the provision of VA benefits and other public benefits, temporary financial assistance, and supportive services needed to enable clients to obtain and/or maintain housing stability.

• Maintain contact with established outreach sources and locations, including local veterans’ organizations, to identify potential program participants.
• Work with OMAP Peer Mentors and Housing Specialists to access local, hard-to-reach homeless camps to identify and bring veterans into the program.
• Receive referrals of potential clients, screen applicants for eligibility, and determine and document program eligibility based on SSVF criteria for admission to OMAP (veteran status, family status, income status, and housing stability status).
• Recertify the eligibility of program participants on a periodic basis as required by SSVF regulations.
• Conduct assessments of the needs of eligible applicants, assist clients to set goals, develop together with client’s individualized housing stability plans, and monitor progress made on the plans.
• Work with regional, state, and local VA programs, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, VET centers, and Veterans Benefit Units, to coordinate the provision of VA benefits identified in the client’s housing stability plan.
• Work with state and local not-for-profit agencies and other community-based organizations to coordinate the provision of other public benefits and services identified in the client’s housing stability plan.
• Coordinate the provision of other supportive services and temporary financial assistance (including rental assistance, utility fee and deposit payment assistance, moving costs, emergency supplies, and transportation and child care assistance) identified in the client’s housing stability plan.
• Act as a client advocate to resolve emergency problems and assist clients in crisis situations.
• Maintain case records on all program participants in accordance with professional standards and enter client-specific information into the Homeless Management Information System as required by the VA.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Within the limits of the Agency’s programs, policies, and procedures, the OMAP Case Manager is responsible for and has commensurate authority to perform the duties listed below. He/she is directly responsible to the Program Coordinator. Performance of these duties requires regular supervision.

• Make initial person-to-person contact with applicants referred for services within 24 hours.
• Determine and document each applicant’s eligibility for OMAP within 2 working days of the initial person-to-person contact with the client.
• Conduct an assessment of each eligible client’s needs upon acceptance into OMAP.
• Together with the client, develop a housing stability plan during Initial Client Visit (ICV).
• Maintain person-to-person contact with each active client at least once every 10 working days until the case is closed.
• Enter all client-specific data into the Homeless Management Information System in compliance with SSVF requirements for accuracy, consistency, and timeliness (e.g., upon client entry into OMAP, upon exit from OMAP, and immediately following each case management contact .
• Within 90 days of employment, build a caseload of 20 veterans/families and maintain an active caseload of 20 veterans/families thereafter.
• Provide case management services to an estimated total of 62.5 veterans/families during the course of a year.

QUALIFICATIONS

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of higher education.

At least two years of experience working with veterans/families.

At least two years of experience working with very low-income individuals/families.

The ability to establish positive relationships with potential program participants and their families.

The ability to establish and maintain relationships with local collaborative partners outside the agency in a professional manner, with full use and practice of confidentiality of case material and Agency practice.

Knowledge of the resources available in the community to serve veterans and their families.

The ability to work independently and to take directions.

The ability to express and communicate ideas and knowledge clearly with reasonable organization and conciseness.

The ability to organize one’s time and effort to meet assigned situations and work demands.

The ability to recognize, understand, and control one’s biases.

PHYSICAL AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION

This position requires the ability to perform a broad range of activities. The position requires full range of motion, including manual and digital dexterity and hand-and-eye coordination. The position requires vision, speech and hearing capacity which is corrected to normal range, or special accommodations made which are sufficient for the completion of assigned tasks.

The position requires work while seated at a desk, including the use of a computer. The position requires the ability to lift 30 pounds. The position requires occasional work under stressful conditions and during irregular hours.

Outreach duties require extended periods of working outdoors. Must have the ability to stand and walk for extended periods.

The position requires the ability to drive and regular access to a reliable automobile.

TRAINING EXPECTATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Within the first three months of hire, all new employees will receive orientation to:

• The organization’s mission, philosophy, goals, and services
• The organization’s role within the community
• The organization’s personnel manual
• The lines of accountability and authority within the organization
• The cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the population their program serves

All staff who have regular direct contact with clients will receive training on legal issues, including:

• Mandatory reporting and the identification of clinical indicators of suspected abuse and neglect
• Reportable criminal behavior, including criminal, acquaintance, and statutory rape
• Issues and responsibilities related to the “duty-to-warn”
• The organization’s policies and procedures on confidentiality and disclosure of service recipient information, and the penalties for violations of these policies and procedures
• The legal rights of service recipients
• Sensitivity to service populations and socio-economic issues.

All staff who handle client case records will receive training on proper documentation techniques and the maintenance and security of case records.

All staff who have regular direct contact with clients will receive training on the following topics, as needed, to be determined by the Case Manager and their supervisor:

• Establishing rapport and responsive behaviors with service recipients
• Identifying the needs of individuals and families in crisis, including special service needs of victims of violence, abuse, and/or neglect, and the needs of their family members
• Identifying the basic health and medical needs of the service population
• Procedures for working with foreign language speakers and persons with communication impairments
• Public assistance and government subsidies
• How to advocate on behalf of clients and their families and how to empower service recipients and their families to advocate on their own behalf
• Understanding differences within the organization’s service populations, including
• Interventions that address cultural and socioeconomic factors in service delivery
• the role which cultural identity plays in motivating human behavior
• bias and discrimination
• the need for normalizing experiences and social inclusion

ACCOUNTABILITY

OMAP Program Coordinator