Human Resources Specialist - Leaves and Accommodations

Days Off: Saturday & Sunday
Shift: Office Day
Location: Hybrid WFH and In-Office at 515 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Insurance Benefits: Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage), Dental, Life, Long-term Disability
Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan
 
About DESC:
Recognized nationally as an  innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a  social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed  behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of  people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex  behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000  people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in  time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion,  treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable  place to call home.


DESC operates five shelter/emergency  housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a  range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health  and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization,  street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use  disorder.


JOB DEFINITION:
The Human Resources Specialist is responsible for providing support to a variety of agency-wide human resources functions. Primary responsibilities are in the areas of benefits and leave and accommodations as outlined below, but the HR Specialist will also perform work relating to all departmental activities, including: recruitment, orientation, training, records and data management, and compensation.


MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Leaves and Accommodations

• Tracks and documents employee medical leaves of absence and other FMLA or agency-approved leaves. This includes preparing & sending the initial information packet, following up on submission of required forms, as well as tracking and doing data entry for FMLA/medical leave attendance.
• Coordinates regular meetings with the HR Director and HR Manager, and other agency managers as necessary to discuss the status of employees on leave.
• Assists supervisors and the payroll manager with the timesheets for employees on leave to ensure accurate data entry and processing for compliance with agency policy.
• Communicates regularly with physicians and nurses to obtain documentation and track the progress of employees managing disabilities, with work-related injuries, or on leave.
• Coordinates the interactive agency accommodation process with employees and supervisors.
• Maintains records on all accommodations, both short-term and continuous, producing reports as needed.
• Maintains employee medical files & records.
• Providing guidance, interpretation and consultation for managers on complex leave issues - FMLA, Short/Long-Term disability, leave as an accommodation under the ADA, and other types of LOA.
• Working closely with managers to resolve FMLA issues and identify patterns of absence that may need investigation.
• Designing and delivering training presentations and other resources for managers and departments to educate them about FMLA, disability, leave of absence and other leave topics.
• Participating in regular meetings with departments and HR Business Partners to discuss and resolve department-specific leave issues and trends.
• Providing input to improve FML and LOA processes and procedures based on system and administration needs.
• Upon receipt of LTD claim - verifying employee portions, gathering all necessary data (job description, W-2, payroll data for 12 months, STD records/approval, and supporting documentation of LTD enrollment and deductions) and completing UNUM Employer Statement
  
  

OTHER DUTIES

• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending in-house and external training and development programs as needed.
• Provides ongoing backup support for the benefits administration from start to finish.
• Participates in HRIS data entry and maintenance which includes but is not limited to tracking positions, new hires & terminations, payroll status changes, performance evaluations, training records, updating tables and generating ad hoc reports as required and requested.
• Processes standard employment verifications according to department protocols.
• Act as central liaison for the Human Resources Department when needed, including acting as resource for information to the HR Assistants, supervisors, and staff.
• Maintaining HR office records, both electronic and paper, and integrating several types of software, such as spreadsheet, database, word processing, to generate specific working documents, reports, and forms.
• Conducts the background checks as needed
• Other duties as assigned by the HR Director.