Summary

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is currently seeking a Social Worker Program Coordinator to serve as a Liaison for one or more Grant and Per Diem (GPD) programs. This individual will be responsible for providing services to - and oversight of - GPD funded community based programs.

Qualifications

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 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 - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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
• 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 GS12 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
• References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Qualification Standards for Social Workers
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties

• The Liaison is responsible for providing services to - and oversight of - GPD-funded community-based programs
• The GPD Liaison must have experience working with community-based providers - be qualified to provide oversight of each program and provide case management for program participants
• The Liaison is responsible for maintaining budgets and overseeing accurate payment to the providers
• The Liaison manages and controls the use of data related to these programs and is also responsible for meeting Performance Measures
• The Liaison is responsible for determining eligibility for each Veteran - which includes clinical judgment as to whether the community-based program is appropriate for the Veteran's specific needs
• Duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Providing services to - and oversight of - the GPD-funded community-based program(s)
• Verifying the Veteran status and eligibility of program participants
• Verifying admission and discharge dates of program participants for billing purposes
• Collecting and submitting GPD-funded program participant data as outlined by the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES)
• Complying with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of Conduct to avoid conflicts of interest in carrying out liaison duties
• Providing oversight of GPD-funded program participants' care and - at times - case management of those participants at sites where organizations are receiving per diem payments
• Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans - which includes: Monitoring the care in and assessing the compliance of the program receiving per diem as outlined in the recipient's original grant application
• Intervening to facilitate compliance - or correction - of the program - when appropriate
• Arranging - when necessary - and coordinating the care
• Linking - when necessary - and referring to VA medical facilities - VA Regional Offices - and/or community agencies
• Intervening - when necessary - and advocating on behalf of the Veteran to fill gaps in the delivery of services The Liaison establishes a continuing relationship with the Veteran - evaluating progress towards goals set by the Veteran and GPD provider
• The incumbent meets Veterans to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals and monitors Veteran's progress - maintains comprehensive documentation - ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment
• Makes recommendations for care and changes to interdisciplinary treatment plan
• Documents independently in the medical records utilizing paper and/or electronic formats - including psychosocial assessments - diagnostics - treatment - progress notes - follow up and referral
• Devises methods of obtaining data and evaluates data to determine the effectiveness of treatment and identifies consistent qualities of successful and unsuccessful treatment
• Serves as liaison
• When appropriate - the incumbent serves as a mentor to other mental health staff and provides guidance to social work associates
• Provides training to students - residents - interns and fellows from other disciplines and when appropriate - may conduct formal workshops and classes for staff under the supervision of the Director - Community Outreach Division
• In addition - The GPD Liaison is expected to: Assemble a team of subject-matter experts for initial and annual inspections
• Forward the findings - of the complete inspection and/or re-inspection requirements to the required offices
• Establish an accurate system of billing with fiscal service and compliant with the business practices of the medical center
• Forward - on a monthly basis - copies of per diem payment vouchers to the GPD Office
• Act as the primary resource for GPD Program information between the GPD-funded program and VA
• Monitor the provider - at least quarterly - throughout the year for compliance to ensure the GPD funded program is being administered as outlined in the grant proposal
• Ensure all HOMES documentation is completed and forwarded to the appropriate recipient
• Attend monthly liaison conference calls
• Engage in coordination with community organizations - organizations - and groups to learn of services or resources available for homeless Veterans as well as provide current information on services and benefits available within the VA system
• Participate in a clinician on duty rotation for the Community Outreach Division Work Schedule: Full time - Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: maybe eligible for Ad Hoc
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement # 92739-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized