Position: WIC Program Assistant

Primary Location: Harwich Port

Employment Status: Full Time, Non-Exempt (Hourly)

Reports To: Director of WIC

Summary/Objective

At Outer Cape Health Services (“OCHS”), we recognize the proper nutrition is essential to a patient’s good health and development, prevent long-term illnesses, and aid in healthy childhood growth. The Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) Program Assistant is responsible for assisting in determining participants eligibility, benefits issuance, quality assurance, and general office duties for the Outer Cape WIC program.

Essential Functions

• Provide general reception work for the WIC program including but not limited to greeting participants, answering telephone calls, directing telephone calls, answering questions, and screening potential participants for eligibility.
• Responsible for managing the flow of applicants and participants in the reception area, check in participants and direct to appropriate staff.
• Manage appointment scheduling and rescheduling on computer-based scheduling system, including reminder calls or texts.
• Contact medical offices by telephone or facsimile to obtain health information as necessary.
• Primarily responsible for file management by collecting basic participant information for eligibility screening and creating new household information in computer system.
• Prepare charts with appropriate forms and maintain participant’s records. Pull and file charts for active, pending and terminating participants.
• Coordinate logs and records for retaining participant caseload.
• Certify participants by verifying category, identity, income, and residency to determine WIC eligibility; collect and enter participant demographic data.
• Educate and/or explain participant’s rights and responsibilities, authorized representatives and shoppers, WIC foods, and using benefits.
• Make required referrals to Medicaid (MassHealth), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Transitional Aid to Families of Dependent Children (TAFDC) programs, and to other non-WIC health and human service programs as needed.
• Educate participant by providing and explaining the Electronic Benefit WIC Card, shopping list, vendor list and WIC approved food guide to participant.
• Responsible for electronic benefits processing and coordination first and last use dates for benefits so that families can receive WIC services at the same time.
• Verify participant and/or authorized representative’s identity when issuing benefits.
• Oversee benefit issuance for prescribed food prescription including issuing and reissuing benefits, prescription changes or removing benefits.
• Responsible for coordination of participants’ notifications: print, mail and provide notification letters for end of certification, missed benefits, and/or ineligibility to receive WIC benefits.
• Responsible for starting up and shutting down all computers at beginning and end of day. Call State help desk to troubleshoot computer or printer problems.
• Ensure security of WIC card stock.
• Attendance at trainings and meetings locally or at the WIC Learning Center, as assigned.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or directed, including quality assurance activities.
• Adhere to all of OCHS’s policies and procedures
• Travel, as required
• Availability to work at multiple WIC sites and during evening and weekend clinic hours, as needed

Core Competencies

• Functional knowledge
  • General WIC program (or openness to learn)
  • Research abilities
  • Knowledge on referrals and services
  • Problem solving
  • Computer & internet knowledge
• Interaction and Collaboration
  • Strong interpersonal skills
  • Ability to show appropriate compassion
  • Ability to work with wide demographic of patients, of varying ages
  • Strengthening collaborative relationships

• Results and Detail-Oriented
  • Thoroughness
  • Accuracy
  • Attention to detail
• Communication
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Building trust/sensitivity with participant population

• Self-Management/Personal Skills
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality
  • Multi-tasking
  • Thoroughness/attention to detail
  • Flexibility

Required Qualifications, Education, and Experience

• High School Diploma, or the equivalent

Preferred Qualifications, Education, and Experience

• 1 year general office experience, or some formal education in computer management systems
• Interest in nutrition and health care.

Physical and Mental Job Requirements

• Use of and/or subject to:
  • Vehicle
  • Light equipment
  • Computers/monitors
• Physical requirements:
  • Occasional lifting/carrying up to 20lbs
  • Occasional bending
  • Occasional kneeling
  • Occasional reaching
  • Frequent sitting
  • Occasional walking
  • Occasional repetitive motion
  • Frequent handwriting and typing
  • Frequent speaking

• 
  Mental requirements:
  • Understand and apply routine verbal and/or written instructions
  • Understand and apply non-routine verbal and/or written instructions
  • Understand complex problems and collaborate to explore alternative solutions
  • Organize actions to complete sequential and/or routine tasks
  • Organize and prioritize individual work schedule to manage multiple patients, tasks, and/or projects
  • Make decisions that have an impact on the health and wellbeing of participants
  • Communicate and exchange routine/basic information
  • Communicate and explain a variety of information
  • Memorization/concentration
  • Learning/knowledge retention
  • Emotional/behavioral self-regulation
  • Interacting with others

Work Environment

• The functions of this role are conducted both in an office environment at multiple WIC sites.

AAP/EEO Statement

Outer Cape Health Services is committed to a firm policy in favor of equal employment opportunity and will abide by all applicable state and federal regulations by not discriminating against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability or veteran status. Our commitment to equal employment opportunities shall include employment, upgrading, promotion, demotion, transfer, leaves or other absences from work, layoff, compensation and benefits, selection for training or other education, professional opportunities and conflict resolution.

It is also the policy of OCHS to take affirmative action to employ and to advance in employment, all persons regardless of their status as woman, minority or individuals with disabilities or protected veterans, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements.

Please inform us of any necessary accommodations required during the application process and/or at any time during employment.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.