Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Summary

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.

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Duties

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The incumbent is a GS-12 Social Worker, Program Coordinator, oversees social work sections in Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Mental Health Triage and the Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (2B) at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison WI. The Mental Health Department serves over 9,000 Veterans per year throughout the Madison VAMC facility network and has a 14-bed locked inpatient psychiatric unit. Incumbent performs supervisory and program coordination duties to ensure effective and efficient social work services are delivered to Veterans and their families in PCMHI, Mental Health Triage and/or 2B. Within these program areas, the healthcare, psychosocial, psychological, and care coordination needs of Veterans are complex and require a high level of clinical oversight and creative problem-solving. The Social Work Program Coordinator serves as the recognized expert in the delivery of Mental Health Social Work services to Madison VA Veterans. As an integral member of multiple treatment teams, the incumbent must demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills and strong advocacy on behalf of Veterans, providers, and other stakeholders.

Duties include but not limited to:

Supervise Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Mental Health Clinic Triage and 2B Acute Inpatient Psychiatric unit Social Work Service (SWS) staff. Develop and monitor appropriate performance targets and complete all supervisory tasks related to performance, productivity, and staffing.

- Complete all tasks related to recruiting and hiring staff for any vacancies.

- Provides clinical services within assigned areas of oversight when appropriate and as needed. Delivers clinical services, within scope of practice, in other social work program areas as directed by the supervisor and based on the needs of Social Work Service.

- The incumbent will participate in other special duties and projects as assigned by the Mental Health Social Work Program Coordinator and/or Chief Social Work Service.

- Incumbent provides daily consultation with staff to ensure standardized quality of care.

- The incumbent will monitor overall workload levels and disseminate work proportionately. Report to the Mental Health Social Work Program Coordinator (GS-13) when resources are needed.

- Develops, implements, monitors, and evaluates the delivery of services by staff, inclusive of quality documentation in the EHR.

- Initiates, implements, and monitors performance improvement projects as needed with approval from supervisor and social work service Chief.

- Develops and maintains effective systems of accountability for direct reports. Engages in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, including EEO, Human Resources, Employee and Labor Relations, AFGE Union Representatives, and Work-Life Balance programs, when applicable and in accordance with VA policy and established procedures.

- Serves as the Mental Health Social Work Program Coordinator (GS-13) designee and provides supervisory coverage for other social work program areas when necessary.

- Actively participates in developing, implementing and monitoring standardized services across the entire Madison VAMC catchment region.

- Responsible for establishing and maintaining working relationships within and between departments within the VA and agencies and providers external to the VA.

- Participates in relevant conference calls and/or meetings as assigned.

- Takes responsibility for improving professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes and participating in training programs as needed or assigned.

- Provides feedback to Service Chiefs, Program Coordinators and Team Leaders, distributes and manages workflow, ensures compliance with program standards, and keeps supervisor informed about the program's progress in meeting relevant performance goals.

- Provide leadership in the development of a healthy work team culture that is inclusive, responsive and strives to improve individual, team, or organizational performance to better serve the Veteran population.

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker :

Work Schedule : Typically Monday -Friday 8:00-4:30PM, 8:30-5:00PM or 7:30-4:00PM (Saturday shift rotation (8:00AM-12:00PM) and/or evening shifts may be required depending on Veteran and clinic need.).

Compressed/Flexible : Compressed tours and adjustments in tours of duty will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Telework : This is an onsite position with ad-hoc telework when it meets the needs of the Social Work Service Department and/or Mental Health Service Department.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 10081F

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: You must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 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 seriesin VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work atthe master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to
• Exception - For assignments at the GS-9 level, VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker.

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): Grandfather Provision. A Social Worker employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (9/10/2019) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

• Employees 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 journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
• 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 who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Grade Determinations : Social Worker (Program Coordinator) GS-0185-12

Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Experience Requirement: You must possess 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.

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: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

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

Physical Requirements: Position requires walking throughout the clinic and the Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams.

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: 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:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.