Summary This position is located at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center (JDDVAMC). The Polytrauma/Traumatic Brian Injury Social Work Program Coordinator, incumbent will work autonomously, prioritizing their time to best meet the needs of their specialty clinics. As an independent social worker, the Incumbent manages, plans, implements, and evaluates the delivery of services within these programs, in addition, prepares program and statistic specific reports as defined. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Patient Care Independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs. Independently conducts psychosocial assessments and develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services. Incumbent provides crisis intervention services, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plans. Maintains general knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service connected compensation, non-service connected pension, and makes referrals as appropriate. Coordinates comprehensive program elements and services for preventive mental and physical health evaluations for program participants. Incumbent assists severely injured service members and/or Veterans in coping with acute illness, chronic illness, combat stress, the residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), community adjustment, addictions, and other health and mental health problems. Incumbent addresses home care needs, homelessness, and transition across levels and sites of care. Case management includes psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, that is focused on helping service members and/or Veterans and their families maximize rehabilitation and treatment potential and achieve more adequate, satisfying, and productive emotional and social functioning or, in the case of a terminally ill Veteran, Incumbent will assist Veteran and significant others with end-of-life decision making including goals of treatment and hospice services. As needed, Incumbent will help Veterans and significant others in developing coping mechanisms to deal with loss of function, decline in health, or death. Coordinates comprehensive program elements and services for preventive mental and physical health evaluations for program participants. Prepares program reports for the VA Central Office, VISN POC, and Medical Center leadership. Works closely with the Military2 VA to monitor procedures for referrals between the VA medical center, Military Treatment Facility and/or community hospitals that promote appropriate and timely inter-facility transfers. Identifies unmet needs of the post 9/11 population and works collaboratively with facility, VISN, and VA Central Office staff to develop and implement solutions. Develops a data-driven continuous quality improvement program with established goals and outcomes to evaluate and document the program's effectiveness. Identifies gaps in services and develops a plan, in consultation with Military 2 VA staff and other departments as appropriate that will make available the best possible resources in meeting program needs. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 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: Ad hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 92198 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. 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 examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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/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. Grade Determinations: At the GS-12 grade, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below: Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Sedentary and ambulation (walking) throughout the medical center and in the community according to the demands of daily tasks. Light carrying, less than 15-pounds-may be required as part of duties related to storing or moving files. Working around moving objects or vehciles-required as part of daily ambulating within the medical center around patients who use motorized scooters and wheelchairs. Working along-duties require working along at intervals during the day (i.e., documenting progress notes, completing phone calls, etc). Reaching above shoulder-may be required during daily task to access files located in overhead cabinets. Walking-required approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinics and other medical center departments as needed to complete duties of the position. Standing-reqkuired approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinical and other departments withing the medical center as needed to complete duties of the positions and filling patient records as needed. Valid driver's license required. This position requires 25% travel to CBOC's and community outreach events. 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 Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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. VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the @context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being
