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. Program 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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/
• Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified - social workers must maintain a full - valid - and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment
• Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment
• 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
• 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
• Assignments: 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
• Program coordinators at the GS-12 grade level are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area - such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury - Homeless Continuum Veteran Program - Hospice and Palliative Care Program - Suicide Prevention Program - Veterans Justice Outreach - Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program
• The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area
• The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program - develop policies and procedures for program operation - and prepare reports and statistics for facility - VISN - and national use
• They may be responsible for the program's budget - developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice - standards and guidelines on documentation - workload - data entry - ethical practice and service delivery
• The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service
• They may be responsible for - or contribute to - the program's resource and fiscal management - monitoring control points developing the annual budget - operating within that budget - and accounting for appropriated funds
• The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility - VISN - and national use
• They provide leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned staff
• They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports - including productivity assessments
• They 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: This work requires light lifting and carrying (under 15lbs) - use of fingers - both hands required - both eyes required - hearing (aid may be permitted) - and emotion and mental stability
• Environmental factors are working outside and inside - unusual fatigue factor with prolonged sitting - working closely with others - and working alone.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Functions Survivors Assistance & Memorial Support (SAMS) 50% Provides personalized - supportive services to families - caregivers - and survivors at the end of a Veteran's life and ensure Veterans without identified family receive dignified burials to honor their service
• Serves as a bereavement coordinator and is responsible for ensuring compliance with SAMS program requirements including but not limited to: Conducts clinical and evaluation processes to ensure survivors of enrolled Veterans receive appropriate outreach and resources
• Establishes connections with National Cemetery Administration (NCA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and local area funeral homes and community entities
• Ensures appropriate notifications of Veterans deaths
• Reviews daily death notifications - submits completed death certificates to designated funeral directors and county registrars office(s)
• Establishes and coordinates processes to ensure dignified burial/interment of Veterans
• Program coordination of daily SAMS operations to include development of policies and procedures - preparing reports and statistics for facility - VISN - and national use and overall program evaluation
• Coordinates a wide range of services related to the program
• Care Coordination & Integrated Case Management (CCICM) 50% Responsible for implementation - coordination - and management of administrative and clinical aspects of the CCICM framework
• It is a specialized - collaborative practice among multiple healthcare professions which provides structure and standards to support inter-professional collaboration throughout the continuum of care and optimal utilization of healthcare resources
• Identified Veterans involved are ensured to receive the most appropriate level of care coordination support
• Aim of CCICM is to provide safe - efficient - and cost-effective interventions integrated throughout the continuum of healthcare
• to improve access to care - reduce duplication and fragmentation of services - ensure adherence to professional standards of practice - and support staff in their work
• Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Coordination and facilitation of coordination review team (CCRT) to integrate communication - collaboration - and coordination when assigning a Lead Coordinator to veterans identified as needing moderate or complex care coordination services
• Coordinate and collaborate with the facility level coordination and case management teams
• Develop and implement facility wide CCICM education and training plans and identify potential areas where care coordination is taking place
• Identify cohorts of veterans across AK VA HCS with the highest opportunity and highest needs
• Manage and coordinate data related to CCICM practice - program improvement - and expansion
• Utilize various dashboards and develop policies and procedures for planning - development - implementation - monitoring - and evaluation of the operations
• Provide Case management consultation and active participant in treatment planning process in support and collaboration with identified lead coordinators
• Chair the Care Coordination & Integrated Care Management Committee (CCICM-C) and preparing reports and statistics
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior work experience or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized