Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This job is open to current permanent employees of the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center and CBOCs, all other VA employees, and all U.S. Citizens.

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties for this position include, but are not limited to:

• Contacts Veterans assigned to the BHIP team through scheduled and unscheduled encounters, including asynchronous care (e.g., contacting patients based on risk, inactivity, or other factors that suggest care coordination is needed).
• Oversees BHIP team communication, including TEAMs chat within and between the team and other stakeholders involved in patient care and administration.
• Monitors dashboards and reports to ensure timely completion of required screenings and follow-up care (e.g., suicide prevention, post discharge visits)
• Leads BHIP huddle/breakout meetings including adherence to guidelines and expectations for the MH-OPAC (e.g., huddle report review, case conference)
• Engages in communication with Veterans to facilitate care coordination (e.g., no show and clinic cancellation, services offered, resolution of concerns with escalation to or in consultation with MH-OPAC leadership as needed)
• Monitors panel activity and inactivity to ensure appropriate episodes of care and transitions in line with active treatment plans.
• Manages within BHIP team consults, and other consult-related actions as assigned.
• Communicates and ensures adherence to MH-OPAC processes and procedures, including emerging guidance by the MH-OPAC Program Manager.
• Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options.
• Assesses high risk factors, including suicidal and homicidal ideation, as well as, acute needs for VHA or community-based services.
• Completes clinical and psychosocial assessments and screenings identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, abilities, and preferences.
• Provides triage support including notification and assignment to team members either for same day or scheduled appointments.
• Serves as a liaison to touchpoints across the facility (e.g., emergency department, screening areas, primary care mental health integration) to promote best practices in mental health access, engagement, transition, referral, and utilization of a stepped care model.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm. Subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Recruitment Incentive (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 #: 00585F
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 identification 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:

• 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).
  • NOTE: 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.
  • NOTE: 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:

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

Preferred Experience:
Experience with outreaching patients.
Experience using data and reports to inform best practices and guide continuous improvement.
Ability to manage multiple demands efficiently.
Experience working with interprofessional teams.
Experience with models of care utilized in VA (e.g., measurement-based, evidence-based, person-centered, recovery-oriented).
Appreciation for process improvement and program development frameworks (e.g., LEAN)

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-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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:

1st Area of Consideration - current permanent G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center employees;
2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;
3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees;
4th Area of Consideration - current permanent employees of other Federal agencies; and
5th Area of Consideration - 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.