Love Helping Others? Volunteer with SHIBA!

Want to make a difference in your community and help others? You can! Become a Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) volunteer to help people navigate their Medicare benefits!

A public service of the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner, SHIBA volunteers provide people in their local communities with free, informed and unbiased Medicare counseling and education. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older and for those who are under age 65 who receive Social Security Disability Income.

No experience is required! We train and mentor our volunteers to educate others about their Medicare coverage options so they can make informed decisions. We offer many different volunteer roles based on your interests, such as:

• Clerical
• Community education/public speaking
• Counseling
• Data entry
• Fraud specialist
• Outreach

The benefits for volunteering are many. As a SHIBA volunteer, you get to help your neighbors and strengthen your community. It’s an opportunity to meet new friends, and studies show volunteering can lower your stress and keep you mentally stimulated while learning some new skills.

If you think this is something you’d like to pursue, check us out and get more information at www.insurance.wa.gov/shiba. We’d love to have  you join our SHIBA team!

Tim Smolen is the SHIBA Program Manager at Washington State Office of the Insurance .