Care Connection recruits volunteer Medicare counselors

Care Connection for Aging Services is recruiting volunteers in its 13-county area for CLAIM, which stands for Community Leaders Assisting the Insured of Missouri.

Care Connection partners with CLAIM, the State Health Insurance Program, to provide Medicare counseling and information in its 13-county area.

CLAIM counselors donate three to six hours a month to do one-on-one Medicare counseling by phone or in person. Volunteers also may conduct outreach activities for CLAIM.

CLAIM volunteers come from all walks of life, and many are retirees in education, business and the medical fields. The ideal volunteer will be dedicated and have problem-solving and computer skills, including the ability to work on the Internet.

Individuals who have sold insurance, worked for an insurance company, and/or held an insurance license recently may not serve as volunteers. CLAIM staff provides extensive training, beginning with a three-day Medicare Training Course to certify volunteers as counselors.

The training will be free and offered in Warrensburg. Attending all three days is required for certification. Once they are trained, volunteers offer one-on-one counseling at one of the Care Connection senior centers, office, or by telephone.

When someone asks CLAIM for help, a call center employee gathers contact information and tries to get a basic understanding of the problem or concern. Then the information is sent to a certified CLAIM counselor in the client's area. The CLAIM counselor contacts the person by phone and answers questions or, when necessary, will meet in person to tackle tougher problems.

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, contact Care Connection Special Projects Director Rona McNally at 1-800-748-7826 to register or find out more.