Clarification from the agency

This is a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT and is open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020 (COMPACT) Act, Section 201 expands the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)'s ability to furnish and pay for treatment of eligible individuals in acute suicidal crisis. The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) serves as the COMPACT Act Coordinator and has responsibility as the primary navigator for Veterans receiving care under COMPACT Act. This includes coordinating transitions in care for Veterans receiving acute suicide care under COMPACT Act between varying venues of care, types of care (medical and mental health) and location of care (direct care and community care) in collaboration with assigned care coordinators at each step of the Veteran journey. The Social Worker Program Coordinator will be instrumental in providing connection and referral to assist with proper evaluation for eligibility in other programs and is the facility subject matter expert on the COMPACT Act at VA Central Iowa Health Care Systems (CIHCS).

The COMPACT Act Coordinator will also provide mental health services and care coordination to the Veteran population made eligible by the COMPACT Act and serve as a representative of the health care system while reaching out to Veterans in the community, their families, and community partners. Clinical services include provision of high-quality individual crisis intervention (phone or in person), group psychotherapy, suicide risk assessment, safety planning, advocacy, case management of Veterans who are considered at high risk for suicide and facilitating education about the COMPACT Act both within Boise VAMC and the community. All duties will be accomplished in collaboration with other members of the CIHCS suicide prevention program, mental health division, community care, and social work service.

The COMPACT ACT Program Coordinator is responsible for the implementation, coordination and monitoring of the COMPACT Act at the facility. Assigned duties include:

• Utilize program coordination skills to develop and monitor administrative and clinical plans for Veterans receiving COMPACT Act services.
• Oversee daily operations of the program and provides reports and metrics to facility, VISN and VACO as requested.
• Capture and analyze local data trends to inform program development and improvement.
• Collaborate with local facility revenue and finance departments.
• Advocate for Veteran, ensuring they do not receive bills for COMPACT related care.
• Provide education and training on COMPACT Act to internal and external stakeholders as the facility subject matter expert.
• Reviews and develops policies, standard operating procedures, practice guidelines for the program.
• Coordination between health care providers and care managers in direct care and community care.
• Collaborate with interprofessional teams within the VA healthcare system and community to navigate complex care coordination.
• Consultation and negotiation across program areas to ensure appropriate resources are secure in a clinically relevant and timely manner.

The position also includes all functions of a mental health clinical social worker including:

• Screening/Assessment -The social worker will develop an assessment of the Veteran independently and/or in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, and significant others.
• Treatment Planning/Goal Setting -The social worker independently develops or contributes to the development of the mental health treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran and/or family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. The social worker provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to the interdisciplinary team on the course of treatment.
• Documentation/Productivity -The social worker will complete documentation in compliance with appropriate documentation standards.
• Referral to Service Providers -Throughout the course of treatment the social worker is the specialist on VA and/or community resources.
• Resource Usage/Development - The social worker is responsible for using current social work resources and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans.
• Crisis Intervention - The social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for various types of crises including housing emergencies, psychiatric, suicide, and other high-risk behaviors or situations.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.
• 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:
(a)Citizenship. 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) English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

(c) Education and Experience. 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.

(d) 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).

GS-12 GRADE REQUIREMENTS:
(a) 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. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. 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.

(b) 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.

(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (document with written demonstration of each of the KSAs must be included with application, see required documents section):

• 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.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

How you will be evaluated

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

Eligible applications will be reviewed in the following order:

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

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.