About the position
The Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) provides most direct services through its Division of Statewide Community-Based Services, which works through the state’s 11 Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers to deliver essential services to a vital segment of the population. The major focus of DOEA is to provide home and community-based services to seniors who are at risk of being placed into a long-term care facility because of their degree of frailty. Ultimately, the goal is to efficiently use resources to ensure that the greatest number of elders possible get to choose where they live while living healthy, active, and fulfilling lives in their communities. We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with a desire to share our Agency’s mission to promote the well-being, safety, and independence of Florida's seniors, their families, and caregivers, and the vision for all Floridians to live well and age well.
Responsibilities
- Conduct routine access visits and investigate complaints about services in long-term care facilities.
- Travel to long-term care facilities to identify, investigate, and resolve complaints made on behalf of residents that may adversely affect their health, safety, welfare or rights.
- Identify significant individual and systemic problems affecting residents and bring them to the attention of the District Ombudsman Manager (DOM).
- Provide ongoing follow-up and monitoring as necessary to residents and families.
- Facilitate complaint processing, including conducting interviews, reviewing documents, and writing reports of findings.
- Provide information and assistance regarding long-term care issues to the general public, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, community organizations and other interested parties.
- Attend resident council and family council activities as needed.
- Maintain documentation in the ombudsman database to include maintenance of case records.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Travel is required.
- Attendance is an essential function of this job.
Requirements
- Possesses good organizational skills.
- Ability to handle telephone calls in a courteous and effective manner.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Ability to operate general office equipment.
- Ability to conduct assessments and fact-finding interviews.
- Ability to investigate, analyze and resolve complaints.
- Ability to write reports.
- Ability to deal effectively with people.
- Ability to perform basic arithmetic calculations.
- Knowledge of basic investigative techniques.
- Knowledge of the rules governing Ombudsman investigations and assessments.
- Ability to collect and analyze evidence.
- Ability to use deductive reasoning.
- Ability to analyze information and determine its validity.
- Ability to write accurate investigative reports.
- Ability to make independent decisions.
- Ability to conduct thorough investigations.
- Ability to maintain strict confidentiality.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
- Ability to communicate with others to obtain and verify information.
- Ability to analyze and interpret written, numerical, and verbal data from various sources.
- Ability to type and prepare reports and memoranda accurately and timely.
- Ability to plan and organize to ensure work is completed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, rules and policies.
- Ability to read, understand, and apply regulations, and policy directives.
- Ability to fulfill all ombudsman program certification and continuing education training requirements.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Windows 2000.
Benefits
- Participation in state group insurance (must meet eligibility requirements).
- Participation in the Florida Deferred Compensation Plan (457b).
- State of Florida 401(a) FICA Alternative Plan (tax deferred Retirement Savings Plan).
- Flexible Spending Accounts.
