Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Caregiver Support Program

Job description

Summary The Caregiver Support Program Coordinator for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance to Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is a Program Coordinator whose primary responsibilities are to provide clinical evidence-based services and interventions, program development, caregiver, Veteran, and staff education on caregiver issues, community outreach, resource development, etc.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series.

For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Responsibilities Recruitment/ Relocation Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include, but are not limited to: The Caregiver Support Program Coordinator develops and implements the General Caregiver Support Program specific to his/her area of assignment and ensures compliance and collaboration with local facility and the VA Central Office Caregiver.

Administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers, families, and Veterans.

Develops and implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction.

Develops implements and evaluates clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of services.

Participates in direct caregiver and Veteran communication to identify and assess caregiver stress/burden and the development and application of directed clinical treatment interventions.

Advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center on caregiver issues.

Creates educational tools, develops Programs and implements training focused on specific caregiver needs/issues.

Provides education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and caregivers.

Develops and facilitates caregiver support groups (face-to-face or VANTS telephone line) and educational programs.

Conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress, and social needs as treatment issues.

Coordinates with other disciplines within the medical center to maintain the Veteran Assessment Clinic, for the purpose of providing a comprehensive assessment for the veterans and caregivers in the General Caregiver Support Program and seeking assistance from the program.

Provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs.

Serves as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes caregivers, Veterans and families encounter when interacting with government and community agencies.

Collaborate with the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), mental health and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues to include hands-on coordination support group work involvement, and training of patient aligned care team clinical social work staff in the development and facilitation of such groups.

Develops a library of caregiver support information materials for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings.

Serves as a liaison between the VA and community agencies.

Provides outreach presentations to community social service agencies, military Guard and Reserve units, Veteran Service organizations and other groups on VA caregiver benefits, programs, and services.

Coordinates the events and programs for the annual National Family Caregivers Month every November that includes announcement and advertising of month-long activities, mobilization of participants, educational sessions, caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs.

Collects, analyzes, and reports program data to local management, VISN Caregiver Support Coordinator Lead and the National Caregiver Support Program, Care Management and Social Work Service, Office of Patient Care Services.

Performs a wide range of services and provides technical assistance to state, local, and private agencies, and universities.

Technical assistance provided is based on monitoring activities and program reviews, and the development and analysis of information.

Performs program analysis, development, review, research, design, and contact work as possible with various agencies (public, DOD, state, etc.).

Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be Authorized for highly qualified candidates.

Permanent 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.

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 #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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.

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 examination.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

Qualifications Basic Requirements: Citizenship.

Be a citizen of the United States.

(Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).

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 4 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/.

English Language Proficiency.

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 (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 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.] Preferred Experience: Previous experience with acutely medically ill Veterans and work within the VA, preferably in the Caregiver support program.

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: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries.

The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather.

There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites.

The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required, e.g., walking, standing, climbing ladders, stooping, kneeling, and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle.

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.

Required Skill Profession

Other General