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About the Role

Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) seeks an enthusiastic and compassionate Chinese-Speaking Benefits Advocate to provide income support and benefits advocacy for clients, primarily for SSA benefits and SSI, as well as county administered benefits. This role requires excellent translation skills, attention to detail, and patience in a client-facing capacity. If you excel at anticipating needs, thrive on helping others, and are ready to contribute meaningfully to a non-profit organization, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities

Provide income support and benefits advocacy for clients, primarily for SSA benefits and SSI, as well as county administered benefits, such as CalFresh, CAPI, and CAAP.
Conduct thorough client interviews and fact-gathering to assess eligibility and case viability.
Maintain regular communication with clients to explain processes, gather updates, and manage expectations.
Prepare cases for attorney review by ensuring files are complete, organized, and meet program requirements for hearing preparation.
Under attorney supervision, provide clear, accurate advice to clients regarding case matters, including risks, timelines, and implications of various case decisions.
Manage a high-volume caseload while meeting internal deadlines, SSA and county agency timelines, and contractual deliverables.
Conduct preliminary research on regulations and policies for SSA, CalFresh benefits, CAPI benefits, and CAAP benefits.
With attorney support, develop case theories based on client-specific circumstances in relation to SSA regulations and rules.
Collaborate with other LAE practice groups to ensure that clients’ legal issues are addressed holistically.
Work with San Francisco Adult Protective Services and other community-based social workers to address clients’ needs.
Create and maintain confidential client files detailing documents and laws/policies reviewed, correspondence prepared on behalf of the client, and case progress.
Update and maintain client records in the agency’s case-management and billing database.

Requirements

Bilingual in English and Cantonese and/or Mandarin.
Strong written, verbal, and interviewing skills.
Patient & flexible.
High level of initiative, attention to detail, and professionalism.
Ability to implement standard office procedures and practices, including familiarity with general office equipment.
Strong ability to organize and manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and documents.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other internet-based applications.
Familiarity with using, navigating, and maintaining computer databases on a regular basis with accuracy and minimal supervision.
Ability to work effectively with service providers across multidisciplinary settings.
Ability to be sensitive to, and work well with older adults, low-income individuals, people with psychiatric disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, people of color, active drug users, people with a history of homelessness or incarceration, and people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Exemplary customer service, compassion, and care in the execution of all duties and interactions.
Membership in the National Organization of Legal Services Workers becomes a condition of employment after successful completion of a probationary period (90 days).

Skills

Translation skills
Client-facing skills
Anticipating needs
Helping others
English and Cantonese
English and Mandarin
English and Spanish
English and Tagalog
English and Russian
Social Security disability and retirement benefits knowledge
Supplemental Security Income knowledge
CalFresh knowledge
State government benefits knowledge
Paralegal experience
Paralegal training
Microsoft Office proficiency
Database navigation and maintenance

Location

San Francisco

Work Type

Full-time
In-office

Experience Level

Entry level
Mid level

Education Level

Paralegal experience or training

Salary/Compensations

$73,200 to $78,000
Salary stipend for fluency in a second language

Benefits

100% employer-covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and dependent children
Up to 75% employer-covered medical, dental, and life insurance for spouses
Student debt reimbursement program
Employer-paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees
403(b) retirement plan with annual LAE contribution
Generous paid leave policy
Sick leave
Parental leave
Compensation time
20 holidays each year
Vacation (starting at 17 days and increasing after three years)

About the Company

For over 47 years, LAE has provided free legal advice and representation to San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities.
Our mission is to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe.
Our primary practice areas are Eviction Defense/Housing Preservation, Income Support, Health Law, Financial and Physical Elder Abuse Prevention, Debt Collection Defense, Foreclosure Prevention, End of Life Planning and Conservatorship Defense.
LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment.
LAE offers a family friendly environment.

Equal Opportunity

LAE seeks to fill all positions with people who share our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity.
We encourage all interested individuals to apply—especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary; or anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category.
We believe that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity, and are committed to not discriminating on any basis prohibited by applicable law.