Appeals & Grievances Specialist

Medica is a nonprofit health plan with more than a million members that serves communities in Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri, and beyond. We deliver personalized health care experiences and partner closely with providers to ensure members are genuinely cared for.

We're a team that owns our work with accountability, makes data-driven decisions, embraces continuous learning, and celebrates collaboration — because success is a team sport. It's our mission to be there in the moments that matter most for our members and employees. Join us in creating a community of connected care, where coordinated, quality service is the norm and every member feels valued.

The Appeals & Grievances Specialist III role manages and resolves member complaints, grievances, appeals, and some regulatory inquiries to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant outcomes. The role applies full proficiency in administrative, clinical, and regulatory processes to independently handle complex and high-risk cases. Operating with minimal supervision, the Specialist III exercises advanced judgment in case evaluation, prioritization, and resolution.

The position contributes to team effectiveness by supporting workflow consistency, providing guidance to peers, and identifying opportunities to improve processes and compliance outcomes. The role plays a key part in maintaining service quality and regulatory adherence across the Appeals & Grievances function. Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Accountabilities

Manage & Respond to Complex Member Complaints, Grievances, & Appeals

• Independently review and evaluate complex or high-risk cases to determine appropriate resolution in accordance with regulatory, contractual, clinical, and policy requirements.
• Ensure appropriate routing and coordination of clinical and non-clinical case components.
• Communicate clear, accurate, and professional determinations to members, providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure all cases meet established standards for quality, accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Maintain thorough, accurate, and audit-ready documentation for all case activity.

Support Escalations, Executive Complaints & Regulatory Inquiries

• Support the review and coordination of escalated, high-visibility, and executive-level complaints requiring advanced analysis.
• Assist in drafting clear, accurate, and compliant responses to regulatory agencies, such as CMS and state regulators, in alignment with established standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather information and support complete and accurate case resolution.
• Track and monitor regulatory timelines to ensure adherence to response requirements and escalate risks as needed.

Apply Advanced Administrative & Regulatory Expertise

• Interpret complex regulatory requirements, policies, and contractual obligations to guide case handling decisions.
• Identify systemic issues, trends, or process gaps and communicate findings to leadership.
• Recommend and support implementation of process improvements that enhance compliance, quality, and efficiency.
• Ensure documentation practices support audit readiness and regulatory expectations.

Collaborate & Provide Guidance to Team Members

• Serve as a resource to peers by providing guidance on complex cases, processes, and documentation standards.
• Share insights and trends identified through casework to improve team performance and consistency.
• Partner with internal teams to resolve issues and ensure alignment across workflows.
• Contribute to a collaborative team environment focused on service excellence and compliance.

Exercise Advanced Judgment & Influence Outcomes

• Apply advanced professional judgment to resolve complex or ambiguous cases within regulatory and organizational guidelines.
• Determine and adjust approaches to case handling based on risk, urgency, and compliance considerations.
• Recommend procedural enhancements and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Prioritize workload effectively across competing deadlines and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• 3+ years of work experience in healthcare operations, insurance, or related field
• 1+ years of direct experience working on a dedicated appeal and grievances team within a health plan setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Commercial and/or Individual, Family and Business (IFB) plan experience
• Medicare and/or Medicaid plan experience
• Experience conducting State Fair Hearing
• Experience working with CMS guidelines and/or regulatory agencies
• Ability to work in the Central time zone between core hours of 9 AM - 3 PM CT with start time between 7 AM - 9 AM CT

This position is a Remote role. To be eligible for consideration, candidates must have a primary home address located within any state where Medica is registered as an employer - AR, AZ, FL, GA, IA, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI

The full salary grade for this position is $45,900 - $78,600. While the full salary grade is provided, the typical hiring salary range for this role is expected to be between $45,900 - $68,775. Annual salary range placement will depend on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, education, work experience, applicable certifications and/or licensure, the position's scope and responsibility, internal pay equity and external market salary data. In addition to base compensation, this position may be eligible for incentive plan compensation in addition to base salary. Medica offers a generous total rewards package that includes competitive medical, dental, vision, PTO, Holidays, paid volunteer time off, 401K contributions, caregiver services and many other benefits to support our employees.

The compensation and benefits information is provided as of the date of this posting. Medica’s compensation and benefits are subject to change at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.

Eligibility to work in the US: Medica does not offer work visa sponsorship for this role. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. Employment is contingent on verification of identity and eligibility to work in the United States.

We are an Equal Opportunity employer, where all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment indiscriminate of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.