Summary The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) or Coordinator for Mental Health Recovery Programming and Transformation (also known as LRC Program Coordinator) is responsible for facilitating mental health programs, policies and procedures directly related to the transition of VHA from maintenance models of mental health treatment into a recovery-oriented system of care. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties of the Social Worker (Program Coordinator) include, but are limited to: Sustains the integration of recovery principles and recovery-oriented services into mental health provided at all points of service throughout the health care system. Promotes the use and availability of recovery-oriented services (including but not limited to peer support, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers (PRRC), Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery (ICMHR), VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and skills training). Provides training and consultation to top management and mental health staff and leadership at the VA medical facility to ensure that services are treating the whole person and that programs are collaborative and integrated. Discusses issues and sharing best practices to ensure consistency on the LRC SharePoint site. Assists in the development and/or review of all mental health policies and procedures to ensure that recovery is a central tenant in all mental health service delivery. Implements a multi-year local plan to direct recovery transformation in collaboration with local mental health leadership. Promotes the effective and appropriate use of peer support in PSR&RS programs through advocacy for peer services, consultation on the effective and appropriate use of peer support, and education about recovery practices and principles. Participates actively in all VA medical facility workgroups addressing inpatient mental health units, environment of care, and transformation to ensure recovery oriented practices. Participates in VHA national conference calls and training programs related to PSR&RS. Monitors recovery outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process. Serves as the Subject Matter Expert in recovery-oriented approaches and providing local, regional and national trainings in their area of expertise. Completes all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center, VISN and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies such as CARF or TJC, and monitoring of performance metrics (such as SAIL) as appropriate. Provides recovery-oriented training to all newly hired Mental Health Service employees during Mental Health Service New Employee Orientation. Serves as the MHS Lead for the annual Mental Health Summit including coordinating the event schedule, arranging for guest speakers and managing internal and external communications about the event. Serves as the Peer Champion for MHS. Prepares Issue Briefs and responses to Congressional inquiries as needed. Outreaches to Veterans with SMI identified by the Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center (SMITREC) as being lost to VA care for over 1 year, including facilitation of the Veteran's return to care pursuant to the Veteran request. Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and clinical treatment for Veterans with serious mental illness referred to recovery services. Providing direct, recovery-oriented clinical services for no more than 25 percent of their tour of duty. Performs comprehensive suicide risk screenings and assessments and develops and integrates safety planning and safety goals into the Veteran's collaborative, individualized treatment plan. Participates on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Deputy ACOS and/or ACOS, Mental Health Service. Assists with the orientation and mentoring of newly hired social workers and serves as a field instructor for social work students, if interested and qualified. Completes clinical documentation according to Service Line and Medical Center standards. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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: Available (ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:598-01300F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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. English Language: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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 4 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/. 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 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, the candidate 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-12. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. 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/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
