People with Medicare

About Medicare

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Community Partners

CLAIM has four types of community sponsors: Sponsors, Satellites, Co-sponsors and Hosts. Sponsor sites, such as hospitals and senior centers, support the volunteers by giving them space to provided face-to-face counseling and access to equipment such as copy machine, fax, computer, and telephone. Sponsors also provide a location for initial and quarterly trainings and have a local coordinator responsible for distribution of referrals to volunteers. All Co-Sponsor sites are required to assist with publicity of the program within their local community and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Satellite sites, like senior centers and auxiliary hospitals, are affiliated with a Sponsor site and have an agreement with the Sponsor to provide the same services for CLAIM volunteers. Satellite sites are not required to provide a training location or sign a MOU with CLAIM.

Co-sponsors are organizations that want the benefits of CLAIM training and resources but can only serve clients within their organization. Co-sponsors are not required to provide a location for training, but are required to sign an MOU, participate in training updates and complete appropriate client contact documentations. Co-sponsors also assist with the publicity of the program in their local community.

Host sites provide a counseling location for Independent CLAIM volunteers who work out of their home. Host sites sign an MOU with CLAIM but are not required to provide training locations. Independent volunteers are able to use space provided for face-to-face consultation in a safe, neutral and unbiased atmosphere.

Volunteer Commitment

CLAIM volunteers must complete an application and provide three references. They are required to attend a three-hour orientation followed by a three-day training program before being able to provide counseling services. When the initial training is finished, volunteers are certified as counselors and receive quarterly refresher training. Counselors must also sign a non-conflict of interest agreement and a confidentiality statement. While it is difficult to estimate how much time counselors devote to the program, CLAIM requires a minimum of four hours per month. CLAIM verifies volunteer involvement through a re-certification process. To ensure volunteers are providing accurate information during counseling sessions, all volunteers are required to attend a minimum six to 12 hours of training every six months in order to continue to be certified as CLAIM volunteers.