The Veteran Directed Care (VDC) Program is one of VHA's innovative programs that promote patient-centered, non-institutional long- term care. The primary objective of the VDC Program is to provide enhanced options for Veterans choosing to receive extended care services in the home and community rather than in an institutional setting. Veterans will hire their own caregivers and play a role in determining what services are needed to assist the Veteran in staying in their home.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Screening/Assessment Independently screens the VDC referrals to ensure appropriateness and eligibility for services. The assessment is completed prior to program enrollment and evaluates the patient's situation and highlights the Veteran's strengths, limitations, internal and external supports, and service needs to optimize functional status. Will effectively use social work knowledge base, professional skill, objectivity, and insight into the formulation of the assessment. Reviews all data, makes a clinical assessment, and uses advance clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and identify viable treatment options, assess high risk factors, acuity, and need for services. Referral to service providers To facilitate the continuity of a Veteran's recovery, the VDC Coordinator will arrange referrals to needed VA and/or community resources as applicable. Will collaborate with other service providers in re-assessing the Veteran's needs during the eligibility determination process and coordinating access to information needed for the referral. Will educate the Veteran, family, legal guardian, and/or caregiver about the available services and their shared responsibility in accessing such services. The Veteran's preferences or that of his or her surrogate decision maker will be considered throughout the referral and care coordination process. Provides education to community care partners regarding general VA benefits and services during care coordination for Veterans. Advocacy Advocate for Veterans to ensure that they have access to all needed care and resources within VA and in the community, by availing the Veteran of his or her choices in complex decisions and by guiding the Veteran through complicated enrollment procedures and bureaucratic processes. When appropriate and feasible, the VDC Coordinator will educate and encourage the Veteran and his or her family/caregiver to advocate on his/her own behalf, fostering independence and empowerment. Crisis Intervention Assist in mitigating any medical or psychiatric crises arising in presenting Veterans, within the scope of social work practice and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises. Uses professional judgement and advance practice skills, including knowledge of complex and non-compliant behavior in daily interactions with clients. Regularly treats Veterans with complex medical and psychiatric problems through ongoing supportive counseling, monitoring of community resources and/or referral. Care Consultation Receives and completes consults requesting services from interdisciplinary teams, other social workers, and clinical providers to address complex, difficult cases using advanced practice skills and expertise in specialty services. Provides consultation and directs staff related to VA and community resources, transportation, and availability of services for the patient in accordance with treatment needs and available internal or external resources. Will complete Community Care consults for VDC utilizing appropriate delegation of authority and will refer to and coordinate with the agency of jurisdiction. Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93945-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/50, Part II, APPENDIX G39. SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD dated September 10, 2019.For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.

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 Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 US
• Name: Jessica Kidd
• Phone: 734-596-3177
• Email: [email protected]