Counselor’s Packet:
A Support Tool for New Volunteers
It's tough to counsel beneficiaries on their health coverage options, especially for new volunteers. Among other things, these volunteers need to know the differences between the plans, to sort through what plans are available, and be able to present this information thoroughly, effectively, and in an unbiased manner. How much information can a volunteer be expected to retain from their initial training and be ready to explain during a counseling session?
After contemplating that question, Peggy McDonough, Regional SHINE Program Director in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, decided to create a Counselor’s Packet to support her new volunteer counselors. The packet is a binder containing at-a-glance reference resources and handy counseling tools to help a counselor get through a session successfully.
The following Best Practice package is full of background information and tools that Peggy has made available to the SHIP network for replication:
-
Q&A: Peggy McDonough, Regional SHINE Program Director in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-
-
Tool: Medicare Cost & Coverage 2009
-
Chart: Medicare Coverage Options
-
Chart: Part A Benefits and Gaps 2009
-
Chart: Federal Poverty Guidelines
-
-
-
-
| If you have additional questions on how to create a counseling toolkit, please contact Peggy at pmcdonough@HESSCO.org. |
