Nuts4McCoy

I work for a Medicaid waiver program where we go out and visit clients in their homes. We arrange services for them to prevent them from entering a nursing facility. I was TOLD that my case load would be about 60, and per the state guidelines, that is were it is suppose to be. However, I have 80 clients right now. We have to visit them in their homes, not MD offices, etc because it is their homes that we have to make sure have the HME's they need to be safe and fuction to their capacity. Also to evalute their support systems and needs based on where THEY live. We all use outlook to organize our follow up calls and Excel to organize our caseload visits. I have to see every consumer once every 3 months unless they are on 24 hour supervision or require more frequent monitoring (frequent hospitalizations, disconnected family situations, etc). Those clients we see monthly. I have approximately 35 visits per month and about 5-6 reassessments (done annualy for each client) a month. It is tough to get all of the work in, along with case managing every client monthly, but the job is extremely flexible on time and working from home never ends at 4 pm....there are days I work until 11 pm getting documentation done. Working in the field can be challenging at times. My husband was furious when I started and tried to convince me not to take this job because of the location of the field work I would be doing. I work in some of the worst parts of a major metropolitain area. Every other house on some of the streets I visit is borded up. Gangs flock at the corners and MANY of my clients and/or their families have criminal records. However, I have to admit, there have only been a handful of cases that I did not feel comfortable walking into a home. Generally, the people know you are there to help them and provide them with services and they watch out for you. We have the option of taking security with us. I have never used them and most of my co-workers don't either. We have never had any problems.....and the few times I did feel uncomfortable, I left and finished the visit on the phone the next day. You will learn which homes to go early in the morning before the drug deals happen on the corner and which ones to avoid after school lets out. Honestly, it is not the crime that I worry as much about as bringing roaches and bed bugs back home with me! But I have to admit.....I love my job. There are definitaly challanges to it, but the flexibility of working at home and making my own schedule is all well worth it. And for the record, I have NEVER had anyone come out and check my office at home or check up on me in the field. Just make sure your work is done and you won't have any problems. Working at home does not mean working in your pajamas (well, some days it does) or working less. You will find you usually are working more, but you are at home!!!

I work for a program that does exactly the same thing. We case manage people who, without our services, would be at risk for nursing home placement. They must meet a level of care where they are nursing home eligible. When I was hired, I was told salary range is $38,000 to $46,000 to start. My company hires both RNs and LSWs. We work 37.5 hours a week and have 13 holidays off, 4 personal days, 3 weeks vacation and 2 weeks sick time every year. We can also flex so I only work 4 days a week.....its actually hard to find time to take vacation because I am only working 16 days per month! I came from a position that was paying me $10,000 more each year, but I worked over and never got paid for it. So, when I calculated the actual PER HOUR rate I was making, it is a lot better where I am now. Actually, we are hiring case managers right now. Company is located in Cleveland, Ohio. Email me if you want more information.

Are you from Ohio? I work at Passport and we are familiar with the PACE program in Cleveland.

I am a case manager and work from home. Well, to clarify, I go out and do home visits and then come home and document, call docs/providers, etc. I only have to go into the office once a week and there is no set time as to how long I have to be there. I make my own schedule completely and no one ever checks to make sure I am where I need to be. The main thing is, I GET MY WORK DONE! Those on my team that do not get there work done are watched very closely and required to come into the office or "report" to their supervisor daily. I love my job because it is SO flexible.....but you need to be very disciplined about getting the work done. It is very VERY easy to get caught up on phone calls, facebook, TV, etc if you don't be careful. But honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love it.

Hi Everyone! I found this site this morning and have spent more time than I care to admit reading all the threads. Gosh! You all are a wonderful resource! I have been in LTC for about 10 years. I recently left my position for some time off with my family. I'm considering going back to an Assisted Living facility and I was wondering how different they really are. Does anyone have any experience with this? How different are the regs? Do they have the same type of state inspections? What is staffing usually like? And.....at the job I left, I had 16 residents....here there are 31. Are the residents really THAT much easier to take care of in AL? (They didn't look it during an interview!) Any help would be appreciated.