Location: Columbia, South Carolina, South Carolina
Salary: Open
Categories:
Mental Health/Social Services
Internal Number: 819991900
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 (1) Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level (example below). 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Preferred experience with coalition building and/or non-profit agencies. Experience with Veterans or military populations. The CEPC holds a Masters in Public Health from a program accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). 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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. ["Total Rewards for an Allied Health Professional: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Total Rewards of a Social Worker: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for providing strategic guidance directed toward improving the quality of mental health care for over one and a half million Veterans nation-wide. The Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) is focused on the full implementation of VA's National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018) and the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) Clinical Practice Guideline for Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide. Suicide Prevention (SP 2.0) Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator (CEPC) positions focus on connecting, developing, and coordinating suicide prevention efforts at the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), state, local, and federal level. The Social Worker (Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator) (CEPC) is responsible for community capacity development for suicide prevention by serving in a leadership and support role in communicating with and organizing community partners and coalitions to implement suicide prevention programs aimed at reducing Veteran suicide at the community, state, and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) levels. The CEPC serves as a seasoned communicator content matter expert for suicide prevention and public health and facilitates integration of suicide prevention education throughout the community by developing and organizing community partners and coalitions aimed at reducing Veteran suicide at the state and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level. The CEPC is a subject matter expert (SME) in communication, with a specific focus on suicide prevention. The CEPC promotes a public health approach to suicide prevention. The CEPC does not function in a clinical capacity or provide clinical services in the scope of the CEPC position. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Develops and writes communication products that articulate VA's National Strategy for Suicide Prevention to support the development of community coalition. Oversees outreach to educate community partners, the media, VA and other government stakeholders (including Members of Congress) to enhance the development of suicide prevention coalitions. Identifies the specific needs and interests of each group, determines the strategy for providing information, and tailors the communications to be effective to each group. Monitors feedback and adjusts the communication and education plans accordingly. Develops, facilitates, and strengthens Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention at the community, state, and VISN levels. Connects VA programs and stakeholders-including, but not limited to, Veterans, Veteran Service Organizations, congressional staff, media, community business partners, and community members throughout the health care system and VISN catchment areas- to conduct community-based interventions and provide outreach and education on suicide prevention related topics and services. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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: Teleworks 1-2 days per pay period Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 58404F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.