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Duties for the Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - Medical Foster Home are as follows:
The Medical Foster Home (MFH) Program Coordinator is a senior level position capable of practicing at the advanced level and has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to dementias, chronic illnesses, traumatic brain injuries and care for the older adult and caregiver. Incumbent should have at least 2 years' experience in an area of specialized social work practice and licensed or hold certification in a state at the independent practice level.

The incumbent is responsible for maximizing psychosocial quality of life issues in order to assist veterans to remain in their home or in a less restrictive level of care other than a nursing home and avoid hospitalization as often as possible. The incumbent serves veterans who tend to have serious, frequent, and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, have poor self-monitoring and advocacy skills; inability to understand and follow instructions and treatments; have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing psychosocial and medical support.
Incumbent serves as program coordinator and is administratively responsible for the Medical Foster Home Program. Coordinator manages the daily operation of the program and provides direct Veteran-centric services in the program area. Responsibilities include the daily operation of the program, developing policies and procedures for program operation and preparing reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding day-to-day functioning and program evaluation.

Main functions include (and are not limited to) the following:

• Oversee program development, recruitment, and development of the foster homes, recruitment and admission of veteran residents, case management, development of policies and care processes, and coordination with HBPC interdisciplinary treatment teams.
• Market the model of care and reach out to community groups and agencies to promote the program.
• Work closely with the VHA Public Affairs office and serve as a mentor to the other VA MFH program specialists and colleagues.
• Utilize national Directive, application forms, tools, etc.
• Provide oversight during monthly unannounced visits t the MFH and address concerns.
• Establish intake processes and oversight responsibilities.
• Provide training to caregivers, students, residents, interns and fellows from other disciplines.
• Utilize extensive knowledge of medical center policies, procedures and regulations within VHA and VBA.
• Physically assist disabled veterans.
• Receive and complete consults on complex and difficult cases that must be documented independently in the medical records which will include assessments, diagnostics, treatment, etc.
• Interview and conduct psychosocial assessments and interviews while interpreting and explaining VA treatment and benefit programs
• Develop assessment of the veteran in collaboration with various treatment teams and veteran families. Assessment will include home visit and development of treatment plans
• Collection and review of data, assessments and usage of advanced clinical training, insight and experience to interpret data and identify viable treatment options
• Develop psychosocial treatment plans in collaboration with HBPC interdisciplinary team, including goals for treatment by using available resources and tools.
• Provide independent consultation and make recommendations to the interdisciplinary team on course of treatment.
• Establish a continuing relationship with the foster home caregiver, veteran and families involved to evaluate progress towards goals and adjust treatment plans as appropriate.
• Monitor progress and maintain comprehensive documentation and ensure expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders.
• Provide the patient, caregiver and family members with ongoing supportive counseling to mitigate the psychological impact of coping with the chronic/disabling illness, onset and or death.
• The incumbent will assist patient/and/or caregivers in coping and dealing with the loss and grief experienced in chronic illness, terminal illness, and death.
• Make rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans to maintain the veteran in a medical foster home while following the MFH national Directive and medical center policies; and inform any interdisciplinary team members of any concerns with the patient and/or caregiver.
• Provide On Call social work services according to facility policy.
• Practice independently and at an advanced level and independently gathers relevant information to guide practice, including community social work standards. Consult with the supervisors as needed.
• Other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | To be discussed
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.

1. Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring
2. Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program
3. Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program
4. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s)
5. Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice

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.

The incumbent may be required to travel between VA and/or Non-VA clinical care sites and possession of a valid driver's license may be required.

Applicants must:
a. Possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license,
b. Have a safe driving record, and
c. Demonstrate that they are medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.

The applicant will be required to provide their license at the time of interview and a clean driving record report from the DMV during the online onboarding process.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39

Physical Requirements: Work demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, carrying light items and driving, transporting of patients in Government issued vehicle. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects, such as medical records. See VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.