Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - Veteran Directed Care

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Social Worker (Program Coordinator) to lead the Veteran Directed Care program. This role plans and coordinates all program elements, delegates work to staff, and ensures adherence to VA Central Office geriatrics standards and policies.

The incumbent will supervise multidisciplinary staff, write program policies, and prepare reports, while guiding the program toward timely, effective service delivery for Veterans and their caregivers.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.
• Licensure/certification to independently practice social work at the master's level as required by state.
• Experience coordinating programs and supervising multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate all elements of the VDC program.
• Delegate work to staff and monitor program performance.
• Develop policies, procedures, and guidelines for the program.
• Prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use.
• Provide leadership, orientation, and continuing education to staff.

Skills

Program coordination

Policy development

Staff supervision

Time management

Education

Master's in Social Work (CSWE-accredited)

Job description

The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) serves as the program coordinator of the Veteran Directed Care (VDC) program. The incumbent is delegated responsibility for planning and coordination of all elements of the VDC program, including delegation of work to staff assigned to the program. The incumbent is responsible for independently assuring that VA Central Office Geriatrics and Extended Care program standards and policies are adhered to in a timely and effective manner.

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).
• 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 and Education Requirement

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 Requirement

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

• (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.

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 GS12 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.

Preferred Experience

Prior experience with Care in the Community and care Coordination Veteran directed Care experience. Demonstrated experience working with interdisciplinary teams and community partners. Social work experience, preferably in health care or with veterans.

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 incumbent must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require travel to the community to meet with Veterans and caregivers, or with community agencies and partners who aid and/or help its Veterans, and caregivers. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.