Advocacy Specialist – Investigator

Disability Rights Wisconsin; Madison, Milwaukee (WI, WI); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Disability Rights Wisconsin seeks an Advocacy Specialist – Investigator to monitor services for individuals with disabilities in Wisconsin and investigate abuse, neglect, and rights violations. The role conducts site visits and collaborates with state agencies and providers to advocate for systemic improvements.

Within the Investigations and Monitoring team, the incumbent will prepare reports, manage records, and engage with stakeholders to highlight concerns and drive change.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, RN, or equivalent experience in advocacy, case management, investigations.
• Effective information management and analytical skills for medical and legal issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and people with disabilities.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Collaborative with DRW coworkers and external partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft tools (Edge, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook).
• Ability to travel regionally and statewide.

Responsibilities

• Conduct investigations and monitoring visits related to abuse, neglect, and rights violations of individuals with disabilities in Wisconsin.
• Review deficiency notices, violations, and plans of correction; maintain the database.
• Draft letters and open records requests; properly catalog records.
• Conduct investigatory interviews by phone and in person.
• Prepare internal reports and assist with public reports.
• Attend Investigations and Monitoring Team meetings and maintain investigation files.
• Create tickler system to prioritize and track work.

Job description

As part of DRW’s Protection & Advocacy responsibilities, the Advocacy Specialist – Investigator plays a critical role in monitoring the quality of services available to individuals with disabilities in Wisconsin. This staff position is responsible for investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, rights violations, and deaths of individuals with disabilities in the state. This role also conducts routine monitoring visits to facilities and programs that serve individuals with disabilities and documents observations and findings during these visits.

As a member of the Investigations and Monitoring (I&M) team, you will investigate and monitor services in all types of facilities, including state psychiatric hospitals, prisons, adult family homes, juvenile justice facilities, etc. Your work can involve any program or facility where individuals with disabilities are served. The team collaborates with state agencies, community partners, providers, and other stakeholders to highlight concerns and advocate for systemic change.

Key Responsibilities

1. Conducting Investigations and Monitoring Visits – 90%
   • Investigate reports of abuse, neglect, and client rights violations in services, programs, and facilities that serve individuals with disabilities. Make strategic recommendations to prevent such outcomes inthe future.
   • Review, track, and analyze statements of deficiency, notices of violation, and plans of correction issued against facilities serving people with disabilities and maintain the database.
   • Draft letters and open records requests seeking records ofTrack records requests. Properly catalog records obtained from these requests.
   • Conduct investigatory interviews with individuals with disabilities, family members, direct care workers, and others by phone and in person.
   • Prepare and transmit letters to placing agencies, state, or county decisionmakers, and others, alerting them about problematic providers.
   • Review and analyze voluminous medical and/or other records.
   • Prepare internal written reports and summaries of completed investigations and assist in the preparation of public reports regarding these investigations.
2. Administration – 5%

• • Attend weekly Investigation and Monitoring Team meetings. Assist the Investigations and Monitoring Team Lead in preparing agendas, taking minutes, and updating investigation files.
  • Create and maintain a tickler system to ensure investigations and monitoring work is appropriately prioritized, tracked, and reported.
  • Edit and proofread investigative reports; ensure necessary redaction has occurred; attach all relevant documents; ensure reports are transmitted to proper recipients.
  • Maintain both electronic and paper files in compliance with DRW data reporting and confidentiality requirements; compile and organize statistical data.
  • Other duties as assigned.

1. Outreach – 5%

• • Cultivate and maintain effective working relationships with local, state, and federal agencies and organizations responsible for investigating, preventing, or otherwise responding to incidents of abuse or neglect.
  • Attend meetings with state officials. Potentially represent DRW on task forces, coalitions, and committees concerned with issues relevant to Investigations and Monitoring work.

Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor’s degree, R.N., or equivalent experience of at least four years in paid or unpaid work providing advocacy or direct assistance to people with disabilities in an area related to advocacy, case management, or investigations, including law enforcement, medical/mental health, or social work services involving review and analysis of medical or regulatory records.
• Effective information management and analytical skills for complex medical and legal issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice issues and peoplewith disabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate orally and in writing effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate internally with DRW coworkers and externally with community partners, state and county decision-makers, and administering agency staff.
• Proficiency in computer skills using Microsoft (Edge, Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook), including tools designed to track investigations and monitoring work.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to travel regionally and statewide, with varying amounts of advance notice.

Preferred:

• Experience / direct contact with persons with disabilities.
• Experience / direct contact with people from culturallydiverse backgrounds.
• Experience completing forensic investigations or analyzingmedical records.
• Experience in clinical, health care, or residential settings.
• General knowledge about regulatory frameworks intending to prevent abuse and neglect such as licensing and/or patient rights requirements applicable to residential or medical facilities serving persons with mental illness, intellectual / developmental disabilities, sensory or physical disabilities, and traumatic brain injury.
• In-depth familiarity with Wisconsin’s disability-related service, residential, or prevention of abuse and neglect systems including Family Care, IRIS, community-based mental health programs, adult protective services, child protective services, or state regulatory authority.