Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Louisville
Case Manager (full-time)
Job Description
The Case Manager will provide core and special-needs case management services to refugees
recently-arrived to the United States and Louisville. Clients will have diverse educational, vocational
and cultural backgrounds. Currently, KRM is receiving refugees from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Sudan. The caseload will include clients
who have limited English proficiency or significant medical or post-traumatic stress conditions posing
barriers to self-sufficiency and integration. The Case Manager must be adept at ensuring the provision
and documentation of basic services to a high volume of clients, while at the same time providing
intensive case management, trauma-informed care, and enhanced access to services for those with
special needs.
In keeping with federal program guidelines, the ultimate goal of case plans will be client selfsufficiency, primarily through early employment. Accordingly, the Case Manager must be adept at
utilizing a strengths-based case management approach—one that emphasizes client initiative, skills,
resilience and capacity to access personal and community resources. However, the Case Manager will
also be responsible for providing a continuity of care for refugees unable to transition to employment
and self-support within a short-term timeframe. For such clients, the Case Manager must have an
extensive knowledge of local service providers and make appropriate referrals in developing client case
plans.
The Case Manager is expected to maintain positive working relationships with public assistance
agencies, including food stamps, cash assistance, and health care providers; adhere to agency goals,
objectives, standards of performance, and policies and procedures; and ensure compliance with federal
program requirements from the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the cooperative agreements
between the U.S. State Department and the two national refugee resettlement agencies KRM is affiliated
with—Church World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries.
The Case Manager must be able to work effectively in a team environment, coordinating smoothly
with other agency staff working in the areas of employment, medical case management, English
language education, family and youth services, and mental health, among others.
The Case Manager will be expected to assume a lead role among direct client services staff,
disseminating information on cases, providing guidance and support caseworkers, supervising interns,
and participating in staff assignments of cases and core service duties. Ability to work effectively with
volunteers and co-sponsorship teams involved in welcoming refugees is also essential.
Sequence and Timeframe of Case Management Activities
Required case management activities will be sequenced as follows:
1. Pre-arrival coordination and delivery of core services during the refugees first 90 days in the
United States, i.e., the Reception & Placement Period;
2. Implementation of a self-sufficiency case plan including case management, employment and
social services, English language training, and appropriate referrals. This self-sufficiency case
plan will aim at employment and independent living for clients by 180 days after arrival and case
closure within one year after arrival; and
3. Provision of case management to a small number of long-term clients (i.e., refugees having been
in the U.S. between one and five years) with persistent barriers to self-support
The Case Manager will participate in pre-arrival coordination and the airport reception of his/her
assigned clients.
During clients’ first 90 days, the Case Manager will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of
required core services, including but not limited to, applying for Social Security cards and SNAP (Food
Stamps) benefits, Medicaid enrollment, referrals for medical screenings and appointments, and
enrollment in cash assistance and employment programs—either those offered through Kentucky
Refugee Ministries or in connection with the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s administration of welfare
benefits (TANF/K-TAP).
The Case Manager will be responsible for the intake and orientation of new clients and ongoing
explanation of program objectives and compliance requirements. Thorough documentation of services,
case information and case notes in client casefile and separate electronic databases maintained by the
Kentucky Office for Refugees and Church World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries is
mandatory.
The Case Manager must coordinate clients’ overall case management plan and work closely with
other KRM specialist staff in the areas of housing, employment, youth and elder services, medical case
management, mental health, English language education, and cultural orientation. The Case Manager
must create an individualized case plan (Family Self Sufficiency Plan), which must be periodically
updated to reflect clients’ progress or barriers to self-support and independent living up until case
closure at either 240 or 365 days after arrival.
During initial resettlement, the Case Manager will be responsible for overseeing the household
financial management of his/her refugee and for processing vouchers for agency-managed funds to
ensure that refugees basic needs—including rent, utilities, food, and TARC passes/tickets—are met.
Additionally, the Case Manager must educate newly-arrived refugees on how to independently manage
their household finances, budget their employment and public assistance income, and pay their bills.
In addition to intra-agency referrals, the Case Manager will make client referrals to outside social
service agencies and other local service providers. A good knowledge of these community service
providers and a strong commitment to advocating for refugees’ access to services is essential.
In keeping with the agency and program orientation toward early employment and refugee selfsufficiency, the Case Manager will seek to empower refugees to become self-supporting. At the same
time, the Case Manager must be able to make referrals need while at the same time compassionately
assisting refugees with special needs or barriers to employment or independent living (e.g., those with
severe medical or mental health conditions or disabilities).
The Case Manager will have substantial independent responsibilities and be expected to combine
field work, including home visits, with in-office client consultations and case management tasks,
including case notes and documentation and maintenance of case files.
A Program Manager will provide oversight, guidance and support to the Case Manager.
Essential Duties and Tasks
1. Create client casefile and enter all client biodata and documentation into case file and multiple
electronic databases
2. Coordinate client pre-arrival services, including client housing and donations
3. Provide airport reception and home orientation
4. Enroll and orient clients to services provided by KRM
5. Assist clients in applying for Social Security cards, SNAP (Food Stamps), K-TAP (TANF), SSI or
SSI-Disability; advocate effectively for refugees to ensure equal access to public benefits
6. Become trained and capable of directly enrolling clients on Medicaid through kynect.gov or
referring them for timely Medicaid enrollment and follow-up in the case of pending or denied
applications
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7. Refer clients to special programs/assistance (i.e. KRM Family Center, Services to Older Refugees
program, mental health assessment, intensive case management); complete appropriate referral
paperwork
8. Accurately maintain and update client expenditure sheets and process vouchers for rent, utility
and other expenditures on behalf of client in a timely manner
9. Enter casenotes on a regular basis and maintain client casefile in orderly and prescribed manner
10. Create client Family Self-Sufficiency Plan (FSSP), facilitate implementation of plan, and update
periodically
11. Coordinate among case workers, pre-arrival team, employment team, medical team, mental health
coordinator, family and youth services staff, ESL teachers, community volunteers/sponsors, and
housing coordinator to ensure comprehensive care from pre-arrival to case closure
12. Review case files at 90 days
13. Respond to urgent and emergent client needs in the office or in the field as needed
14. Submit required reports to national Resettlement Agencies and Kentucky Office for Refugees
15. Facilitate creative solutions to eliminating client barriers to self-sufficiency
16. Refer clients with special needs to appropriate social and community service providers
17. Coordinate caseworkers’ and interns’ schedules/tasks to ensure completion of core services
18. Represent agency, when needed, at meetings with local social service providers and other
community partners
Job Requirements
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College degree required. M.S.W. preferred, but not required.
Strong computer skills, including proficiency in MS Excel
Previous cross-cultural experience required, preferably in a social service, development or
educational setting
Job will be primarily during normal business hours with some airport arrivals in early to late
evening. Occasional emergency response on evenings and weekends as needed.
Ability to drive and transport clients by car
Specialized Skills
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Ability to work with clients of diverse nationalities and cultures
Strong organizational skills; ability to track service delivery and progress of a high volume of
clients
Excellent time management skills; good judgment in identifying cases needing priority attention
Comfort with servicing limited-English-proficient clients and utilizing bilingual interpreters
Strong detail orientation and ability to provide clear documentation of services
Team-orientation; ability to work in coordination with agency resettlement staff.
Strong outreach skills; ability to network with a wide range of service providers and community
partners
Patience and strong commitment to client care, while at the same time adhering to agency
mission of promoting client self-sufficiency
Agency Profile
Founded in 1990 as a nonprofit agency, Kentucky Refugee Ministries is a local affiliate of Church
World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries, two of nine national voluntary agencies authorized
to provide resettlement services to refugees legally admitted to the United States through the U.S. State
Department’s Refugee Admissions Program.
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Since 1995, under the auspices of the Church World Service/Immigration and Refugee Program
(CWS/IRP), KRM has also assisted Cuban/Haitian entrants admitted under a special program for Cuban
immigration administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Under this program, KRM’s
Cuban/Haitian office is also authorized to assist Cubans and Haitians who are paroled into the U.S.
KRM’s Louisville office currently receives around 550 refugee and 500 Cuban arrivals a year.
Kentucky Refugee Ministries secures housing and medical care for refugees and provides them with
comprehensive case management including employment services, educational and cultural orientation
programming, and specialized programs for refugee youth and elders. KRM also offers classes for
refugees and immigrants preparing to apply for U.S. citizenship.
Salary and Benefits
This is a full-time position. Salary commensurate with experience and background. Benefits: Medical,
dental and life insurance; paid vacation, holidays, sick and personal days.
To Apply
Interested applicants should reply with a résumé and cover letter by Wednesday, April 15, 2015, to
John Koehlinger
Executive Director
Kentucky Refugee Ministries
969-B Cherokee Road
Louisville, KY 40204
Email: [email protected]
Date Posted:
March 21, 2015
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