A program administered by the South Dakota Department of Human Services is looking for volunteers.
The Senior Health Information and Insurance Education program is funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Jamie Seiner directs the SHIINE program. She says its goal is to provide free, unbiased, and confidential assistance for Medicare beneficiaries.
Seiner says volunteers come from all age groups. She says there are many different ways to contribute to the effort.
"The typical roles of a SHIINE volunteer are distributing information and handouts, educating the public through community events, or even providing Medicare counseling. We do train and support our volunteers with this opportunity. We have a lot of long-standing volunteers who have been with the program for many years who find the experience very, very rewarding. We're really looking for all of our volunteer roles, and we would like to serve the largest cities in our state, as well as the most rural areas, too," Seiner says.
Seiner says people may also assist with data entry and to help clients with required forms for the Medicare program. She says there is online and in-person training for potential volunteer counselors to educate them about Medicare in South Dakota.
Seiner says those interested in volunteering may visit shiine.net.