"Alerted.org

Summary The Western NY VA Healthcare system is currently recruiting for a Social Worker - Program Coordinator to serve as the Caregiver Support Program Manager at the Buffalo NY location. The incumbent coordinates program implementation with multiple clinical services across all campus locations within the Western New York VA Health Care System, including but not limited to: nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapists; and mental health and primary care providers. Responsibilities This Social Worker- Program Coordinator position, locally titled Caregiver Support Program (CSP) Manager, provides a state-of-the-art continuum of services, education and resources to caregivers of Veterans with complex needs. The incumbent oversees service delivery and coordination of care activities for family caregivers who provide personal care services to eligible Veterans regardless of period of service. The CSP includes the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) and the Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) at the VA Health Care System. The medical care, mental health, and psychosocial needs of Veterans receiving Caregiver Support Program services are complex, with an increased burden upon their caregivers, requiring a high degree administrative and clinical oversight, advanced technical consultation, creative problem solving and personal mastery skills. The incumbent provides the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff, training of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action. The Social Worker Program Coordinator should have at least two years in an area of specialized social work practice and must be independently licensed or certified by a state to practice at the advanced practice level. Duties include but are not limited to: Establish and maintain an ongoing education program for Veterans, caregivers, community agencies, students, and staff to facilitate understanding of clinical practice guidelines, mental health issues, readjustment issues and psychosocial issues facing caregivers. Develop and facilitate CSP-program focused direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for VA facility staff and the community. Develop and implement plans for outreach to Veterans and Veteran caregivers who may benefit from the CSP program services but who do not presently use VA for their health care needs. This includes outreach to current PGCSS and PCAFC participants to inform of available services. Maintain a current network of referral resources to include peer support mentoring groups, caregiver skill building and self-care educational opportunities, mental health support, legal and financial services. Coordinate program implementation with multiple clinical services across all campus locations within the VA facility, including but not limited to: nursing; physical, occupational, and speech therapists; mental health and primary care providers. Provide clinical interventions to the Veteran and caregiver populations served by the programs. Serve as a liaison to Veterans Integrated Service Network Program (VISN) CSP Program and the VA Central Office (VACO) Program. Perform the administrative and personnel management function relative to staff supervised including personnel actions, clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement. Works collaboratively with internal staff, VISN and VACO leadership, and external stakeholders to expedite service delivery. Plan, organize and coordinate administrative, operational, clinical and personnel activities for the CSP program. Responsibility for all aspects of program staffing, work assignments, budget and treatment services. Responsibility for managing and reporting on program specific fund control points, labor mapping, workload, and clinic utilization within the assigned program area. Manage and control the use of data related to these programs regarding day-to-day functioning and program evaluation. Provide oversight of facility CSP program fiscal matters of the functions supervised (which would include fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecasts resource and equipment needs, and administers the allocated budget. Work Schedule: Full-time. Days. Monday - Friday (7:30 am - 4:00 pm) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\_ua\_UU Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Requirements 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 probationary 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. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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. License or Certification*: 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/. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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: GS-13 Social Work Program Coordinator Experience/Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates 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. 1. Skill in coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility. 2. Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive. 3. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). 4. Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care. 5. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action. 6. Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget. 7. Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations. At this grade level, social worker program coordinators oversee the administrative and clinical aspects of a major specialty treatment program The full performance level of this vacancy is 13 Preferred Experience: 2 Years of program management experience 2 Years of supervisory experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. 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. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.