Legal Staff Paralegal in Laredo, TX

Government

Laredo, TX

Legal Staff Paralegal in Laredo, TX

Legal Staff

Min 1 yrs required

No

Job Title: Early Assistance Advocate for Injured Employees (Ombudsman I)

Job Responsibilities:
An Early Assistance Advocate, also referred to as Ombudsman I, is tasked with working alongside senior Ombudsmen to advocate, assist, and educate injured employees in Texas. The role involves utilizing early intervention strategies to aid injured employees before hearings. Key responsibilities include:

- Assisting injured employees on a one-on-one basis and answering their queries.
- Reviewing claims related to medical and income benefits.
- Studying and analyzing the case background for each claim.
- Gathering and evaluating relevant information, including medical records and letters from doctors.
- Preparing and responding to requests for Designated Doctor examinations.
- Evaluating and implementing strategies to resolve claims early.
- Reporting and referring complaints as necessary.
- Tracking claim status and providing information to involved parties.
- Educating injured employees about the workers’ compensation dispute process and the relevant laws and rules.
- Advocating for the expedient resolution of claims by assembling necessary evidence for insurance carrier determinations or in anticipation of benefit proceedings.
- Contacting insurance carriers and medical providers to identify and resolve disputes.
- Assisting with referrals to social services through other state agencies.
- Providing assistance in filing claims and obtaining supporting documentation from doctors.
- Routinely contacting injured employees to provide status updates and discuss upcoming events.
- Documenting customer contact in the computer system.
- Answering general customer service questions.
- Performing other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Information:
- A graduation degree from an accredited four-year college or university is required.
- One year of experience in fields such as claims management, insurance, casework, healthcare, social work, law office (paralegal/legal assistant), or workers’ compensation is required. Education and relevant experience may be substituted for each other on a year-for-year basis.

This position requires knowledge of:
- Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.

The position requires demonstrated skills in:
- Assisting the public.
- Conflict resolution.
- Handling and solving problems.
- Report writing and records maintenance principles and practices.
- Interpreting and explaining laws and regulations.
- Data entry and retrieval.
- Customer service.
- Use of correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

The position requires the demonstrated ability to:
- Manage multiple, competing priorities.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups, including injured employees and fellow staff members.
- Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with all levels of employees and the public.

Salary Information:
- The salary for the position is $3, monthly.

Additional Information:
- The position is based in Texas with multiple locations available, and requires 25% travel.
- The role is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with standard full-time hours of 40 per week.
- The position offers benefits such as 96 hours of accrued vacation and sick leave per year, over 20 holidays annually, career advancement opportunities, th Legislature, Regular Session.

Note:
- Regular attendance is an essential function of every job at the Office of Injured Employee Counsel unless stated otherwise.
- Criminal background checks will be conducted on all final candidates, and certain criminal offenses may disqualify an applicant from employment.
- Applicants must provide complete job histories in their applications, including job titles, dates of employment, employer names, manager’s names, and phone numbers, as well as descriptions of duties performed. Resumes are not a substitute for this information.