Clarification from the agency

OPEN TO CURRENT PERMANENT VA EMPLOYEES ONLY NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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• Develops and implements information systems to track services including visits, referrals, inpatient days, patient demographics, and patient satisfaction.
• Provides programmatic guidance including technical and clinical assistance to other staff in the Suicide Prevention Program.
• Responsible for data collection and monthly reports on all veterans who have had a recent suicide attempt and monitors the completion of the Suicide Behavior Report by other providers.
• Responsible for data collection, administrative record keeping, monitoring of patient or program clinical indicators, and performance measurements.
• The Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator, in coordination with the rest of the provider staff, interprets and implements the philosophy and goals of the Mental Health Service and the program to which they are assigned to others in the work setting; functions within established guidelines and demonstrates the ability to work effectively and develop sound relationships with their patients, other caregivers, professional staff and supportive personnel who provide patient care.
• Develops and implements an ongoing education plan for providers, veterans, families, and members of the community on risk factors and warning signs for suicide, and treatment options.
• Assures that all of these patients have a 24-hour resource number to call and ways to get assistance if an immediate crisis should occur.
• Provides referrals to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services or other non-VA entitlement programs.
• Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and the need for services.
• Serve veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, or an inadequate community support network, those that frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment or have significant deficits in coping and require continuing professional psychosocial support.
• Participates in the assignment of veterans to treatment teams and programs.
• Consults with other specialists in planning treatment for veterans and with co-morbidities.
• Develops working relationships with other organizations having responsibility for the same patient population.
• Maintains a current and productive network of referral resources.
• Monitors veteran's progress, and maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment.
• Make recommendations for and changes to treatment plans with coordination from other providers and programs.
• Responds to consults from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and coordinates the follow up care for these veterans and families.
• Responsible for reviewing all veterans whose charts have been flagged due to being at risk for self-harm.
• Assuring that all veterans on the facility tracking list are being followed closely by the appropriate provider on a regular basis as determined by the coordinator and the provider.
• Works with community resources such as VSO's and other community groups to assure that they are aware of how to recognize Veterans at risk for suicide and their options for getting these Veterans assistance via community outreach events.
• Provides orientation and on-going training for interdisciplinary team members and conducts staff development programs for mental health service and takes responsibility for providing opportunities to help staff update their mental health professional practice skills and acquire new knowledge in contemporary treatment modalities.
• Evaluates his/her practice on an on-going basis through participation I professional peer review, case conference, research studies, or other organized means. Is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment.
• Serves as a mentor to other Social Workers, particularly those at the entry level and to Social Work graduate students.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4:00PM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 10146F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

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:

Citizenship: Be a 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).
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/.
English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-12 Grade Requirements:
Experience/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 provide supervision for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
• Knowledge and ability to wrote 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.

Reference: Meets the qualification standard for the GS 12 Social Work Program Coordinator as defined in See Handbook 5005, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard GS 185 Veterans Health Administration.

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.

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.