Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

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:

Basic Requirements:

1. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
2. 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 tohttp://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
3. 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/.
4. 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
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

• 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 experience working with Veterans.
• Two years of experience working with homeless population.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the Medical Center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending, and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies.

Responsibilities:

This Social Worker (Program Coordinator) position is in Social Work services at the VA Boston Healthcare Systems located at the Brockton location. This is a full-time position at 40 hours per week.

Serves as the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Liaison/Case Manager for the Safe Haven and WORTH Programs, providing clinical case management, program coordination, oversight of community-based homeless Veteran programs, and advocacy services to support homeless Veterans in achieving stability and independence.

• Provides clinical case management services including admission screening, treatment planning, discharge planning, and coordination of care for homeless Veterans participating in the Safe Haven and WORTH Programs.
• Utilizes individual and group treatment modalities, casework, community organization, and outreach activities to address barriers impacting Veterans' ability to achieve independence and housing stability.
• Coordinates with community agencies, organizations, and providers to identify available resources and services for homeless Veterans and maintain collaborative outreach efforts.
• Develops and maintains outreach efforts targeting chronically homeless Veterans, including Veterans with severe mental illness and persistent substance use disorders.
• Monitors community-based funded programs to ensure compliance with Statements of Work (SOW), program regulations, policies, and quality-of-care standards.
• Identifies program deficiencies, facilitates corrective actions, develops monitoring plans, and tracks compliance with corrective action timelines.
• Performs Contracting Officer Representative (COR) responsibilities for assigned programs, as applicable.
• Participates in program planning and development activities by identifying trends, recommending policy or procedural improvements, and assisting with implementation of program enhancements.
• Provides education, consultation, and orientation to staff, students, and interdisciplinary team members regarding psychosocial aspects of homelessness and Veteran care.
• May participate in research, quality improvement initiatives, and data collection activities related to homeless Veteran care and service delivery.
• Ensures compliance with ethical standards, conflict of interest laws, and Executive Branch standards of conduct while performing assigned duties.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible:Not available.
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 Karen Chapman at Karen.Chapman@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).
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 only.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #PDF08562
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized.

Notifications:

• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by a special rate.
• The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

Salary : $417