The Medical Foster Home (MFH) Coordinator is a social worker who is responsible for maximizing psychosocial quality of life issues by assisting veterans with an option of long term care that is less restrictive than a nursing home and that decreases their need for hospitalization.
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/. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: SOCIAL WORKER (PROGRAM COORDINATOR), GS-12 Experience/Education: The candidate must have at 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. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. Licensure/Certification: 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, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.(b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.(c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.(d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).(e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.(KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level). Preferred Experience: Experience in Home Care and/ or Geriatrics. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), light lifting (under 15 pounds), moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, operation of crane, truck, tractor, or motor vehicle, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted), hearing without aid, mental and emotional stability. Ability to independently operate a motor vehicle. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services).
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The MFH Coordinator duties include but are not limited to: (1) Providing oversight and coordination of the CAVHS Medical Foster Home program. The incumbent is in charge of program development, recruitment, and development of the foster homes, recruitment and placement of veteran residents, case management, development of policies and care processes, and coordination with HBPC interdisciplinary treatment teams. (2) Selecting of homes and residents, establishing intake processes, oversight responsibilities, and maintaining a record-keeping system for the program. (3) Marketing the model of care and provides outreach to community groups and agencies to promote the foster care program. Incumbent serves as a mentor to other VA MFH coordinators, social workers, and other interested health care providers. (4) Providing education to caregivers, students, residents, interns and fellows from other disciplines regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a medical foster home. Topics include but are not limited to caregiver and family issues and the impact of psychosocial issues and problems of the veteran in a medical foster home. (5) Have extensive knowledge of medical center policies and procedures, as well as VHA and VBA regulations applicable. (6) Assisting physically disabled veterans. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects, such as medical records. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable diseases common of the client population. Some work is performed outside the medical center campus, where the environment cannot be controlled. (7) Providing analysis and evaluation of the clinical program data to identify trends and needs to enhance the quality of the service. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): not authorized 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 #: 598-01259-FPermanent Change of Station (PCS): not authorized