The Medical Foster Home (MFH) Social Work Program Coordinator is a social worker responsible for maximizing psychosocial quality of life issues for Veterans residing in a Medical Foster Home, with the goal of reducing hospitalizations and delaying nursing home placement. The incumbent serves Veterans who may have serious, frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self monitoring; frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatments.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited too: The Medical Foster Home (MFH) Social Work Program Coordinator is responsible for the overall functions of the Medical Foster Home (MFH) Program at the Aleda E. Lutz VAMC. The Social Work Program Coordinator is assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. The incumbent is in charge of program development, recruitment, and development of the foster homes, recruitment and placement of Veteran residents, case management, development of policies and care processes, and coordination with HBPC interdisciplinary treatment teams. This includes: Selecting homes and residents, establishes intake processes, establishes oversight responsibilities, and maintains a record-keeping system for the program; Marketing the model of care and reaching out to community groups and agencies to promote the foster care program. Providing training to caregivers, students, residents, interns and fellows from other disciplines regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a medical foster home, caregiver and family issues and the impact of psychosocial issues and problems of the Veteran in a medical foster home, among other topics. The Social Work Program Coordinator completes psychosocial assessments; interviews Veteran and family members and/or significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's unique situation; identifies presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health as a part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment; assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services. The social worker interprets and explains VA treatment and benefit programs. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Available, to be discussed with supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:92065-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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 the CSWE website (https://www.cswe.org/Accreditation.aspx) to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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, the candidate 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. Preferred Experience: 1 year of Medical Social Worker experience References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 APPENDIX G39. SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0185 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary. The work is community-based. Consequently, the incumbent must operate a Government vehicle. Incumbent must pass all VHA requirements to operate a Government vehicle.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Aleda E Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1500 Weiss Street Saginaw, MI 48602 US
• Name: Kaitlyn Arn
• Phone: (989) 497-2500
• Email: [email protected]