NY STATE OF HEALTH ASSISTOR CERTIFICATION TRAINING MODULE

NY STATE OF HEALTH ASSISTOR CERTIFICATION TRAINING MODULE THREE: ASSISTORS ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES nystateofhealth. ny. gov

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: • State the goals of the Assistor Program. • Define Neutrality, Conflict of Interest and Ethical Standards. • Understand linguistic and cultural competency and disability accessibility. • Demonstrate the necessary skills to meet the Consumer Service Standards.

NUMBER AND TYPES BY ASSISTORS

GOALS OF THE ASSISTOR PROGRAM Education and Assistance

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST As an Assistor, you must: • Meet certification requirements. • Comply with the privacy and security standards. • Not have a conflict of interest during the term as an Assistor. Conflict of Interest - Incompatibility between professional duties and personal interests.

ASSISTOR NEUTRALITY NEUTRAL (According to the dictionary) • Not engaged on either side; specifically: not aligned with a political or ideological grouping. • Of or relating to a neutral state or power. • Not decided or pronounced as to characteristics.

ASSISTOR NEUTRALITY As an Assistor, it is your duty to: • Educate New York State residents about their health care options in a non-biased manner. • Assist employers, employees, and consumers in understanding the benefits of the NY State of Health. • Remain impartial to consumer’s options on the ACA or the NY State of Health.

ASSISTOR NEUTRALITY - ACTIVITY Read the negative statement or question to develop a neutral response.

NY STATE OF HEALTH ENROLLMENTS • As of January 31, 2017 approximately 3. 6 million individuals enrolled through the NY State of Health Marketplace Total Enrollment 3. 6 Million

NY STATE OF HEALTH ENROLLMENTS Subsidized QHP and Essential Plan Enrollees, by Income Enrollments in QHPs by Age

NY STATE OF HEALTH ENROLLMENTS BY SELF-REPORTED RACE AND PROGRAM BY HISPANIC ETHNICITY

CULTURAL COMPETENCE In order to make your services accessible to all New Yorkers, it is important to provide services that are linguistically and culturally competent, as well as disability accessible. When services are not linguistically or culturally competent, potential enrollees could experience: • Feelings of being insulted or treated rudely. • Fear of contacting an Assistor, the NY State of Health or an Insurer. • Feeling confused and overwhelmed about meeting with an Assistor or enrolling in the NY State of Health. • Feeling unwelcome, unwanted and not valued.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE Cultural Competence – “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency, or amongst professionals and consumer providers that enables that system, agency or those professionals and consumers to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Cultural competence is a developmental process, one that occurs over time. ” Source: 2013 – National Center for Cultural Competence. Excerpt from Cross, T. L. , Bazron, B. J. Dennis, K. W. , Issacs, M. R. & Benjamin M. P. Towards A Culturally Competent System of Care, (Vol. 1). Washington, DC. (1989).

CULTURAL COMPETENCE Cultural competence is an ongoing process and requires us to continue to develop skills and awareness that will support our ability to be adaptable and respectful of persons of any culture that we interact with in providing assistance in the NY State of Health. Source: 2013 – National Center for Cultural Competence. Excerpt from Cross, T. L. , Bazron, B. J. Dennis, K. W. , Issacs, M. R. & Benjamin M. P. Towards A Culturally Competent System of Care, (Vol. 1). Washington, DC. (1989).

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE “The capacity of an organization and its personnel to communicate effectively, and convey information in a manner that is easily understood by diverse groups including persons of limited English proficiency, those who have low literacy skills or are not literate, individuals with disabilities, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Linguistic competency requires organizational and provider capacity to respond effectively to the health and mental health literacy needs of populations served. The organization must have policy, structures, practices, procedures, and dedicated resources to support this capacity”. Source: Excerpt from Goode, T. & Jones, W. (2009) Linguisitc Competence Definition. National Center for Cultural Competence. Georgetown University. Retrieved on 6/27/2013 from http: //nccc. georgetown. edu/foundations/frameworks. html

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE As an Assistor, if you are unable to communicate with a consumer in their preferred language, and your agency cannot assist with translation… Access to a language line (translator services) is available through the NY State of Health Customer Service Center. Please call for assistance: 1 -855 -355 -5777

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE All notices sent from the NY State of Health will contain this message: If the consumer receives a notice from the NY State of Health that they cannot read, this envelope will instruct them to call the Service Center in order to get access to translation services.

DISABILITY ACCESSIBILITY Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Ensuring that programs and activities are readily accessible to and usable by individuals including but not limited to having a: • Visual Disability • Auditory Disability • Mobility Disability • Cognitive Disability

DISABILITY ACCESSIBILITY Services must be available in locations that are accessible and in compliance with the ADA. • Make Assistor services available in accessible locations to those using wheelchair, crutches or walkers. • When potential enrollees are deaf or hard of hearing, provide a sign language interpreter or connect them with a relay service to communicate with the Service Center.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE - ACTIVITY 1. Identify a list of things that the Assistor or agency did wrong. 2. Identify a strategy to encourage this consumer to continue working with you after the mistake has been made and move forward in applying through the NY State of Health. *Write best practice options or scripts for Assistors to use. 3. Identify what would have been a better approach to working with this consumer from the beginning. * Write best practice options on scripts for Assistors to use.

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS CONCENTRATE ACKNOWLEDGE RESEARCH EMOTIONAL CONTROL

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS CONCENTRATE What are the challenges to effective listening? • It’s hard work • Information overload • Rush to action • Distraction

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS CONCENTRATE Why do we miss the details? • Organizing o Get Focused o Identify Distractions o Take Notes • Assuming • Associating • Confirm o Listen, think and double-check before going forward

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS ACKNOWLEDGE

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS ACKNOWLEDGE • Verbal Handshake • Consumer’s Emotion • Body Language

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS – EMOTIONAL CONTROL

CONSUMER SERVICE STANDARDS – EMOTIONAL CONTROL How can you control your emotions? • • • Continue to listen to the person Display Empathy Respond Neutrally Focus on the issues, not the person Paraphrase what you have heard

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. What are the goals of an Assistor? (check all that apply) o ü o Education Concentration Assistance Translate Education and Assistance

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING True or False? 2. As an Assistor, you will be required to remain neutral in all your interactions. TRUE

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING True or False? 3. When the service provided is not linguistically or culturally competent, potential enrollees could feel confused and overwhelmed. TRUE

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 4. If a consumer receives a notice from the NY State of Health and is unable to read it, who should they call to translate the notice? (Check all that apply) o o ü o Their neighbor The Assistor The Service Center The IRS Representative The Assistor/The Service Center

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 5. An Assistor must ensure that sites, services, programs and activities are readily accessible to and usable by which of the following individuals with disabilities? (Check all that apply) o ü o ü Visually Disabled Auditory Disabled Mobility Disabled Cognitive Disabled All are Correct

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING True or False? 6. Regardless of the type of interaction (face-toface/remotely), the Assistor will need to provide friendly and agreeable service to all consumers. TRUE

WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?