Long-Term Care Program Counsel

Position Description

Position: Program Counsel

Agency : Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid

Job Type Permanent Full-Time

Salary: $115,000 - $120,000

Location: Washington State (location flexible; hybrid work/remote arrangements available)

Open: April 21, 2025

Close: Open until filled. Review of applications will begin on May 5, 2025. 

Preferred start date: July 1, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter

Agency

The Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) is an independent judicial branch agency. Created with an understanding that the provision of legal aid services to indigent persons is an important component of the state’s responsibility to provide for the proper and effective administration of justice, OCLA’s mission is to secure, invest and oversee the use of public funding for civil legal aid to low-income people in Washington State and to ensure accountability for public funds dedicated to the purpose. 

Since 2005, OCLA has administered and overseen general civil legal aid in Washington. Today the agency also supports legal aid to victims of crime and domestic violence, children in foster care, kinship caregivers, indigent tenants facing eviction, and individuals reentering society following completion of their terms of incarceration.

Find out more about OCLA here >>  

The Long-Term Care Program

Currently in development and launching in early 2026, the Long-Term Care (LTC) program will provide civil legal advice and representation to low-income residents in long-term care settings facing discharge or transfer. 

This program is a collaborative effort between OCLA and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA). It aims to extend similar procedural protections from Washington’s Appointed Counsel for Indigent Tenants program to vulnerable long-term care residents facing discharge or transfer. 

Duties

Reporting to the General Civil Legal Aid Program Director at OCLA, the Program Counsel for the Long-Term Care (LTC) Program plays a central role in the development, implementation, oversight, and continuous improvement of a statewide legal aid program providing critical legal services to Medicaid-eligible residents of long-term care facilities facing discharge or transfer. Specific responsibilities will vary but are expected to include contract management, stakeholder and interdisciplinary coordination, procurement process oversight, technical assistance and training development, data analysis and reporting, and other duties as assigned. 

Required Qualifications

1. Juris Doctor (JD): Possess a Juris Doctor (JD) degree 
2. Client Service Experience: Direct or administrative experience in civil legal aid, public defense, or other provision of legal services to low-income people. 
3. Equity Understanding: Demonstrate understanding of the impact of race, bias, discrimination, and differential treatment on marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2S or other sexual minorities, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, limited English speaking persons, and others historically marginalized. 
4. Legal Systems Knowledge: Knowledge and understanding of courts, court systems, administrative, and related law and justice systems that affect low-income people.
5. Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
6. Technical Proficiency: Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite applications, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 
7. Periodic Travel Availability: Ability and willingness to periodically travel both in-state and out-of-state for work-related events.

Desired Qualifications

• Legal experience in long-term care, elder law, Medicaid, or health law.
• Familiarity with long-term care facility regulation and discharge/transfer rights.
• Experience managing contracts or grants.
• Understanding of Washington’s eviction prevention and tenant rights landscape.

Supplemental Information – n/a for this position

How to Apply

Applications for this recruitment will only be accepted electronically. Click the green “Apply” button in the upper right-hand corner to get started.

To be considered for this position you must include the following with your online application:

• Resume
• Cover letter which addresses qualifications as listed above
• A list of three (3) professional references