This position is assigned to the Chief of Staff and is the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health Services. Incumbent is responsible for the oversight, management, and coordination of mental health services for our Veteran patient population. The focus is on providing comprehensive mental healthcare, improving access to care, ensuring quality of care, and promoting positive mental health outcomes.

Duties

This position is assigned to the Chief of Staff and is the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health Services. Incumbent is responsible for the oversight, management, and coordination of mental health services for our Veteran patient population. The focus is on providing comprehensive mental healthcare, improving access to care, ensuring quality of care, and promoting positive mental health outcomes. The incumbent will serve as an integral part of the VA's efforts to provide integrated mental healthcare to Veterans. The incumbent will manage the activities and planning associated with the following: -Oversees, plans, organizes, and directs the development of mental health programs and services. -Establishes and follows a capabilities model to achieve goals for eligibility, referral and authorization, care coordination, and utilization management to ensure improved Veteran experience. -Makes recommendations for the development of mental health programs based on data analysis and industry trends. -Provides program oversight over the field assistance program by assessing core functions and identifying opportunities for improvement. -Provides medical oversight, expertise, and leadership to the delivery of affordable quality mental healthcare services. -Responsible for daily operations and management by interfacing with other operational departments, internal and external customers, policies, and procedures. -Participates in senior management business and clinical strategy development and implementation. -Oversees a program that carries out the functions of performance and quality standards, while improving the Veteran's experience and outcomes. -Defines mental health policies, utilization management process and procedures, financial and utilization reports made available to the appropriate stakeholders. - Assumes responsibility for the overall quality of mental health services and for planning, developing, organizing, integrating, and directing programs, staff, and budget in support of organizational goals and commitments. - Establishes care coordination guidelines to assure appropriate utilization of services, level of care, and documentation, assuring fiscal integrity. - Provides oversight and direction over a variety of complex clinical and administrative programs from initiation and monitoring to implementation and maintenance. - Responsible for a multi-disciplinary care team to provide consistent, cost-effective, quality mental healthcare. - Identifies, manages, and mitigates risks of mental healthcare coordination efforts. - Develops and implements process redesign and programmatic improvements. - Serves on internal and external quality, provider, and quality management committees. - Implements utilization management strategies and creates processes/business controls for approval and denial of mental healthcare authorizations. - Ensure Veterans have access to mental healthcare that is accessible, convenient, and delivered in a timely manner and are informed about care delivery options, including face-to-face care, as well as all available telehealth Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Available (Ad-Hoc) Functional Statement #: 554-51195-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Relocation Incentive Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/29/2024. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Education. Possess 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. For grades below or at the full performance level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent master's level within 3 years of their appointment as a social worker. Licensure. Possess a full and unrestricted license or certification by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: Social Work Program Manager, GS-15 Experience/Education. The social work program manager at the GS-15 grade level must have at least four years of experience as a VA clinical social worker with at least one-year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level. The social work program manager must evidence possession of progressively higher supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. The individual 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. The social work manager must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must fully meet the KSAs for the GS-14 grade level and demonstrate all the following professional KSAs: (a) Ability to manage and direct unusually large interdisciplinary programs, complex organizational units, apply effective management practices, plan, design, implement, and evaluate a program(s) that encompasses a wide range of facility/healthcare system/VISN/CO activities. (b) Ability to oversee issues related to budget projections and participate with senior leaders from the governing body, management and staff in upholding the facility mission, vision, value and strategic plan to include directly interacting with elected officials on VA related issues/concerns (i.e., members of Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, State and Local entities). (c) Knowledge in establishing policy, procedures and quality monitors while considering multiple priorities, funding sources, and varying resources. (d) Skill in assessing need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic patient care venues, coordinate and expand the efforts of multiple program elements across a complex system. (e) Knowledge to complete all program evaluations and documents required by the medical center, VISN and VHA Central Office, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies such as The Joint Commission (TJC), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). (f) Ability to orient, teach and serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the clinical social work characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding Veterans, family members and caregivers. (g) Skill in balancing responsibilities in a complex environment and to work with great autonomy, set priorities and delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines; analyze complex organizational problems and develop and implement effective solutions for those problems. (h) Ability to promote and effectively manage a culturally diverse workforce which embraces the values and needs of all individuals through long-term commitment, strategic and business planning, education, experience which broadens the mindset and by fully managing human resources. Preferred Experience: This position requires a deep understanding of mental health services, including clinical care, program development, and policy implementation. The ideal candidate should have experience in leading and managing a team of mental health professionals, as well as collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive care. Additionally, a strong background in developing and implementing evidence-based practices, quality improvement initiatives, and research programs is desired. Excellent communication and leadership skills are essential for this role, as the Associate Chief of Staff of Mental Health will be responsible for fostering a culture of excellence, promoting innovation, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality mental health services to veterans within the VA ECHCS. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 Eastern Colorado HCS Denver 13611 E. Colfax Ave Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: Rodney Riggleman
• Phone: (210) 980-9493
• Email: [email protected]