PATIENT RESOURCES WORKER / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT HOMELESSNESS

County of Los Angeles; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health seeks emergency Patient Resources Workers to interview patients, assess financial eligibility, and process needed forms during crisis periods. You will verify coverage, assist with no-cost programs, and coordinate scheduling for timely care in a high-demand environment.

Applicants should have health-care related experience and strong customer service and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Two years of experience interviewing the public to initiate or complete financial assistance applications.
• Three years of clerical experience with public contact in financial screening or billing.
• Two years of experience in public contact for receivables collection.
• Completion of 60 semester units earned in an accredited college or university.
• Two years in a health care setting with patient access, enrollment or scheduling duties.

Responsibilities

• Interview patients or relatives to gather eligibility data and determine enrollment in health programs.
• Evaluate finances to determine reimbursement and assist with benefits forms for third parties.
• Explain County policies to patients and verify insurance coverage with providers and insurers.
• Complete required federal, state and County forms during visits and admissions.
• Refer complex cases to Patient Financial Services or appropriate staff.
• Initiate and process applications for ATP, UMDAP and similar programs.
• Schedule visits and coordinate provider calendars to ensure timely access.

Skills

Public interviewing

Customer service

Communication skills

Education

60 semester units

Job description

Filing Start Date

Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

Position/Program Information

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH

Type Of Recruitment: OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY

Exam Number: b9192K-EA

This opportunity will remain open until the needs of the service are met. The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness. The County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Patient Resources Worker vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Patient Resources Worker.

Essential Job Functions

Interviews patients or their relatives and/or representatives to obtain identifying information, financial and other eligibility data; determines the patient's potential eligibility to enroll in specific health care programs based upon diagnosis, available medical information, type of medical/clinical services, and residency status; enters and accesses data by utilizing various local and web-based information systems and databases to determine a patient's financial eligibility.

Evaluates financial data and resources to determine the patient's ability to reimburse the County for health care services consistent with department policy; completes or assists the patient in the completion of benefits forms for third party resources; contacts private insurance companies to verify coverage and to obtain authorization for services; verifies existing governmental coverage for health care services, and screens for the patient's potential eligibility to receive Medi-Cal or other no-cost/low-cost programs.

Communicates with patients, responsible relatives and/or representatives, attorneys, employers, agencies and insurance companies to explain County policies and to obtain, verify, or clarify information required to complete standardized billing forms. Computes plans of payment for patients whose medical share of cost has already been established.

Completes required federal, State, and County forms for patients during emergency room visits, upon admission, and during outpatient clinic visits.

Refers patients without existing financial resources or with complex financial eligibility issues to a Patient Financial Services Worker or facility staff member.

Initiates and/or processes applications for a variety of reduced no-cost / low cost programs, such as ATP and UMDAP.

Patient Access

Greets and registers patients in person or over the phone. Obtains demographics, preferred pharmacy, emergency contact and insurance information. Enrolls patient using electronic system. Provides forms to patients and completes paperwork for requested services. Determines when language interpretation is needed. Orients patients to health services by providing direction to appropriate locations for services.

Initiates and/or processes applications for a variety of reduced no-cost/low-cost programs, such as ATP and UMDAP.

Verifies coverage and empanelment prior to scheduling. Identifies when authorization and/or letter of agreement may be needed. Identifies discrepancies in assignment and empanelment and appropriately refers complex cases to Patient Relations Representatives.

Schedules patient visits by determining the appropriate providers and programs for patients. Ensures timely access to services by actively monitoring and coordinating multiple provider schedules and maintaining appointment templates for clinic providers.

Re-verifies eligibility in the month of the appointment to financially clear patients for appointments, conducts patient outreach by phone and/or mail, explains coverage options, refers the patient to member services as needed, and cancels appointments. Checks-in patient for appointment to explain payment options, obtains signatures, collects fees, and keeps records of insurance and patient identification.

Performs other related duties, as necessary.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Option I: Two years of experience interviewing the public to initiate or complete applications for financial assistance, credit, insurance, medical, mental health, hospital services, social security, or workers' compensation.
• Option II: Three years of clerical experience, two years of which must have involved public contact associated with the financial screening and/or registration of patients or claims billing and collection for hospital or medical services.
• Option III: Two years of experience involving public contact in the investigation and collection of accounts receivable.
• Option IV: Completion of 60 semester units earned in an accredited college or university.
• Option V: Two years of experience in a health care setting with responsibility for performing patient access related work in the Emergency Department, Urgent Care or other walk-in registration, admitting, financial screening and eligibility verification, and scheduling area.

Transcript

In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, such as Bachelor's or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or email [e-mail] within 7 (seven) calendar days of filing.

Official Transcript is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's Registrar Office. A printout of the transcript from the school's website is NOT considered official and; therefore, will NOT be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete or rejected.

• ACCREDITATION: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE).

License

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS II: Light.

This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort, including occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

Department Contact

Department Contact Name: Hon Sang Cheang, Exam Analyst

Department Contact Phone: [phone] or [phone]

Department Contact Email: [e-mail]

ADA Coordinator Phone: [phone]

Teletype Phone: [phone]

California Relay Services Phone: [phone]

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement

The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/

Testing Accommodations For Applicants

The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/

Fair Chance

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Employment Eligibility

Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.

Career PathFinder

Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.

Veteran’s Credit

Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.

For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf