The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard.

A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer-first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high-performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer-first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference?

Job Summary

The Vocational Case Manager serves as consultant to claims adjudicators - utilizing vocational expertise and independent judgment to assess claimants' education, training and work experiences; alternate occupations and modifications to work site or duties to prevent or minimize disability claims. Applies critical thinking to develop and implement comprehensive plans of reemployment or vocational rehabilitation for claimants. Collaborate with employers to retain or return employees to work. Initiates claim prevention, intervention and return to work programs for employers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Comprehensive Vocational Assessment & Occupational Analysis - Independently conduct vocational assessments from file reviews and during consultations with claims adjudicators. Apply advanced education to analyze and interpret vocational and educational records and reports, and interview claimants and employers to determine claimants' transferable skills and their ability to perform own or other occupations, with or without modifications.  Recommend alternate occupations claimants could perform; include identification of assistive devices for job performance. Provide wage and labor market information.

• Return-to-Work Planning, Claimant Counseling & Provider Network Management - Develop, document, implement and counsel claimants on comprehensive and cost-effective return to work or retraining plans, which address medical, vocational and psychosocial components. Communicate with claimants, employers, medical treatment providers, outside rehabilitation counselors, and other carriers, such as workers’ compensation providers to ensure understanding and the goal of returning to work. Motivate claimants and employers to participate in light duty or rehabilitation programs to ensure return to work.  Develop, hire, train and manage an effective network of vocational rehabilitation providers across the country. Assure cost containment and effective utilization of outside vendors and accommodation expenses.

• Disability Prevention, Workplace Accommodation & Employer Partnership Programs - Provide claim prevention services by working with employers to evaluate their organizations' trends in disabilities. Coordinate site visits and assessments; advise on educational programs for employee groups; recommend job site modifications and safety or procedural changes. Understand employer requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act and coordinate workplace modifications. Collaborate with sales, underwriting, and our medical and benefits staff to recommend, develop and implement intervention and return to work programs and practices for employers and to promote sales and service to enforce and potential policyholders.

Skills and Background You’ll Need

Education: Master’s degree in a related field - Required

• CRC (Certified Rehabilitation Counsellor) - Required

Experience: 4 years of work experience in the vocational rehabilitation field to include:

• Advanced knowledge of Vocational rehabilitation concepts and practices including job development and placement, and, development of retraining programs.

Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate

• Demonstrated skills: Application of advanced vocational knowledge and development of appropriate strategies for effective claim resolution. Effective identification and resolution of problems. Persuasive communication with claimants, employers, physicians, and others. Clear expression of ideas in both written and oral communications. Effective collaboration with peers and team members. Requires skill in therapeutic communication and motivational interviewing.

• Ability to: Achieve professional designation. Utilize computer software and hardware applications. Communicate by telephone. Shift priorities to meet demands from various customer groups. Make independent decisions in the absence of specific direction. Facilitate group discussions. 

• Working knowledge of: Government resources and programs for rehabilitation and retraining services, and how to establish a claimant support system; the Americans with Disabilities Act, family leave laws, Fair Claims Settlement Practices Act, and laws governing client confidentiality.

#LI-REMOTE

Why Join The Standard?

We have built an enduring legacy of stability, financial strength and exceptional customer service through the contributions of the service-oriented people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect:

• A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions

• An annual incentive bonus plan

• Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure

• A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement 

• Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance

• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools

In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee-focused benefits support work-life balance. Learn more about working at The Standard.

• Eligibility to participate in an incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program and plan. Any award depends on a variety of factors including individual and organizational performance.

The actual compensation for this role will be based on a combination of education and experience, knowledge and skills, position budget, internal equity, and market data.

Salary Range:

Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Mortgage Investors, LLC, StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., and American Heritage Life Insurance Company and American Heritage Service Company, marketed as The Standard, are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. Except where precluded by state or federal law, The Standard will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. The Standard offers a drug- and alcohol-free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on The Standard's property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited. The Standard requires a criminal background investigation and employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. After any conditional offer of employment is made, the background check will include an individualized assessment based on the applicant’s specific record and the duties and requirements of the specific job. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain and correct background information. All employees of The Standard must be bondable.