The Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS) Program provides personalized, supportive services to Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors at the end of a Veteran's life and after a Veteran dies, while also ensuring Veterans without identified family receive dignified interments that honor their service. The SAMS Program establishes and standardizes a customer-centric program that includes clinical and business operations to support Veterans, family, caregivers, and survivors.

Duties

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNED DUTIES The VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) is a Complexity Level 1a facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site health care system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon; outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington; and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics in central and western Oregon. VAPORHCS is an academic health care system with significant teaching and research programs. The Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS) Program provides personalized, supportive services to Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors at the end of a Veteran's life and after a Veteran dies, while also ensuring Veterans without identified family receive dignified interments that honor their service. The SAMS Program establishes and standardizes a customer-centric program that includes clinical and business operations to support Veterans, their family, caregivers, and survivors before, during, and after a Veteran's death. The SAMS Program includes a Survivors Assistance component and a Memorial Support component. The Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS) Program Coordinator develops, implements, and oversees a comprehensive Survivors Assistance Program (SAP) and Memorial Support Program (MSP). The SAMS Program Coordinator is administratively responsible for ensuring program development, operations, and compliance with VA, VBA, VHA, NCA, Care Management and Social Work (CMSW), and National SAMS Program requirements, guidance documents, and state and federal legislative authorities. The SAMS Program Coordinator provides social work services, such as outreach, education, resources, referrals, and psychosocial interventions to Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and staff who receive services from the program. The SAMS Program Coordinator works closely with the facility Decedent Affairs Program Officer (DAPO). Together, these two staff comprise a DA-SAMS Team uniquely qualified to provide dignified and compassionate end-of-life and death-care support and services. The DA-SAMS Team collaborates on all aspects of DA-SAMS clinical and business programming and services. The SAMS Program Coordinator practices at the advanced practice level and has specialized knowledge in the field of end-of-life and death care, bereavement care, and survivors' assistance. The SAMS Program Coordinator may possess specialty certifications in the fields of end-of-life care, death-care, and/or grief and bereavement care. Work Schedule: M-F 0800-1630 Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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: . Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience/Education. Experience and Education. 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of (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/. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. Exceptions: A pre-placement examination is required for any occupation or assignment that requires the operation of a government-owned or -leased motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties. Examinations may also be required for any occupation or assignment that requires a pre-placement examination by virtue of another policy, regulation, or statute.

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 Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Trevor Potter
• Phone: (503) 220-8262 X53044
• Email: [email protected]