The Social Worker serves as a Program Coordinator who is administratively responsible for the Dorn VA Medical Center Social Work Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) located at the Columbia VAMC. The Program Coordinator provides cross coverage to the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder (SCI&D) department. The Social Worker is a practitioner providing direct patient care services to both program areas.

Duties

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf JOB DUTIES Independent practice level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or family members/caregivers in the PACT/Primary Care and SCI&D Clinic. Able to work independently with Veterans and family members experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, financial, legal and other psychosocial problems. Effective social work often occurs over a series of several visits. Must independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members. Able to assess functional acuity of the patient and provide appropriate interventions. Must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence possible. Actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans and family as well as team members in the development and implementation of treatment goals and interventions. Possess ability to coordinate community placements through collaboration with Veterans and family members as well as team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to group and family care homes, assisted living facilities, adult day healthcare programs, VA contract and private nursing home placements, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services. Serve as a liaison between Veterans and/or family members, VA and community resources, and local hospital case management staff in order to ensure thorough coordination of services. Must possess knowledge and ability at the advance practice level to independently implement treatment modalities and evidence-based practices, provide educational classes, and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families, including shared medical appointments. The Social Worker must be able to use and teach Veterans in the effective use of My HealtheVet (MHV) system. Must possess skill in using computer systems, especially for the internet for Veterans who choose this modality to communicate with the team. Provide consultation and education to Veterans and family members regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and Advance Directives. This includes knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs. Must be available to provide consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of the Veteran and/or families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning and compliance with treatment. Maintain knowledge of Veterans benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies. Must have thorough knowledge of the PACT team-based, Veteran-centered model and the role of each health and allied health care team members as well as an understanding of the role of the social worker in the PACT model. Work Schedule: Tour of Duty: Week 1: Tuesday- Friday 07:30-17:00 | Week 2: Monday 07:30-16:00, Tuesday-Friday 07:30- 16:00 Compressed/Flexible:Available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) 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 Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:54573F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 SW Licensure Summary by State. 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: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12. (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Preferred Experience: At least one year of experience in primary care social work. Would also prefer some experience working with special populations such as SCI, MS, ALS, TBI and cognitive disorders. 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 Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: M. Nicole Goodbee
• Email: [email protected]