Absence Leave Manager

Role Description

The Absence Leave Manager will conduct investigations, determine eligibility for our customers, and provide ongoing Absence administration. This role is responsible for collaborating with customers and clients to ensure timely, accurate Absence administration and payments, if applicable. Upon approval of an Absence, the Absence Leave Manager will provide ongoing Absence management services, assist with return-to-work needs, and communicate decisions and status updates with customers and clients. This is a fast-paced role where service excellence and attention to detail are critical. The Absence Leave Manager plays a critical role in executing the New York Life Group Benefit Solutions (GBS) promise to our customers and has a direct impact on our customers in the moments that matter. The ability to make and effectively communicate decisions within tight timeframes, while integrating knowledge of medical conditions, client contracts, compliance, and acting as a steward to deliver in line with our value story are critical for success.

What You'll Do

• Responsible for managing a case load of Absence cases including Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Company Paid Leave (CPL), and Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and providing service excellence to GBS customers.
• Make determinations regarding a customer’s eligibility within compliance timeframes.
• Manage an assigned desk load of leaves through capturing medical information, managing certifications, applying appropriate provisions, following legal guidelines, and leveraging expert resources.
• Manage all requests within appropriate service and quality metrics and client performance guarantees as defined.
• Support ongoing leave management including extensions and reviewing of additional information as needed to support updated claim decisions.
• Effectively communicate with claimants, employers, and various medical professionals to gather information regarding the application for, and ongoing management of open leaves.
• Initiate customer outreach to gather information and respond to all telephonic and email inquiries within customer service protocols and adhere to standard timeframes for processing mail, tasks, and outliers.
• Execute all customer performance guarantees as defined.
• Proactively work directly with clients and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors when appropriate to facilitate return to work full-time or modified duty.
• Execution of New York Life and Corporate Compliance, Policies and Procedures and best practices.
• Ongoing development via training associated with role and business unit objectives.

Qualifications

• HS Diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
• 1 year minimum of professional experience strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications is required (Word, Outlook, Excel).
• Strong critical, analytical, and investigative skills; ability to gather information, analyze facts, and draw conclusions.
• Ability to work with a sense of urgency and be a self-starter with a customer-focus mindset.
• Effective interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Must be technically savvy with the ability to toggle between multiple applications and/or computer monitors simultaneously.
• Excellent planning, time management, and organizational skills. Ability to manage multiple and changing priorities.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships.
• Experience administering FMLA and/or State Leaves is preferred.
• Knowledge of legal liability, insurance coverage, and medical terminology is preferred.
• Proven track record of successfully driving results in a complex matrix environment preferred.

Benefits

• We provide a full package of benefits for employees – and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs.
• Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work.

Pay Transparency

• Salary range: $37,000-$52,000
• Overtime eligible: Nonexempt
• Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes
• Sales bonus eligible: No
• Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual’s experience, skills, qualifications, and job location.
• Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.
• In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.