Intake Advocate (Health and Economic Opportunity Program)

WNC HEOP Intake Advocate

WNC Health and Economic Opportunity Program (HEOP)

Hybrid remote work schedule: 3 days in office/field and 2 days remote

Base office in Asheville

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Job Posting       

Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) is a community-based non-profit legal aid agency governed by a local Board of Directors. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina (WNC), Pisgah Legal Services provides free civil legal assistance to low-income people in WNC. The organization currently has offices in Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Hendersonville, Highlands-Cashiers, Marshall, Newland, and Rutherfordton.  With over 120 dedicated staff, including over 30 attorneys plus program staff, and an active group of 200 volunteer attorneys, the program provides free services to over 20,000 people per year to meet their basic needs, primarily in the poverty law areas of housing, public benefits, domestic violence prevention, health care, immigration, and consumer law.

The WNC Health and Economic Opportunities Program (HEOP) Program supports our mission in 18 Western North Carolina counties as part of a multi-year grant funded expansion of anti-poverty work within the broad areas of free tax preparation/tax credits and outreach/enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance. Counties serviced include: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey. The WNC HEOP is designed to have long-term impact through two main priorities: (1) reduce the child poverty rate in each WNC county and (2) increase the insured rate through quality, affordable health care coverage in each WNC county. The program will work in conjunction with the entire PLS legal aid staff to support expanding free legal assistance to help a growing number of low-income people each year to solve problems related to basic needs, particularly housing, domestic violence, health care, and insufficient income.

The WNC HEOP Intake Advocate position will be responsible for providing tax preparation services and enrolling consumers in affordable health insurance based on high volume enrollment periods.  When not preparing taxes or enrolling consumers in health insurance, this position will provide support to the Health & Economic Opportunities Program by performing general office duties, providing phone support, making appointments, following-up with consumers and conducting outreach throughout our service region.  This position will have a hybrid work schedule and will be based in the PLS Asheville-Central Ave office.

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Commitment to Pisgah Legal Services’ mission, values and vision.
• Successfully complete and pass VITA certifications for volunteer standards of conduct, intake volunteer, site coordinator, and advanced tax preparation.
• Successfully complete and pass the certification to become a Healthcare Navigator provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to counsel consumers in the ACA health insurance enrollment process.
• Answer phones, respond to all questions related to health insurance and taxes, schedule appointments, and refer individuals to other community resources or internally to our other PLS programs as appropriate. Log all information into contact logs.
• Work with individuals in one-on-one appointments to support health insurance enrollment in the NC Marketplace or Medicaid.
• Provide follow-up to consumers identified as needing further assistance and log all contacts in online tracking system.
• Provide outreach to consumers identified by legal staff.
• Work collaboratively with HEOP team members, volunteers, and other PLS staff.
• Utilize web-based software programs to report health insurance enrollment outcomes, tax appointment outcomes, and track consumer forms.
• Commit to continued learning about the connection between socio-economic factors, health and poverty.
• Passionately support the idea of access to quality healthcare for all people, and access to federal refunds waiting for them.
• Assist with program data entry and grant reporting.
• Provide all information and services in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate and ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
• Provide remote services through phone, Zoom, Microsoft teams and other platforms as well as utilize Asheville office as needed.
• Provide documentation assistance to tax filers.
• Facilitate the filing of taxes (may include filing taxes if demand increases to such a level).
• Screen/support tax line as needed.
• Attend tax clinics as appropriate and needed.
• Conduct outreach that includes both ACA and tax credit information.

Qualifications

• Passion for and commitment to PLS’ mission, values, and vision.
• Possess a valid driver’s license.
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with co-workers.
• Living in the Western North Carolina region is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree and one year of professional experience or equivalent experience required.
• Prior work experience working with outreaching to diverse populations.
• Full-time: Available to work Monday to Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm, with flexibility for some evening and weekend shifts.
• Must be able to pass the Advanced Tax Preparer and Site Coordinator tests for the IRS Vita Program.
• Must be able to pass certification process to become a Certified Navigator provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).       
• Demonstrated skills at socio-economic and cultural sensitivity and the ability to work with clients who may be angry, upset, or ill.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with teams and independently.
• Fluency in Spanish desired.

Salary/ Benefits

Salary ranges from $41,812 – $73,438 depending on experience.  Additional language skills that are applicable to this role may qualify for up to an additional $3k upon completing a language assessment test.

Our salary scale is predetermined based on the years of relative professional work experience that qualify for this position to ensure equity in pay.  Pisgah Legal Services is a Living Wage Certified Employer.

Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage the 1st of the month following the start date.  Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) pays 100% of the Employee and 50% of the Dependent Cost for BCBS Medical and Dental coverage.  PLS pays 50% of the Employee Coverage Cost for BCBS Vision coverage.   PLS pays 100% of Long-Term & Short-Term Disability Coverage, Life Insurance Coverage of 5x base salary + an additional $15,000 Life & AD&D Coverage.  401k Retirement Plan after 6 months of employment.  Additional Fringe Benefits includes Pet Insurance, Paid Parental Leave, Paid Bereavement Leave, 13.5 Company Holidays, 22 Paid Leave Days, Paid Sabbatical Leave for eligible staff, Employee Assistance Program for entire household and a great working environment with work life balance! 

To Apply

Submit your online application with resume and cover letter through our Career Center located at https://www.pisgahlegal.org/jobs.

PLS invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice. 

Pisgah Legal Services is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with our Human Resources department.