Clarification from the agency

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: This announcement is open to Current Permanent Federal employees. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred in the following order: 1) Current, permanent employees of VA Northern Arizona Health Care System; 2) Current, permanent VHA employees; 3) All other current, permanent Federal employees. If you are NOT a current, permanent federal employee, please apply to job announcement number CBSX-12767087-25-QMD

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Recruitment/Relocation Incentives May be Authorized

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide supportive services and case management services to Veterans seeking SCI services and have a timely response to individuals in psychosocial crisis as well as supporting the behavioral health needs of those in crisis.
• Coordinator will collaborate with the other members of the SCI clinic, and other medical services staff in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, will ensure equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, and collect, develop, and analyze data from this program, using appropriate clinical indicators and monitoring activities to assure that the care provided is of the highest quality.
• Responsible for the implementation of written treatment program policies and procedures developed by Social Work Service that are based on coherent empirical and theoretical rationale and are consistent with patient rights and the maintenance of comprehensive written patient progress notes and outcomes.
• Develops a system to identify SCI patients served by the facility and community who belong in this special disability group. This may involve use of the Spinal Cord Dysfunction (SCD) Registry, Patient Treatment File searches, Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture (VistA) and Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) records, SCD reports and/or Classification reports, Patient Data Exchange, Network Health Exchange, and contacts within the community.
• Serves as the point of contact for all inquiries regarding the SCI program.
• Coordinates an annual comprehensive preventive health evaluation for each enrolled SCI patient at the SCI Center or at an appropriate SCI Outpatient Support Clinic.
• Prepares SCI program reports for the SCI Center, SCI Support Clinic, SHG Group in VA Central Office, Congress, and other stakeholders.
• Develops a procedure for referrals between the SCI Center and local VA and/or community hospitals and facilitates appropriate and timely inter-facility transfers.
• Establishes performance standards for the SCI program that promote quality and efficiency in service to the Veterans in coordination with the overall goals of the medical center and national SCI program.
• Explores and analyzes long-term care placement options in the community, i.e., assisted living facilities, nursing homes, handicapped accessible housing, and state Veterans' homes.
• Manages the daily operation of the SCI program and provides accountability for program effectiveness and modification of service patterns to enhance customer satisfaction.
• Completes psychosocial evaluation and assessment and periodic reassessments of each patient served, which provides a comprehensive social database to identify psychosocial, social, and vocational needs and the appropriate treatment and services to be provided
• Develops and implements realistic and achievable social work treatment plans, as part of the interdisciplinary treatment plans that reflect an ability to effectively use a broad range of treatment modalities.
• Advocates on behalf of the Veteran to ensure that services and benefits are obtained in a timely manner and in keeping with the VA's goal for excellence in customer service.
• Manages and coordinates provision of the following services as appropriate: Activities of Daily Living (ADL); Personal Care Attendant (PCA); Nutritional Management; Prosthetic Appliances; Medical Supplies; Vocational Rehabilitation; Leisure and/or Avocational Interest; Peer Counseling for Families and/or Significant Others; Transportation and Finances; Home Evaluations; Housing Alternatives; and Identification, Development and Utilization of Community Resources.
• Makes home visits to assess the home environment when appropriate to ensure that services are provided that twill enable the Veteran to live safely and independently.
• Must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday: 7:30AM - 4:00PM or 8:00AM - 4:30PM
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be Authorized for highly qualified candidates.
Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be Authorized for highly qualified candidates.
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
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• 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).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.
• 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/.
• 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.

Grade Determinations: GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator).

(1) 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.

(2) 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.

[(3) 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.

(4) 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.]

Preferred Experience: Two years medical patient experience as a Social Worker.

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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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.

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.