Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Summary

The Coordinator role practices in the Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation unit and Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D) Program. The Coordinator is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the advanced practice level who has advanced training and knowledge serving a patient population with highly complex medical and functional problems, including but not limited to the physical and psychosocial implications of SCI/D on the Veteran and family; appropriate clinical interventions and etc.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

06/28/2024 to 07/08/2024

• Salary

$99,513 - $129,362 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 12

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Chicago, IL

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

None

• Job family (Series)

0185 Social Work

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Not Required

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CAZP-12462436-24-SB

• Control number

797902500

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This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

1.Current, permanent employees of the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, including CBOCs and VCS employees. 2. Current, permanent employees of the VA Nationwide.

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Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

Administrative Functions

• Establishes collaborative relationships with providers and disciplines across the medical center to foster involvement in care within Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation unit and SCI/D Program.

• Incumbent identifies unmet needs of the SCI/D population and works collaboratively with community agencies.

• Is available to the designated CARF surveyor and/or Joint Commission investigator as necessary for consultative purposes.

• Displays a broader commitment to the needs of veterans not currently using services by attending community forums, participating in veteran-oriented conferences and events, as well as partnering with veteran outreach agencies.

• Provides administrative oversight of program and administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to patients. Develops and implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, patient demographics, and patient satisfaction.

• The incumbent serves as a liaison between the VA and community agencies. Develops and fosters relationships with community partners to assist with system navigation, maintain collaboration and coordinate services. Maintains basic knowledge of local VA medical center programs, community services and VHA SCI/D Central Office initiatives.

• The incumbent stays abreast of current federal and state legislation affecting Veterans with SCI/D, their family members, Caregiver and/or VA employees. The incumbent will maintain a knowledge base of current theory and treatment modalities by reading professional journals, attending conferences, clinic seminars and teleconferences, and materials distributed through VA and private sector sources.

Clinical Care

• Provides assessments, screenings, advance care planning, Goals of Care conversations, resources and referrals, case management and supportive care within their scope of practice to patients admitted in Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Program and enrolled in the SCI/D system at the local facility.

• The incumbent provides case consultation to other inpatient and outpatient social workers with questions pertaining to inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs available within VHA or the community.

• The incumbent independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments within 72 hours of inpatient admission, per program and CARF requirements. The incumbent is expected to communicate information gathered during this assessment to team members of the Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Program to aide in treatment and discharge planning.

• The incumbent ensures that discharge/transition arrangements are completed, ascertains that discharge/transition recommendations are communicated to appropriate stakeholders, and facilitates the implementation of discharge/transition recommendations.

• The incumbent advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center on services, concerns, issues relating to SCI/D. Provides education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and Caregivers. Provides ongoing consultation and support to colleagues regarding working with patients with SCI/D, as well as available services and assistance. Develops and facilitates support groups and educational programs.

• The incumbent provides referrals to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. If appropriate, the incumbent provides referrals or consults to best serve a Veteran including but not limited to the Domiciliary, Inpatient psychiatric treatment, Inpatient Substance Use Treatment Program Community Residential Care Program, Respite Program, Community Health Care Coordination Program, Hospice, Home Based Primary Care, Telehealth, and Community Nursing Home Program

Work Schedule: 8am to 4:30p

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• Subject to background/security investigation.

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

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:

• 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 Master of Social Work. Transcript Required

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/.License must be submitted

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Transcript Required

Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. License must be submitted

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.

• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

• Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.

• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.

• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area

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).

Preferred Experience: Experience working with medically complex population. Experience evaluating high-risk population. Experience facilitating support groups. Experience collecting and tracking data/metrics for program efficacy.

References: September 10, 2019 VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.