Laura J. Baker
Tampa Bay,,FL
Summary
Integrated care social worker dedicated to enhancing student mental health through psychoeducational counseling and crisis intervention. Collaborates with families and community agencies to create individualized support plans and promote resilience, ensuring students achieve their full potential.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
School Social Worker
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, FL
03.2025 - 03.2026
- Promotes mental health and well-being of all students by providing individual and group psychoeducational counseling, implementing district crisis protocols, and linking students and families to community mental health services
- Develops comprehensive, diagnostic assessment of students’ social, emotional, and interpersonal relationships within the school, home, and community
- Consults with classroom teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to provide insight and understanding regarding a students’ needs or behaviors
- Identified barriers to student attendance, engaging parents to implement targeted interventions that supported academic success
- Serves on intra/interdisciplinary teams at each school to assist students experiencing attendance, academic, social, emotional, and/or health problems
- Coordinated services with internal and external resource providers, enhancing access to comprehensive support systems for students
- Liaised with school, family, and community agencies, advocating for students' needs and resources
- Provides and participates in professional developmental opportunities
- Executed specific tasks to support team objectives
Medical Case Manager
Metro Health
Tampa, FL
06.2024 - 01.2025
- Initiate assessment of service needs
- Development of a comprehensive, individualized service plan
- Coordination of services required to implement the plan, including coordination and follow-up of medical treatments
- Continuous client monitoring to assess the efficacy of the plan
- Treatment adherence counseling to ensure readiness for and adherence to complex HIV treatments
- Work collaboratively with medical providers, other community partners, members of client’s treatment team, and other agency personnel to promote adherence to treatment
- Advocated for services that met client needs based on thorough assessment.
- Reviewed client utilization of services periodically to identify gaps and improve service delivery
- Arrange supportive services for clients including assisting client with completing food and transportation referrals, emergency financial assistance, and more
- Provide benefits counseling by assisting eligible clients in obtaining access to other public and private programs for which they may be eligible (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare Part D, State Pharmacy Assistance Programs, Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Patient Assistance Programs, other state or local health care and supportive services, and insurance plans through the health insurance Marketplaces/Exchanges)
Veterans Service Representative (Rating)
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
St Petersburg, FL
03.2023 - 11.2023
- Determined service-connection, percentage of disability, and entitlement to various compensations and benefits, ensuring accurate and comprehensive support for veterans.
- Review and analyze complex medical information (i.e., diagnostic tests, office notes, operative reports, etc.) to determine service connection and disability entitlement
- Analyzes claims to determine if diseases and/or injuries were incurred or aggravated by military service for purposes of compensation, treatment, or hospitalization
- Applied federal laws and regulations to ensure compliance with applicable instructions, while being fully accountable for analysis, development, and final rating determinations.
- Attended a comprehensive training program to learn medical terminology, VA regulations, how to critically analyze evidence, and apply the VA schedule of disabilities to render decisions on claims
- Collaborated across organizational lines to administer programs and develop guidelines or standard operating procedures, enhancing operational consistency.
- Handled claims independently as the decision maker.
Licensed Property Adjuster
United States Automobile Association (USAA)
Tampa, FL
01.2022 - 02.2023
- Evaluate, investigate, negotiate, and adjust sophisticated home and property claims presented by or against insured to confirm coverage
- Applies knowledge of Property & Casualty insurance industry products, services, and processes to include P&C insurance policy contracts and coverages
- Provide advice, negotiate, and explain procedures, practice, and policy information to insureds
- Advising and identifying policy considerations and solutions
- Work with special investigative team to research claim patterns to determine if coverage is afforded
- Assist the claims investigation team with completed tasks and determine if payment is afforded under the policy
- Drafts, revises, and submits claims compliance letters to insured
- Displayed excellent interpersonal skills with members, property management individuals, vendors, attorneys, and public adjusting firms, utilizing strong interviewing skills to enhance collaboration
- Evaluated and reviewed proposed program changes in policy and operation, gathering recommendations for informed policy decisions
- Supports workload surges and catastrophe operations during major designated events impacting the field of property and casualty (P&C)
Government Operations Analyst 1
Florida Department of Health
Sarasota, FL
09.2021 - 01.2022
- Provide expert-level guidance on Florida procurement laws, rules, policies, and best practices to ensure all program procurements meet statutory and regulatory requirements
- Lead the development, drafting, review, and execution of procurement documents, including scopes of work, competitive solicitations, and supporting materials
- Independently manage procurement timelines, deliverables, and workflows to support program implementation needs
- Liaised with AHCA Procurement Office to facilitate clear communication, timely coordination, and adherence to agency procurement procedures
- Reviewed and edited procurement and contract documents to enhance clarity, accuracy, and compliance with legal and regulatory standards
- Support evaluation processes, including development of evaluation criteria, review of vendor responses, and documentation of procurement decisions
- Prepare, review, and monitor contracts and contract amendments for accuracy, completeness, and alignment with program requirements
- Manage the program’s contracts with vendors, including monitoring performance, ensuring vendor deliverables are met, tracking timelines, and addressing compliance concerns
- Advised program staff on effective contract management practices and performance monitoring to strengthen vendor relations
- Trained internal staff on procurement processes and contracting expectations.
Medical Support Assistant
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Seattle, WA
06.2020 - 07.2021
- Primary contact for the Puget Sound community care department for primary and specialty care providers in the community for coordination of veteran care
- Managed referrals for veteran care by coordinating with healthcare providers and ensuring timely processing.
- Reach out to community providers and staff to coordinate care and update scheduling information
- Researched and analyzed medical documentation chart notes to facilitate completion of veteran’s electronic health record (EHR)
- Audited consultations to track status from scheduled to completed, enhancing overall records management process
- Verified and updated demographics and insurance information while processing emergency and non-emergency transfers to VA facilities
- Managing veteran health information system and reporting urgent clinical findings
- Work on stat/deceased veterans consults to ensure timely input of consult notes for VA healthcare staff to aid in the completion process
- Communicating information and advising, orally and in writing, to insureds regarding policy agreement within and outside the organization
- Provide analytical solutions when launching/learning new systems
- Delivered data-driven solutions to streamline the completion process for consultations from community providers and clinicians in the Puget Sound area
Education
Master of Social Work - Mental Health and Trauma
University of Denver
03-2026
Bachelor of Science - Public Health
University of South Florida
05-2017
Associate of Arts -
State College of Florida
06-2013
Skills
- Case management
- Behavioral assessment
- Crisis intervention
- Patient Education
- Empathy
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Conflict resolution
- Ethical decision making
- Resilience and self-care
Timeline
School Social Worker
Hillsborough County
03.2025 - 03.2026
Medical Case Manager
Metro Health
06.2024 - 01.2025
Veterans Service Representative (Rating)
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
03.2023 - 11.2023
Licensed Property Adjuster
United States Automobile Association (USAA)
01.2022 - 02.2023
Government Operations Analyst 1
Florida Department of Health
09.2021 - 01.2022
Medical Support Assistant
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
06.2020 - 07.2021
Master of Social Work - Mental Health and Trauma
University of Denver
Bachelor of Science - Public Health
University of South Florida
Associate of Arts -
State College of Florida