Group Long Term Disability Claims Specialist

Position Title: Group Long Term Disability Claims Specialist
Reports To: Manager, Life & Disability Claims
Department: Group Life & Disability Claims
Term: Permanent Full-Time 

Work Arrangements: You will work from your home office 100% of the time. You may be required to be in-person at our office in Waterloo, ON or another assigned location within the Waterloo Region, on an as needed basis. Sales related roles may be required to travel based on the assignment.  

The Opportunity: If you love helping people and have a passion for delivering exceptional customer service, you’d be a great fit for our team. That’s because at Equitable, we believe in providing personalized service and support to our plan sponsors and plan members.

Our plan sponsors rely on us to deliver creative solutions as we help their staff in their recovery and return to work from an injury or illness. If you have experience in disability adjudication or in a related disability or mental health profession and you want to have a positive impact on the lives of our plan members, we want you to join our company.

We’re looking for a polished communicator who can develop creative solutions to complex problems, someone who is empathetic and has a natural service orientation, who is a collaborator that can work with others towards a common goal. If that’s you, why not explore a career as a Disability Claims Specialist at one of Waterloo Area and Southwestern Ontario’s Top Employers for 2024?

What you will be doing:

• Analyze medical, functional, employment and contractual Information in order to make timely and accurate decisions on Long Term Disability (LTD) claims
• Continually manage open LTD claims using proficient problem solving and analytical skills and creating opportunities for timely resolution of the claim
• Calculate benefits payable and make adjustments as required throughout the course of the LTD claims. (i.e. offset for rehabilitation earnings and CPP Disability Benefits and calculating overpayments, etc.)
• Identify and implement cost effective case management tools to assist disabled employees (e.g. Rehabilitation Intervention, Functional Abilities Evaluations, Independent Medical Examinations, Medical Consultant Referrals)
• Provide superior written and verbal customer service with accuracy and maintain well-documented, clear and concise files
• Frequently communicate with plan sponsors, plan members, advisors, Group Marketing Managers, medical professionals, legal professionals
• Actively participate in client meeting
• Professionally communicate with and show empathy to our clients over the phone and email (many are going through extremely difficult periods of their lives and communications may be emotionally charged)
• Utilize key problem solving skills to make tough decisions on claims, clearly communicating these decisions with the client in a way that is easy to understand
• Showcase conflict resolution skills to de-escalate situations with unsatisfied clients 

What you will bring:

• Proficient English, spoken and written, is required
• 2+ years’ STD and/or LTD claims management experience
• University degree or College Diploma preferred in health-related or disability management field (i.e. nursing, occupational therapy, kinesiology, psychology, social services, occupational health etc.) or experience adjudicating disability claims
• Thorough knowledge of insurance operations
• Passion for problem-solving and thorough knowledge of insurance operations
• Complex knowledge of various group contracts would be helpful
• Computer literacy skills
• Effective negotiating and conflict management skills
• Excellent interpersonal and strong customer service skills
• Mathematical and analytical skills
• Demonstrated conflict management and professional de-escalation skills
• Deep-rooted personal boundaries and time management, with the ability to balance various priorities coming in at once
• Ability to break down difficult to understand concepts/decisions and explain in a way that is easy to understand for the client
• Proven ability to succeed in a dynamic environment with changing priorities
• Bilingual written and spoken, English/ French, would be an asset

What’s in it for you:

• A healthy work-life balance with employee wellness top of mind
• Annual bonus program, annual vacation allowance, and company-paid benefits program
• An additional paid volunteer day each year so you can spend time giving back to the community
• Immediate enrollment in the company’s pension program with employer matching
• Employee resource groups that support an inclusive work environment
• Tuition support and specialized program assistance
• A company subsidized cafeteria with a variety of daily options
• Discounts on company products and services, and access to exclusive employee perks
• Regular EQ Together events focused on company togetherness and collaboration

As part of the recruitment/offer process you will be required to:

• Provide two professional references (minimum one supervisor and above)