Name: Sarita Chaloupka
Job Title: Medicaid Waiver Case Manager II
How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have been at TARCOG for approximately one year and nine months. I am currently a Medicaid Wavier Case Manager II. I provide direct training, support and guidance to the newly hired (and to anyone else that finds us at our desks); we typically carry a caseload of 25-30 clients; and we take on additional cases during periods of staff turnover.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
In 4th grade, I wanted to be a paleontologist. In the 5th grade, I wanted to be an astronaut (despite having a fear of heights and a deep appreciation for gravity.) As a freshman in high school, I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. By 10th grade, I had changed my aspiration to that of a child psychologist. The Career Inventory Assessment told me to find a job in agriculture, that I would excel as a farmer (I have brown thumbs and kill plants). Needless to say, I actively explored various opportunities that fit my passions. In the end, I still wanted to help people and found that social work was the perfect fit for me.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Submission of paperwork ahead of the deadlines. Writing brief HCBS summaries. Cutting the irrelevant information from my home visit tools. Completing home visits in under 45 minutes. All I can say is that I’m a work-in-progress.
Who is your hero and why? I have more than one. My maternal and paternal grandmothers, who made to do with so little for themselves and managed to raise so many children with a strong work ethic. And my mother, cousin and brother, who have experienced so many challenges in their lives and careers and still continue to persevere. My father, whose experiences have taught me that people are capable of change, you just have to give them time to do so.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
To learn Polish and Czech cooking and cook my husband his favorite foods.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? “The only control you have is over the changes you choose to make.” From my mom.
What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Nothing yet, I’m a homebody.
Who knows you the best?
My husband, Jim and my cousin-sister, Kavita.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
If it’s a big payout lottery, pay some of my family’s bills, diversify my financial portfolio, start a scholarship fund and throw the rest into trusts for my parents, nieces and nephew.
TARCOG Case Manager II Sarita Chaloupka