Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Summary The Social Work Program Coordinator for the Veteran Directed Care (VDC) and Palliative Care programs at Wilmington Veterans' Health Care system plays a pivotal role in ensuring comprehensive and compassionate care for Veterans in an inpatient and outpatient settings and encompasses a blend of clinical, administrative and educational responsibilities to support the delivery of care and services across the continuum, emphasizing comfort care and seamless coordination between various care settings. Responsibilities As the Social Worker (Program Coordinator) for the VDC program, the incumbent is responsible for all programmatic, administrative, and placement-related issues in these contracted care programs. This includes being the team leader for all annual inspections, ensuring contracted agencies are within State, Federal, and VA regulations, weekly inter-disciplinary team meetings, and assisting with any congressional inquiries and problem areas within each of these programs. Duties and Responsibilities include: Clinical Services: Perform case management, consultation, referrals, and education for geriatric and palliative care patients. Provide a full range of professional Social Work services to Veterans and their families served by the palliative care team. Engage in the efficient and appropriate delivery of care across different episodes and settings, including the palliative care unit. Conduct on-site facility visits, direct clinical services, and problem-resolution regarding patient care issues, requiring community driving. Program Coordination and Administration: Oversee and manage the VDC and Palliative Care programs, ensuring compliance with VA guidelines, state, and federal regulations. Develop, coordinate, select, and evaluate program goals, standards, policies, and procedures to ensure the quality and continuity of care. Plan, establish, and implement procedures for program operations, evaluating outcomes, and improving services. Engage in annual inspections, contract negotiations, and maintaining agreements with community providers. Education and Consultation: Provide education and consultation to WVAMC staff, other VA facilities, and community healthcare providers. Participate in the education of staff on palliative care and the VDC program. Present programs and consider expanding services to meet the needs of Veterans and their families. Data and Performance Management: Manage and control the use of data related to program functioning and evaluation. Carry out program coordination responsibilities under the supervision of the Social Work Service Chief/Supervisor and with input from the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Section Chief. Ensure compliance with Medical Center Memorandums and other relevant guidelines. Liaison and Advocacy: Act as a liaison with community providers, identifying resources to facilitate Veteran access to home and community services. Advocate for Veterans' health, safety, welfare, and satisfaction in receiving community services. Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings and address any inquiries or problem areas within the programs. The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) is responsible for negotiating, facilitating, and completing basic ordering agreements/contracts for the VDC. Responsible for the development, coordination, selection and evaluation of VDC, implementation and application of VA guidelines to ensure standards maintained promote health, safety, welfare, and satisfaction of the Veteran receiving community services; coordination of annual inspections and appropriate oversight to ensure compliance with all VA guidelines; assurance of optimal qualitative/quantitative clinical program services via interdisciplinary collaboration, program development, and effective utilization of VA/community resources to provide appropriate services and patient advocacy. Performs other duties as assigned VA Careers - Social Work: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST. Compressed/Flexible: 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. Requirements 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. An active Driver's License is required. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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 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 PLEASE NOTE: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, 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 journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. 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 initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Grade Determinations: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-0185-12 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. 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 Specialized Experience. Social workers at this level are assigned to all program areas, specialized experience includes but not limited to: Assesses and documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies. Identifies family/caregiver stressors, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions. Provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans. Conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan. Provides interventions independently with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems to include interventions and treatment modalities which may include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and formulate and implement a treatment plan. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. 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 DRIVING REQUIREMENTS The work is primarily community-based. Consequently, the incumbent must operate a government vehicle to visit Veterans in the community and periodically transport Veterans in the Government vehicle. Incumbent must pass all VHA requirements to operate a government vehicle prior to transporting Veterans. 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.