Social Worker (Program Coordinator) serves as VISN 17 Respite Champion with responsibilities to provide respite clinical evidence-based services & interventions; program development; caregiver, Veteran & staff education on caregiver respite issues; community outreach related to respite; respite resource development; continuous quality-improvement activities & evaluation/consultation. Supportive of caregivers, Veterans & family members throughout VISN 17. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Grandfathering Provision: The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance journey level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. Preferred Experience: Two years of Medical Social Work/Case Management experience including experience in working with Veterans/Families and caregivers. Experience in program development, implementation, and training. Knowledge and experience in caregiver respite process and issues including respite procession and cost tracking. Experience in providing education and interventions to staff/CG/Veteran. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-0185 Veterans Health Administration September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Duties include, but are not limited to: Developing and implementing respite training and education to PCAFC and PGCSS specific to his/her area of assignment and ensuring compliance and collaboration with local facility and VA Central Office (VACO) Caregiver Support Program initiatives. Administering information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers, families and Veterans. Developing and implementing information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction. Developing, implementing and evaluating clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of respite services. May participate in direct caregiver and Veteran communication to identify and assess caregiver stress/burden and the development and application of direct clinical treatment interventions. May advise and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center and VISN 17 on caregiver issues. Creating educational tools, developing programs and implementing training focused on caregiver specific needs and issues related to respite. Providing ongoing consultation and support to colleagues regarding caregiver support respite services throughout VISN 17. Distributing respite educational materials provided by VISN 17 and/or VACO. May conduct caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress and social needs. Staying abreast of current federal and state legislation directed at assisting caregivers to continue providing caregiving in an environment that is safe for both themselves and the Veteran. Maintaining a knowledge base of current theory and evidence-based treatment modalities by reading professional journals, attending conferences, clinic seminars and teleconferences and materials distributed through VA and private sector sources. May develop a library of caregiver support respite materials for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings in VISN 17. Educational materials will be specific to the population serviced in the clinic (i.e., Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease in the general and geriatric settings and PTSD and TBI information in the general, Post-9/11, post-deployment and Polytrauma settings). Responsible for ensuring caregivers have valid respite authorizations and assisting with coordinating services. Will be a SME for respite funding including, but not limited to ensuring appropriate payment authority is requested and assigned as well as developing a budget tracking tool and process for VISN 17 Medical Centers. May be assigned other duties as assigned and will use lean systems thinking for continuous process improvement. Work Schedule: Fulltime, Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Available - Monday thru Thursday or Tuesday thru Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Available with 1-2 days anchor clinic days. Telework: Available with 1-2 days anchor clinic days. This position is authorized for telework but has not been authorized as virtual or remote (i.e., the must be able to work at the location the position is being announced for). VA supports the use of telework to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit position"]
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.