Licensed Master Social Worker

Ddsoo Placement Liaison

The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) provides high-quality, person-centered services, supports and advocacy to approximately 136,000 individuals with developmental disabilities in New York State. OPWDD operates 6 Developmental Disabilities State Operations Offices (DDSOO) throughout the state with each DDSOO being responsible for the direct provision of state-operated services within predefined geographic locations.

The Division of State Operations is responsible for overseeing the six Developmental Disabilities State Operations Offices (DDSOOs) delivering direct supports and services to over 6,000 recipients in OPWDD operated Supervised and Supportive Individualized Residential Alternatives, Intermediate Care Facilities, and Secure Care Campus Programs. More than 12,000 individuals are served in Day Habilitation Programs, Family Care, Article 16 Clinics, Supportive Employment, Pathways to Employment, Free Standing and In Home Respite, as well as Community Habilitation Services.

The DDSOO Placement Liaison will function within the Placement Coordination Unit (PCU). The incumbent in this position will report to the DDSO Placement Unit Coordinator and will perform duties primarily dedicated to facilitation of transitioning individuals from ITOs, Residential Schools and other specialized settings into State Operated, Community Based residential programs. They will monitor and track internal movements within state operations to assist in identifying placement for age out students, individuals placed in temporary settings, including hospitals, individuals facing imminent homelessness and return to district individuals coming from ITO programs or incarceration. The incumbent will also assist with identifying step-down opportunities for individuals in short-term placements such as CATHs and the ETU. These duties and responsibilities are in alignment with OPWDD's efforts to identify the most appropriate settings for individuals who need State Operations level of care. The liaison will also assist in facilitation of alternate placement for lesser needs individuals into voluntary provider agencies, family care, non-certified housing, and self-direction.

Duties will consist primarily of the following:

• Work closely with the Central NY and Broome Placement Coordinators to monitor information gathering and input of district specific vacancies within state operated residences.
• Participate in the screening individuals transitioning from specialized settings seeking placement within state operated homes and review the screening report forms submitted to the Regional Field Office.
• Maintain a good working knowledge of the layouts, populations, and capacities of DDSOO Region 2 sites as well as which homes have specialized supports and what additional services are located nearby.
• Track internal and external movements in a statewide database, ensuring vacancy information is complete and available in a timely manner.
• Oversee the coordination of emergency placements throughout DDSOO Region 2.
• Attend AROC and Age Out meetings related to placement of individuals directly.
• Work closely with specialized liaisons to monitor referrals directly to state operated residences or specialized settings, i.e. CATH's and ETU
• Functions as the liaison between the district coordinators and Placement Unit Coordinator.
• Utilize available data systems including TABS, EHR, SharePoint and related to generate routine, and ad hoc reports to meet the PCUs needs.
• Act as the PCCFMU ICF Specialist, including support for the ETU and SOICF's statewide.

Position will be located within Oneida County. Telecommuting to be discussed at interviews.

Open Competitive: license and current registration as a Licensed Master Social Worker in New York State.

Transfer: Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/c status in the posted title and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1, 70.4, or 52.6 of Civil Service Law. The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). HELPS Program titles may be filled via a non-competitive appointment. This means that you do not need to take an exam to qualify, but you do need to meet the minimum qualifications of the title. At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), employees hired under NY HELPS are expected to have their permanent non-competitive employment status converted to permanent competitive status. You will not have to take an exam to gain permanent competitive status.

If you are currently a New York State employee serving in a permanent competitive qualifying title and eligible for a transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law, you may be appointed to this title as a permanent competitive employee.

The assignment of PS&T employees will be made in accordance with any agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding between PEF and the local DDSO regarding the posting of job vacancies.

Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.

All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.

If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit

Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).

If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io to obtain information and RA forms.

Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.

Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.

Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.

Life insurance and Disability insurance.

The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.

Paid Holidays and Leave:

• Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.
• Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.
• Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.
• Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave each year (PEF/CSEA), which may carry over from year to year.
• Up to three (3) days professional leave each year to participate in professional development events.

Health Care Coverage:

Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

Paid Parental Leave:

Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

Retirement Program:

Participate in The NYS Employees' Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

Professional Development and Education and Training:

NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit

Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit

OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for