Benefits Advocate - Now Hiring

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, widely recognized as one of New York’s premier human services providers, is a settlement house founded in 1894 that provides an extensive array of effective and integrated services—social, educational, legal, health, housing, mental health, nutritional and fitness—which significantly improve the lives of 16,000 people in need each year, ages 3 to 103, on the East Side of Manhattan. Our clients include older adults, homeless and formerly homeless adults, children and families, recent immigrants, disabled persons, adult learners and more. For more information on Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, please visit lenoxhill.org and check us out on Facebook or Instagram.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House operates two Older Adult Centers, the Center @ Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and the Older Adult Center @ Saint Peter’s Church, serving adults 60 and older from diverse backgrounds and abilities (from the very active to the very frail) residing in New York City. The Center @ Lenox Hill Neighborhood House provides an incredible array of expansive programming that attracts 350 seniors daily while providing a broad range of invaluable public health, case management, fitness and aquatics, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and socialization activities, 7 days a week. The Older Adult Center @ Saint Peter’s Church, the only center in East Midtown, attracts 150 seniors daily, serving farm-to-table lunch and offers a full schedule of social, educational, recreational, health, and unparalleled arts and cultural offerings 5 days a week.

The Benefits Advocate will be an integral member of our Older Adult Centers, joining other administrative staff, social workers, Benefits Advocates, program assistants and numerous volunteers who serve our members each day. Reporting to our Assistant Director of Social Services, the Benefits Advocate will be responsible for providing comprehensive case management and benefits assistance for our older adult center members. will play an integral part in helping low income and eligible Older Adult clients access these benefits, maintain coverage and ultimately increase their overall wellness and financial stability.

TheBenefits Advocate will:

• Provide case management to older adults on issues related to government benefits, such as Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, HEAP, Access-A-Ride, Lifeline, EPIC, etc., as well as housing and economic supports, such as eviction prevention, affordable senior housing applications, SCRIE and more
• Conduct member intakes and benefit eligibility screenings
• Complete government benefit applications and renewals with Older Adults to facilitate their financial security and aging safely in place
• Facilitate informational and workshop sessions on various government benefits
• Document, maintain and input accurate case records into applicable electronic case management database and other tracking systems
• Interface daily with members providing excellent customer service, fielding questions and responding to member needs
• Help facilitate day-to-day operations of our older adult centers and ensure they are conducted in accordance with our high-performance standards and government regulations
• Collaborate with Lenox Hill Neighborhood House’s staff from many departments as well as with professionals from other community-based organizations to maximize resources for members
• Complete all other responsibilities and duties as assigned by Supervisor

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate for the role of Benefits Advocate thrives in a highly social and busy community setting and is committed to working with older adults to improve their quality of life. This person should possess an interest in expanding access to governmental benefits and a commitment to social justice; interpersonal skills to work effectively with many diverse backgrounds excellent written and oral communication skills; the ability to respond sensitively to the needs of our clients; proficient computer skills; and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment. As part of a collaborative team, the person must be able to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders and be team oriented.

The Benefits Advocate must be willing and able to work a fast-paced, full-time schedule working Sunday through Thursday, to support our extended hours of operation and the needs of our clients. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required.Experience working with older adults, healthcare and/or benefits systems. Fluency in Spanish or Chinese is ideal. This is a 1199SEIU union position with competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. Salary increases 3% on 10/1/24.

Salary: $53,000 annually

What we offer:

• Comprehensive health insurance choices for staff and their families – at no cost to staff
• Extensive paid time off – 25 days’ vacation and discretionary time; 13 holidays; and substantial sick time
• Pension Plan (Defined Benefit) provided at no cost to employee plus other retirement savings plans
• Wonderful paid parental leave policy for all staff
• Professional Development Opportunities – conferences, trainings, lectures and more
• Free Life Insurance – 3x annual salary
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical, Dependent Care and Parking/Mass Transit
• Supplemental Insurance Coverage (Accident, Hospital and Critical Illness)
• We like to have fun! Monthly Film and Dinner nights, bowling parties, Mets and Yankee games, cruises, food trucks, holiday parties, parties on our two Green Roofs, chocolate event for Valentine’s Day and ice cream socials, and much more.
• State-of-the Art Fitness Center, Gym and Swimming Pool
• Staff yoga and boot camp classes (six a week), swimming lessons and lap swim for staff
• PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) Eligible Employer
• The best colleagues in New York!

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a client-facing and essential community-serving organization. To keep our clients and our colleagues safe, and to comply with various governmental contractual requirements, all new employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (except where valid medical exemptions apply) and will be required to submit proof prior to the time of onboarding.

At Lenox Hill Neighborhood House we value respect, diversity and integrity. We are an equal opportunity employer. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. The policy of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination applies to all aspects of the relationship between Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and its colleagues.