Date of Conferral

10-30-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Kristin Wiginton

Abstract

There is limited information on the impact on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) case managers’ job satisfaction as COVID-19 policies altered the way their jobs were performed. Many HCBS case managers in the United States experience high levels of turnover and burnout, resulting in difficulty maintaining appropriate service levels. Public health emergency (PHE) policies used to limit exposure of high-risk community-based individuals to COVID-19 resulted in various adjustments to traditional job responsibilities. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively study the impact of HCBS policy changes on the job satisfaction of HCBS case managers prior to and throughout the COVID-19 PHE. The main research question involved identifying the discrepancies between what an HCBS case manager expected from their job and how they performed their job as COVID-19 policy changes reduced the frequency and type of face-to-face access to HCBS beneficiaries. Research participants included 10 HCBS case managers in the state of Georgia who worked at the same agency at least 6 months before and consecutively through the COVID-19 PHE. Results from open-ended questions will be transcribed and assigned into preliminary codes, searching for any patterns or themes. Key results will be used to identify risks to HCBS case manager job dissatisfaction, stress, and potential burnout as policy decisions for future public health emergencies are made. The implications for positive social change include documentation of the impact of policy changes on case manager job satisfaction. With high degrees of turnover and job stress, understanding how these policy changes impact the job experiences of HCBS case managers can help reduce factors impacting retention and negative job satisfaction, creating positive social change for these important frontline workers.

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