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.
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part) 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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. Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Grade Determination: 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. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. 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, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 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: Experience in coordinating a program. Experience working independently and employing critical thinking. Data/Budget/Fund Control Experience. Supervisory Experience. Experience addressing complex psychosocial factors. Experience prioritizing multiples tasks and meeting deadlines. 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: The physical demands of this position involve active listening, reading, observing, and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, walking, speaking, documenting clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones, fax machines, and photocopy machines. Light Lifting (20- 11lbs. occasionally; 1Olbs or less frequently); Light Carrying (20-11lbs. occasionally; 10lbs or less frequently); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (1-2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking (up to 3 hours); Standing (up to 3 hours); Repeated bending (up to1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Correctable near sited and far sited vision; Hearing (aid permitted)
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS) Program provides personalized, supportive services to Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors at the end of a Veteran's life and after a Veteran dies, while also ensuring Veterans without identified family receive dignified interments that honor their service. Duties Include but are not limited to the following: Ensures program development, operations, and compliance with VA, VBA, VHA, NCA, Care Management and Social Work (CMSW), and National SAMS Program requirements, guidance documents, and state and federal legislative authorities. Supports health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising, and coordinating health care delivery systems and operations as it pertains to activities necessary to support high quality SAMS Program processes and products. Provides supervision to SAMS Program staff, providing leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development and education regarding the SAMS program. Manages the program's budget, contracts, developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice, standards and guidelines on documentation, workload, data entry, ethical practice, and service delivery. Collaborates with palliative care to promote quality end-of-life care by assisting in developing action plans and process improvements related to quantitative and qualitative reporting from the Bereaved Family Survey. Implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, demographics, and outcomes. Consults with staff and management to identify opportunities for quality improvement and facilitates quality management plan development and implementation. Serves as local subject matter expert for SAMS Program understanding documentation for state and VA process. Provides social work services, such as outreach, education, resources, referrals, and psychosocial interventions to Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and staff who receive services from the program. Addresses physical, mental health, and psychosocial needs to enhance Veterans' wellness, level of functioning, and quality of life. Utilizes various counseling approaches to include, but not limited to conflict resolution, anger management and effective/healthy coping skills. Provides individual and group counseling services, including short-term solution focused psychotherapy and family services. Develops effective and strong relationships with community resources to ensure continuity of care and to promote successful transitions of services Partners with Center for Development & Civic Engagement (CDCE), Chaplain Service, Community Living Center (CLC), Inpatient & Emergency Services, Hospice & Palliative Care, and others to deliver an array of memorial activities. Provides general education, training, and resources about SAMS Program to staff throughout the hospital, community living centers (CLC), and community who provide support to Veterans at the end-of-life and to their family and next of kin (NOK). Contacts next of kin of enrolled Veterans who die in the community. These contacts include providing condolences, offering assistance to navigate Veteran and survivor benefits and services, and to provide referrals to VBA, NCA, Vet Centers, Veteran Service Organizations, and non-VA community resources and organizations. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN17EDRP2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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) 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: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 53864-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized