Written by Kaitlin Dirkx, Director of Public Benefits.
Fall 2022 marks my seventh anniversary with Rothkoff Law Group, working as Director of Public Benefits. It also marks the longest I have ever worked for the same employer. When people ask what has kept me here for seven years, I always return to the relationships that I build with clients and the fulfillment that it brings me. As I meet more and more families struggling with enormous financial stress and anxiety while managing a loved one’s illness, it reinforces how much I enjoy helping people in this way at one of the most difficult times in their lives.
While it may seem that as the director of our Public Benefits department, overseeing primarily financial Medicaid and Veterans’ benefits applications, my role would be deemed more sterile and less emotional. But money is one of the greatest sources of stress in the United States today, and this stress causes very real emotional challenges, especially during an already difficult time. As someone who has experienced illness and loss of loved ones in my own life, often commiseration and sympathy can form an unexpected connection.
When I lost someone very close to me almost two years ago, I was surprised by the responses from many of my clients. While I didn’t share the intricate details of my loss, when I spoke with my clients and their families following my return to the Public Benefits department at Rothkoff Law Group, they immediately asked about my sudden absence and sensed a change in my demeanor. I was so touched by their responses, inquisitive but not probing concerns, and kind offers of support. This role reversal was remarkable and incredibly touching.
After supporting many families through their challenges with illness, financial stress, and loss, it was so amazing to receive this unexpected, returned support. And many of these same clients continue to work with us long-term. We stay in touch for years as they manage these sometimes life-changing loss and healing processes.
Two of my longtime clients, both dealing with the unexpected illness of their husbands at a young age, originally came to our office tearful and scared for their future, of the huge undertaking to find care for their spouses, and to pay for that care without jeopardizing their own retirement. Years later, I still speak to them both and have watched them grieve and begin to heal. Mrs. K now has a part-time job, a dog, and has found meaning in her newfound independence. Mrs. E has made new friends, who she has invited to become her roommates, in a home now too large for her to live in alone.
I often joke with the members of my Public Benefits team that we should add “life coach” to our business cards. Because while Medicaid, health insurance advocacy, and Veterans’ benefits may appear to be strictly financial solutions, allowing my team to take the reins on such a large stressor can create space for clients’ families to enjoy time with their loved ones, and focus on their own wellbeing, grief, and healing.