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Social Worker (Program Manager of Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
West Palm Beach VA Medical Center
This job announcement has closed

Summary

*****Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be offered to highly qualified candidate(s).*****

The Social Worker Program Manager works full time in the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service (MH&BSS) at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center. MH&BSS currently operates multiple recovery based programs in addition to a 25 bed acute care psychiatry unit and a 60 bed General Domiciliary.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/29/2024 to 11/13/2024
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$137,648 to - $178,945 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
West Palm Beach, FL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBTC-12587598-25-JW
Control number
816588000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to ALL US Citizens, including ALL Current Permanent Federal Employees, Current Permanent Department of Veterans Affairs (Agency - VHA, VBA, NCA) Employees; and Current Permanent West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System (Facility) Employees. Facility Employees will have FIRST consideration, followed by Agency Employees, Federal Employees, and then US Citizens. Note: Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference for this job announcement.

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Duties

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Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Functioning as the Social Worker Program Manager of MH&BSS under the Supervision of the Associate Chief of Staff MH&BSS and will be expected to carry a clinical caseload.
  • Responsible for oversight and direct supervision of all Mental Health Service Program Managers, disciplines Chiefs, and the Domiciliary Chief.
  • Overseeing the mental health care provided to our Veterans throughout the continuum of mental health programs. This includes the quality review of care provided, review of performance measures (SAIL and BHIP) and interquel criteria.
  • Ensuring all performance measures are being met appropriately and working with the respective areas to develop action plans to meet their targeted improvement.
  • Addressing and resolving programmatic changes as it impacts the overall functioning of the services to best meet the treatment needs of Veterans and to promote efficient best practices.
  • Working with respective managers/supervisors he/she oversees to ensure there is coordination of services offered along the treatment continuum in Mental Health.
  • Responding to time sensitive needs of the Veterans via Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS), Congressional, and/or White House complaints and ensuring the clinical needs of the Veteran have been addressed timely and comprehensively.
  • Ensuring timely resolution of credentialing needs (FPPE/OPPE), call schedules, and ensuring Pay for Performance are completed timely for psychiatrists in the Service.
  • Continuing to develop and expand the education programs within Mental Health.
  • May be called upon to oversee and/or participate in clinical research in a relevant area of inquiry and/or participates in program evaluation pertinent to the clinical effectiveness of treatment programs.
  • May be involved, individually, or with program support, in collating and reporting program related data. May be expected to manage and lead in collaboration with Service Chief of MH&BSS.
  • During emergency situations such as a hurricane, the incumbent will be expected to work until the emergency has resolved.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate subject to approval, available funding, and in accordance with agency policy.
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: Yes - as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS), excluding Appraised Value Offer (AVO), is authorized.

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf

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.
  • 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.
  • English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
  • 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.
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 meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

GS-14 Social Worker (Program Manager) candidates must have the following:
  • Experience/Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS- 13 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Individual 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.
While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position:
  1. Skill in large scale program coordination and administration across multiple sites, which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
  2. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
  3. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.
  4. Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.
  5. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action.
  6. Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
  7. Skill in developing policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program and in participating in national program development.
  8. Ability to collaborate with internal VHA partners, locally and on a national level, as well as external community partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty.

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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.
4. All other applicants.

Note: Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference for this job announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, 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.

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