Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

About the role

The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) is located at the Columbia VA HCS and serves to assist in implementation of policies and procedures from the National Recovery Coordinator (NRC) and facilitate implementation of recovery-oriented services in Mental Health programs, which includes education of providers and veterans and their families on recovery and evaluation of implementation efforts.

Responsibilities

• Advise Mental Health (MH) Chief or program directors on filling peer specialist positions and serve as a consultant to peer support specialists.
• Affiliate with VA regional or local recovery-oriented training, meetings, or conferences as needed.
• Serve as a MH Liaison to the facility Consumer Council.
• Provide an annual report on implementation progress to the VISN RC and the NRC; other reports will also be prepared as requested.
• Meet quarterly via conference call with other VISN LRCs to coordinate a network response to recovery implementation and implementation of CO policies and procedures related to recovery.
• Participate in facility MH leadership meetings and policy planning groups.
• Identify as the facility POC for SMITRECC "SMI Re-Engagement Project."
• Develop an ongoing education plan for veterans and families that may include health support groups and other resources; and information about how to become involved in improving mental health care for Veterans through the Consumer Council.
• Serve as a consultant to MH programs and recovering veterans in development of peer support groups, consumer counseling, and consumer operated services, as per local needs and resources. When available, community resources should be utilized.
• Incorporate applicable guidelines consisting of organizational vision, mission, and goals; established program policies, procedures, and objectives; clinical pathways, and national case management standards of care, performance, conduct, and ethical behavior, to guide intervention, choices and professional conduct.
• Perform difficult and complicated review and analysis of complex issues, ambiguous situations, and ethical conflicts independently.
• Provide comprehensive, coordinated, integrated care to maximize health outcomes and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Collect data to provide a basis for establishing optimum practice patterns, identifying trends and problems requiring further study.
• Interact collaboratively daily with medical and nursing staff, ancillary and administrative staff, clients and families, peers, contract personnel, external case managers, agencies and service/equipment providers, lawyers, and insurance companies.

Requirements

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, subject to change based on agency need
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 61935F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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).

Qualifications

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: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. - Education: Must hold 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. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work. - Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Grade Determinations: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience and Education: You must possess 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. 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. 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 (must be clearly demonstrated in your resume): - 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. 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.