Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Hiring for Social Worker-Program Coordinator at Grand Junction, Colorado Full Time

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Responsibilities Principal Duties & Responsibilities Manages, plans, implements, monitors, & evaluates the delivery of services within Patient Flow for the VA Western Colorado Health Care System. Coordinates interdisciplinary staffing, work assignments, budget, treatment services provided, & admission criteria for all assigned programs. Identify areas for improvement, gather relevant data, & assess the data. Prepares the goals for each new fiscal year & reports on outcomes regularly. Develops a systematic plan for reviewing & appraising the effectiveness of the Patient Flow service in accordance with VA, VISN, VACO & local facility policy & procedures. Participates in program development & other special duties & projects as assigned by the Chief, Care Management & Social Work. Provides supervisory leadership for CLC Social Worker, Palliative Care Social Worker, Acute Care/ED Social Worker, Transfer RN, General Rehabilitation Social Worker, Polytrauma Social Work, & RN Discharge Coordinator. Provides Social Work Practice Expertise & Technical Assistance Provisions case management services. Assist staff with technical expertise & guidance for patients with unusual or complicated medical & mental health conditions, risk factors, & ethical or legal circumstances. Address the most difficult, challenging, complex, & acute patient care needs encountered in the Medical Center treatment areas & communities served. Coordinate & collaborate with the facility level case management teams. Establish collaborative relationships with physicians, psychologists, pharmacists, & other disciplines. Advocate on behalf of case management services & facilitate communication with facility executive leadership on case management strengths & challenges. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to assess case management composition, structure & services to identify promising practices & gaps in case management services. Identify opportunities to enhance communication, collaboration & coordination across the care continuum. Education, Coaching, Consultation, & Mentoring Directs/coordinates clinical & psychosocial services. Modifies services to best meet the treatment needs of veterans & to promote efficient practice. Directs activities to maximize effectiveness, efficiency & continuity of care for veterans. Provides case management services to those veterans at high social, psychiatric, or medical risk. Provides orientation & on-going training to social workers and interdisciplinary team members. Conducts staff development programs for social workers. Facilitate &/or coordinates training on nationally recognized case management standards of practice. Promote the benefits of case management certification for facility case managers. Develop & facilitate educational programs informing the Veteran consumer & family members. Develops, plans & facilitates in-service training programs & works with individual staff to identify learning needs. Provides education & training to staff from other disciplines, students, & volunteers. Develops, provides, & participates in interdisciplinary staff education programs & team-building activities. Assesses the need for social work related patient & family education, develops curriculum plans, & provides training. Provides clinical supervision for unlicensed social workers. Supervises Social Work graduate students & provides a training experience for them. Program Evaluation Provides timely & accurate information for reports to the Chief, Care Management & Social Work, & others. Develops & implements program specific guidelines & policies. Keeps staff fully informed at monthly staff meetings of eligibility criteria, relevant services & changes. Identifies problems in service delivery within the programs & takes corrective action. Explains veteran’s treatment & progress to third parties. Manages the quality control & evaluation of the professional services provided. Devises methods of obtaining data & evaluates data to determine the effectiveness of treatment. Coordinates team reviews of medical records & assures that the documentation of the assigned staff reflects the services provided & meets requirements of JCAHO, CARF, VHA, Medical Center and Care Management & Social Work Service documentation policies & standards. Work Schedule: M-F; 08:00AM- 4:30PM Telework: Regularly Teleworks 3+ Days per pay period Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52907-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Micaela Gaytan/Victoria Becoat, [email protected] or [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications 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. -English Language Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). -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/. Grade Determinations: GS-13 Social Worker-Program Coordinator -Experience/Education One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates 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. AND -Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- KSAs In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Skill in coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility. Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action. Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget. Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations. Assignment For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At this grade level, social worker program coordinators oversee the administrative and clinical aspects of a major specialty treatment program, such as, but not limited to: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Home-Based Primary Care, Mental Health Intensive Case Management, Caregiver Support Program or Transition and Care Management Program, or a combination of programs located at one facility or multiple divisions of a facility. They are responsible for coordinating interdisciplinary staffing, work assignments, budget, treatment services provided, and admission criteria for the program. The program coordinator may or may not have supervisory responsibilities. They have full responsibility for all phases of service delivery for a major specialty program. The program coordinator is responsible for the program’s resource and fiscal management, monitoring control points developing the annual budget, operating within that budget, and accounting for appropriated funds. They are administratively responsible for the programming and operations of the program assigned, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. Program coordinators provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned staff. They initiate and conduct program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports, including productivity. Program coordinators oversee program operations and evaluations, identifying areas for improvement, gathering relevant data, assessing the data, developing and implementing ideas for improvement, and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Duties are performed in an office setting and/or on hospital wards and clinics where there is exposure to communicable diseases common of the client population. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.