Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - Suicide Prevention 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.

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
• 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 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
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• 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: GS 12 Program Coordinator (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(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
• (4) 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 GS 12 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.] References: VA Handbook 5005/120 - Part II - Appendix G39 (Social Worker Qualification Standard) For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent serves as Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) for the Harry S
• Truman Memorial Veteran's Hospital (HSTVA) Suicide Prevention Program (SPP)
• Suicide Prevention Coordinators are responsible for implementing the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention's (OMHSP) National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide at the local level
• The OMHSP calls upon Suicide Prevention Coordinators to serve as Subject Matter Expert and Point of Contact in all matters related to Veteran suicide for their respective catchment areas
• The incumbent fulfills this requirement for the main Columbia VA Medical Center campus - eight outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as well as in the wider communities across 43 counties in Missouri and one in Illinois
• Duties may include: Serving as facility subject matter expert and point of contact for matters related to suicide - including prevention - intervention - and postvention efforts - education - outreach and suicide behavior and death reporting
• collaboration with other SPCs within the medical center - Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) - and nationally to share best practices and accurately documenting services rendered clinically and programmatically to improve the Suicide Prevention Program overall
• Implements and monitors facility compliance with various programs and initiatives required by OMHSP for all VA Medical Centers - including (but not limited to): Suicide Prevention in the Emergency Department (SPED) - the High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flag (HRS-PRF) process - VA Suicide Risk Identification Strategy (RISK ID) (universal screening - evaluation and safety planning requirements) - Financial Assistance for High Risk Veterans - Post Discharge Engagement - Postvention Program - Environment of Care - Caring Communications mailing program - Behavioral Health Autopsy program - and others as defined by OMHSP
• The SPC position is recommended to be 90% administrative
• OMHSP requires that SPCs manage - administrate - and support enhanced care delivery for all Veterans who receive a Patient Record Flag Category 1 - High Risk for Suicide Flag (PRF-HRS)
• The incumbent is responsible for reviewing all referrals for a PRF-HRS - making a determination regarding PRF-HRS eligibility - monitoring related metrics for enhanced care delivery requirements - and supporting providers in providing assessment - treatment - and safety planning for those Veterans determined to meet criteria for PRF-HRS placement
• The incumbent will provide similar access and referral services to Veterans encountering VHA care via other important touchpoints - such as Community Care emergency room visits - referrals from Contract Examination Vendor clinicians completing C&P exams in which Veterans report suicidal ideations - and referrals from the Eligibility and Enrollment and Patient Advocate offices Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30pm 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 View email address on careers.biausa.org - 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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 VAI Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.