This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

Serves as the facility subject matter expert on both the SDA policy and COMPACT Act. Provides orientation, training, direction, coaching, and continuing education to all internal and external stakeholders regarding program's role in providing care to Veterans in mental health crisis. Oversees daily operations of the COMPACT Act and Same Day Access clinics while working with all other COMPACT Act and Same Day Access team members to include but not limited to the Mental Health Triage Nurse, Psychiatrist on Call, Medical Officer of the Day, Administrator of the Day, and Nurse of the Day. Creates and leads an interdisciplinary clinical review team and team meeting for Veterans eligible for and/or those enrolled in current COMPACT Act eligible service periods. Works across the facility in order to ensure proper, consistent clinical care is provided to the Veteran. Advocates for the Veterans and will work with appropriate partners to ensure full Compact Act benefits are received. Acts as a clinical resource/point-of-contact to Veterans and other staff members regarding policies and procedure associated with COMPACT Act, SDA to Mental Health Care at VA, and community resources for Veterans in a mental health crisis. The incumbent is the primary clinician for the COMPACT AcUSame Day Access (SDA) program by regularly evaluating and assessing Veterans' need to establish or continue care; identifies and addresses gaps through a plan of care. For each instance, the incumbent will complete a five-point Same Day Access assessment, suicide risk assessment, and evaluation of safety. The incumbent will also facilitate the creation or update of a Safety Plan. Provides crisis intervention to include timely assessment of at-risk Veterans to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan as appropriate. Provides a variety of clinical care services to include comprehensive assessments, Advanced Directives, brief short-term interventions/treatment, and follow-up care to include education to Veterans and family members. Provides consultation/education to Veterans and families on VA resources (including self-management tools), community resource, and VA benefits. Actively participates in the treatment planning process with relevant programs. Actively participates in planning and executing staff development projects, attending seminars, and conducting educational programs with a focus of sharing material learned across departments. Collaborates with interprofessional teams within and outside the VA healthcare system and community to navigate complex care coordination and navigation between varying levels of care and conducts comprehensive transition planning. Provides individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. Gathers and assesses data in order to develop proposals for improvement and evaluation. Monitors all data related to COMPACT Act and SDA to Mental Health and provides reports and metrics of local trends to Mental Health Leadership in order to inform decisions on local policy and practice. Serves as dedicated liaison for the station between Mental Health Leadership, VISN, and the VISN Clinical Call Center representatives to ensure the local policy meets local, VISN, and National requirements. Conducts tracer calls to evaluate the SDA policy for the catchment area and consults with leadership regarding core concerns in effort to improve the policy. Ensures proper documentation and coding is maintained in the health record following the guidance of the COMPACT Act or the Same Day Access policy. Collaborates with local facility revenue and finance departments to assist in billing issues related to COMPACT Act care. The incumbent will advocate for Veterans, ensuring they do not receive bills for COMPACT Act relate care. Reviews and develops policies, standard operating procedures, and practice guidelines for the program. Participates in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the service manager. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Available at the Supervisors discretion Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 58795-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Linda Orchard ([email protected]), the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until March 29, 2024. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be December 26, 2023. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. *** 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: 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). 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/. 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, 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. Preferred Experience: Prefer experience in planning, establishing, implementing policies and procedures; developing program goals and objectives and monitory operating, evaluating, and coordination of daily operations of a program. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G-39. Physical Requirements: This position provides direct services to patients and their families through casework. Incumbents must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Normal work of the position requires visual acuity (with the ability to read typewritten characters without strain, corrective lenses are permitted), keen hearing (aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially moderate levels of lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds). The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.

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 Sheridan VA Medical Center 1898 Fort Road Sheridan, WY 82801 US
• Name: Gina Hammer
• Phone: 970-263-2800
• Email: [email protected]