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. Program 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

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The position functions as the primary liaison to the Medical Center Director and serves as the conduit for information flow and management of assignments between the Office of the Director and all clinical and administrative services throughout the healthcare system as well as the VISN office. The incumbent is the primary program manager and subject matter expert for customer focused programs, including the Veteran Experience, Patient Experience Coordinators, and the Employee Engagement Program. Manages program design and evaluation, conducts special projects and studies to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on Veteran Experience (VE), Patient Advocacy (PA), and Employee Engagement (EE) programs and issues. The incumbent is a leader in a national initiative to transform health-care from a reactive care to a proactive model of customer service. The incumbent is responsible for supervision of the Patient Experience Coordinators (PA). This position is located in the Associate Director's Office at the VA Bedford Healthcare System. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leads, facilitates, and evaluates system changes that support meeting performance measure goals demonstrating effective patient outcomes related to Veteran Experience, Patient Advocacy, and Employee Engagement. Facilitates process improvement program/systems that enhance EE, VE and PA, customer service and healthcare delivery throughout the Medical Center. Serves as the liaison between the Medical Center, patients, staff, Congressional Offices and the community regarding patient rights, advocacy and experience. Attends designated public events with the Medical Center Director, Executive Leadership and Public Affairs Officer, including Town Hall Meetings. Participates with Medical Center Director in Mini-MAC sessions with representatives from VSOs and Congressional Offices. Maintains clear communication between Veterans, staff and facility leadership. Consults with Leadership on the integration of patient engagement, patient experience and customer service in service delivery, clinical practice and the implementation of new initiatives. Serves on the Strategic Planning Committee, Wayfinding Committee and as a consultant to others as needed. Participates in Central Office and VISN Community of Practice Calls. Leads the effort to integrate VE and PA principles in all areas of clinical practice and administrative services. Manages VE and PA budget. Responsible for analyzing and reporting data to identify areas of strength and opportunity for improvement and strategic planning efforts. Serves as the primary liaison for VA Bedford HCS to the Central Office VEO and OPA assisting with local engagement activities and future planning. Conducts interdisciplinary conferences, in-services and staff meetings to increase awareness of VE and PA. Performs complex assignments independently involving a variety of duties and requiring advanced skill in a broad range of fact-finding and analytical techniques, and the interpreting of varied and complex factual situation in the context of the requirement of laws, regulations or policies. Coordinates the development and implementation of EE, VE and PA concepts throughout the organization. Oversees the administration of VA Bedford HCS All Employee Survey and action planning with Services and leadership. Comprehensive knowledge of the range of administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of this program. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Mon-Fri, 7:30am-4:00pm. Compressed/Flexible:Not Available. Telework: Available for Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F06810 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VISN1 EDRP Support [email protected] for questions/assistance. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current or formal Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is not a bargaining unit position. This position is covered by a special rate. May be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.

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). Grandfathering Provision: 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). The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. 1. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. 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: GS-13 Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Experience and Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. 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 supervisory social workers 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) Skill in coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility. (b) Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive. (c) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). (d) Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care. (e) Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action. (f) Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget. (g) Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations. Preferred Experience: In-depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for Veteran and Employee Experience Program. Strong verbal and written communication skills. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 VA Bedford Healthcare System 200 Springs Road Bedford, MA 01730 US
• Name: Molina Vantha
• Phone: 781 687 2000
• Email: [email protected]