Senior/Lead Accommodation Specialist

Unum; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 46,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Vision & Dental

Short & Long-Term Disability

Paid time off

401(k) match

Job summary

Unum in Chattanooga, TN seeks a Senior Accommodation Specialist to manage complex leave cases and educate teammates on stay-at-work and return-to-work processes.

You will mentor peers, handle sensitive medical information, and collaborate with employers and third-party admins to deliver accommodations.

Qualifications

• Applies knowledge to support moderate/complex disability and leave management cases.
• FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws guidance, interpretation for ambiguous scenarios.
• Leads cross-functional collaboration and may lead small projects.
• Mentors peers and coaches on workflows and decision making.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a resource for HR reps on leave policies, FMLA, and STD/LTD claims.
• Act as technical resource for Accommodation Specialists and resolve escalated issues.
• Mentor new and existing specialists on workflows and processes.
• Provide performance feedback to mentees and track modifications.
• Collaborate with employers, vendors, and third-party administrators on RTW plans.
• Stay updated on ADA/regulatory changes and privacy laws (HIPAA).
• Review medical information to assess eligibility for accommodations.

Skills

Creativity

Problem-solving

Time management

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Coaching

Analytical thinking

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Tools

Navilink

BAS

Workers' Comp Interfaces

State websites

Job description

Job Posting End Date: November 30

When you join the team at Unum, you become part of an organization committed to helping you thrive.

Benefits

Here, we work to provide the employee benefits and service solutions that enable employees at our client companies to thrive throughout life’s moments. And this starts with ensuring that every one of our team members enjoys opportunities to succeed both professionally and personally. To enable this, we provide:

• Award-winning culture
• Inclusion and diversity as a priority
• Performance Based Incentive Plans
• Competitive benefits package that includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long-Term Disability
• Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!)
• Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution
• Mental health support
• Career advancement opportunities
• Student loan repayment options
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flexible work environments
• All the benefits listed above are subject to the terms of their individual Plans.

And that’s just the beginning…

General Summary

This position is the second step in the career path for Accommodation Specialists. It plays a key role in the ongoing relationship management with employees requesting leaves and their Employer contacts. They are responsible for delivering all training to and serve as mentors to new accommodation specialists.

The role will facilitate clear understanding of Unum communications, processes, and benefits. The Senior Accommodation Specialist is positioned to educate other Team Members regarding process and considerations in stay at work, return to work and workplace adjustments.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

• Serves as a resource for our complex customers’ designated HR representatives regarding questions related to corporate leave policies, leave management procedures, FMLA process, and STD/LTD claims management.
• Serve as technical resource for team and less-experienced Accommodation Specialists.
• Fields and resolves escalated customer issues and leave-specific questions for customers.
• Serve as mentor and coach to new and existing Specialist on workflows, processes, decision making, and complex service issues.
• Provides director/manager with performance/feedback for assigned mentees.
• Contributes as a subject matter expert in business and systems (Navilink, BAS, Workers Comp Interfaces, Other Third-Party Administrators Interfaces, State specific websites).
• Stays up to date on the evolving ADA federal and statutory landscape.
• Review medical information to assess eligibility for worksite modifications, recommend appropriate accommodations, and partner with third-party administrators to support decisions.
• Identify potential accommodations for employees with medical conditions or functional limitations impacting job performance and determine when to recommend or coordinate independent medical evaluations
• Partner with appropriate Unum entities, including the Law Department and disability/leave organizations to effectively deliver the service.
• Remain current in education regarding state insurance privacy laws and HIPAA and assist customers in identifying issues when communicating regarding medical information.
• Track what modifications are provided by the customer and ensure proper documentation on all interactions and customers’ modification decisions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Specifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, relevant business experience
• 12 months experience as Accommodation Specialist
• Applies knowledge to support moderate/complex cases in disability management, leave management, workers compensation administration, clinical and/or vocational rehabilitation, disability case management, or human resources; supports specialists on best practices
• Applies legal requirements for FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws to a broad range of cases; interprets guidance for less-defined scenarios; provides input and recommendations to peers or managers on moderately complex issues.
• Facilitates cross-functional collaboration; may lead small projects
• Strong creativity and problem-solving skills, including ability to analyze impacts and implications of viable approaches, identify alternative approaches, pilots process improvements
• Prioritizes and manages workload independently; adapts to shifting priorities
• Synthesizes and presents insights from reports and documents on a range of related topics
• Navigates ambiguity, recommends solutions, mentors others through change.
• Coaches peers that require higher levels of sensitivity, encouragement, and discretion with customer’s employees to encourage return to work or stay at work
• Leads collaboration with employers, vendors, and other third party administrators to determine, implement and evaluate RTW plans for employees
• Adopts new tools for tracking, documenting and/or diary systems; trains others and helps optimize workflows

~IN2

Unum and Colonial Life are part of Unum Group, a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of employee benefits to companies worldwide. Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, with international offices in Ireland, Poland and the UK, Unum also has significant operations in Portland, ME - plus over 35 US field offices. Colonial Life is headquartered in Columbia, SC, with over 40 field offices nationwide.

Unum is an equal opportunity employer, considering all qualified applicants and employees for hiring, placement, and advancement, without regard to a person's race, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

The base salary range for applicants for this position is listed below. Unless actual salary is indicated above in the job description, actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location and experience.

$45,600.00-$86,200.00

Additionally, Unum offers a portfolio of benefits and rewards that are competitive and comprehensive including healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental), insurance benefits (short & long-term disability), performance-based incentive plans, paid time off, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution whether you contribute to the plan or not. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Company

Unum