Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Summary

This position is the Coordinator for the Contract Nursing Home (CNH) providing oversight of all VA paid nursing home care. This role serves as the Contract Officer Representative (COR) for the Community Nursing Homes Program and serves as the programs Subject Matter Expert (SME). This role assumes the administrative and technical responsibility for the development of contracts with nursing homes which provide services for the Community Nursing Home (CNH) program.

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Duties

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assuring the placement of Veterans into the CNH program meets VA administrative and clinical eligibility requirements. Work directly with VAMC Registered Nurse and Social Worker assigned to monitor the clinical care provided to place Veterans
• Develop and implement information systems to track a current list of active participants in the program to enable tracking of service activities, utilization of services and other functions.
• Evaluate program progress and outcomes and utilize data to continuously modify and improve the program and processes
• Assure that the annual VA CNH and program reviews are completed as set forth in VA policy and must have a good knowledge of Centers for Medicare/Medicaid standards concerning CNH programs
• Serve as the Contracting Officer Representative(COR) for the CNH program
• Assure that quality assurance related to these programs is within program parameters.
• Assure the reporting and investigating of sentinel/adverse events by program staff as necessary
• Respond to Congressional Inquiries and complete issue briefs related to provision of care within the CNH program
• Assist the VISN5 Contracting Specialist by meeting the requirements of the COR role in the recruitment and oversite of contracts
• Ensure that the contracts and agreements adhere to all current VHA Directives, State Licensure Standards and VA-OIG expectations. Conducts intensive review and appraisals of the programs to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies
• Reporting to the CNH Oversight Committee and responsible for providing the appropriate data to make sound clinical judgements concerning CNH continued status within the program
• Provide informal and formal education to the VA staff and contracted agencies on any changes in VA policy concerning their specific programs
• Recruitment of nursing homes when needed and funding is available, requiring knowledge and understanding of federal and state standards related to nursing home and non-institutional care programs
• Daily receipt of Community Nursing Home (CNH) consults within prescribed policy time frames
• Daily processing of CNH consults as delegated authority to facilitate authorization of care
• Investigating all NCH complaints and visiting CNH facilities as needed to follow up on identified concerns
• Completing required monthly tasks to ensue appropriate billing requirements
• Coordinating contracts with other VA systems to authorize placement of Veterans under contract as needed.

Work Schedule : Full-time, 8:00am-4:30pm; Monday-Friday

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

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 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 # : 517-260341-F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation
• 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 : 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 : Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

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

• Case Management of residents in Community Nursing Home settings

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

Physical Requirements: This position will require the ability to operate a motor vehicle. Must be able to perform light lifting, under 15 pounds in addition to a mix of prolonged sitting or standing as necessary completing assigned tasks such as community outreach, driving over two hours, completing extended sedentary computer tasks. The work environment will be inside and outside, must have the ability to walk up outside stairs and on slippery or uneven walking surfaces.

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.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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.