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 eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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:

• The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9) - as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 - enacted November 1 - 2000
• To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA - all applicants must meet the following: a
• 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)
• b
• 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 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of the candidates
• Senior Social Worker - GS-12 (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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
• Preferred Experience: Working in interdisciplinary teams - brief evidence-based interventions - and brief/focused assessments
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit full performance level of this vacancy is 12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: This position is located in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - Southeast Network (VISN 7) - VA Augusta Health Care System (VAAHCS) in Augusta - GA located in the Mental Health Service
• The Senior Social Worker serves as the Disruptive Behavior Committee (DBC) Coordinator within the Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) for the Mental Health Service
• Major Duties include but not limited to: Program Coordination and DBC Operations - Serves as the coordinator for the Disruptive Behavior Committee - organizing and facilitating regular meetings - case reviews - and follow-up activities
• - Ensures timely review of reports involving disruptive or high-risk Veteran behavior
• - Tracks and monitors patients with behavioral flags - orders of behavioral restriction (OBRs) - or other risk indicators
• - Coordinates communication between clinical teams - police - leadership - and other stakeholders involved in risk management
• Clinical Assessment and Risk Management - Conducts comprehensive psychosocial and behavioral risk assessments for Veterans exhibiting disruptive or potentially violent behaviors
• - Develops and coordinate individualized risk mitigation and behavioral management plans
• - Provides crisis intervention - de-escalation consultation - and safety planning
• - Supports clinical teams in managing complex behavioral presentations across care settings
• Consultation and Interdisciplinary Collaboration - Provides consultation to providers - staff - and leadership regarding disruptive behavior - risk assessment - and management strategies
• - Collaborates with mental health - primary care - inpatient - police - and administrative services to ensure coordinated responses
• - Participates in facility-level workplace violence prevention efforts and committees
• Program Oversight and Quality Improvement - Monitors compliance with VHA policies related to disruptive behavior and workplace violence prevention
• - Participates in program evaluation - data tracking - and performance improvement initiatives
• - Assists in developing or refining policies - procedures - and workflows related to behavioral risk management
• Education and Training - Provides training and education to staff on de-escalation techniques - behavioral risk factors - and workplace violence prevention strategies
• Documentation and Compliance - Maintains accurate and timely documentation of DBC activities - risk assessments - and coordination efforts in accordance with VA policy
• - Ensures adherence to ethical standards - confidentiality requirements - and regulatory guidelines Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation 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
• 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)
• 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 VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 61982F 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.