Our outstanding volunteer team includes people of all ages with diverse interests, talents, and origins. They have backgrounds as health care professionals, lawyers, administrators, teachers, artists, and more. Volunteers are integral to our work and our mission.
Our helpline volunteers are trained in our New York City office, and most will continue volunteering from that office to assist people with Medicare through one-on-one telephone counseling. Some remote opportunities are available on a case-by-case basis, but some in-person training is required.
Volunteers answer callers’ questions and provide guidance on a wide range of Medicare issues. For example, volunteers assist with questions on how to select a supplemental plan and how to appeal a claim that has been denied. They also help ensure that our callers are aware of their rights and make referrals when necessary. Volunteers fluent in a foreign language may also provide counselling to non-English speakers.
No prior Medicare knowledge is required, but a desire to learn about Medicare is essential. Volunteers receive comprehensive training and always have access to staff support to perform their roles effectively.
*In addition to conducting internet searches, you will need to be able to toggle between application and web windows effectively, as well as learn to enter details into our database.
Our helpline volunteers are based in our New York City offices, where they assist people with Medicare through one-on-one telephone counseling in both English and Spanish. Volunteers answer callers’ questions and provide guidance on a wide range of Medicare issues. For example, volunteers assist with questions on how to select a supplemental plan and how to appeal a claim that has been denied. They also help ensure that our callers are aware of their rights and make referrals when necessary.
There are various programs available to people with limited incomes that help pay for Medicare. Enrollment and operational support volunteers support the efforts of our staff who help thousands of people enroll in these programs every year.
They also perform tasks such as filing, copying, entering data, graphic designing, marketing research, fundraising, and compiling reports. Our enrollment and operational support volunteers play a special role at Medicare Rights, enabling smoother operations that allow us to carry out our mission.
We’re always looking for people who can lend a hand with projects such as mailings, data entry, and filing. We also seek professionals who can provide pro bono assistance in their fields of specialty, such as law and medicine. There’s always so much to be done. If you have special skills to share, or a new idea about how you might pitch in, please let us know!
Fantastic! Click “Apply Today” and fill out the application by typing in your responses and submitting them online. Alternatively, you may print the application, complete it, and email it as a PDF or clear JPG photos to marnaud@medicarerights.org.
Please note that volunteers must attend a preliminary training in person at our New York City office. There are opportunities to attend this mandatory training each fall and spring.
The next training will be in the spring. To secure your spot or for more details about the training event and volunteering, please contact Maxwell Arnaud, Coordinator of Volunteers, at marnaud@medicarerights.org.
If you’re thinking about becoming a Medicare Rights Center volunteer, we want you to know what to expect. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from prospective volunteers.
Generally speaking, we ask our volunteers to commit to five hours per week in our New York City office.
On average, we ask for a minimum six-month commitment because we are very dedicated to helping you learn Medicare. We find that it is not until about six months into volunteering that you hit your stride.
Of course! If you are gone for a lengthy amount of time, you may feel better retaking some of the trainings when you return. Many of our volunteers travel or take time to explore other things – vacations and breaks keep us interesting.
No prior knowledge or experience is needed. In fact, we ask that you forget everything you think you may know about Medicare when we train you so that you can start with a fresh perspective.
CELEBRATING
Help us honor 35 years of making Medicare more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Sign up to receive special alerts with ways to support our 35 years of service to older adults and people with disabilities. Learn more at www.medicarerights.org/35.
