This Senior Social Worker serves as the Lead Care Coordinator for the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). BHIP is a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals which provides comprehensive, accessible, Veteran-centered mental health care. The Lead BHIP Care Coordinator is responsible for various aspects of treatment coordination including oversight of transitions within BHIP and across the Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) and/or community care

Duties

The incumbent is responsible for completing the following duties/responsibilities: a. The incumbent will provide a full range of services within commonly accepted standards of practice and prioritizes care coordination activities as the primary job function [e.g., needs assessment, chart reviews, treatment recommendations, care or case management (as needed), discharge planning, outreach, etc.] and other services as appropriate. b. In conjunction with the program coordinator, the incumbent is assigned to administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Specific tasks may include: - Assists the Referral Coordination Team (RCT) in triaging of BHIP psychotherapy consults and monitoring consult database for timely connection to care - Assignment of BHIP Mental Health Treatment Coordinator (MHTC). - Monitoring completion of time-sensitive clinical documentation and screenings. - Reviewing and updating clinic policies as needed. - Developing and maintaining clinic schedules. - Arranging coverage in staff absence. - Monitoring and maintaining clinic performance measures related to program access and efficiency, including collection and evaluation of clinic orientation and no-show data. c. The incumbent actively participates in program planning and development, advising the Program Coordinator of shifting trends with care coordination needs and caseloads and identifying the need for making recommendations on program procedures and/or policy changes based upon work experiences. d. The incumbent will provide care coordination (including care management or case management) to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. This includes communication within and across care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans. e. The incumbent engages in information gathering, problem identification, DSM-5-TR diagnostic assessment, biopsychosocial assessment, risk assessment (including Veterans identified by the REACH Vet program, etc.) and use of measurement-based care to determine care coordination and treatment needs of Veterans. f. The incumbent is an active participant in the treatment planning and transition process (FLOW) with other care coordinators and disciplines within and outside of BHIP and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate to promote care continuity. g. Provides open access / same day access to Veterans receiving care within BHIP. h. Though not a core function of this position, there may be times when the incumbent may provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. The incumbent may also facilitate patient/family bridging supportive sessions as appropriate. i. The incumbent may address Veteran concerns and complaints and assist BHIP Care Coordinators in facilitating transfers within the BHIP as appropriate. j. The incumbent is responsible for following national guidance and local policy and SOPs for the MHSL. This includes following policies and documentation requirements as required for CARF and The Joint Commission accreditation as well as other internal and external requirements. k. The incumbent will document interventions and activities in patient's electronic health record and ensure appropriate hand-off communication and documentation when transferring patient care. l. The incumbent will perform other BHIP-related duties as directed by the Program Manager, such as, but not limited to: conducting training to MHSL staff, mentoring and oversight of new staff & those not yet clinically licensed and preparing for and training staff on CARF & The Joint Commission standards and accreditation process. m. The incumbent will participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the service manager. Work Schedule: 800-430 M-F Telework: 1-2 days per pay period (as approved by supervisor) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: GS12 Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (LCSW) (a)Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (b) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. (d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. (e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Preferred Experience: References: VHA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Edward Hines Junior Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: Vanessa Houliston
• Phone: 725-210-2766
• Email: [email protected]