Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent employees of the VA White River Junction Healthcare System. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This Social Worker (Program Coordinator) position is in the Social Work service within VA White River Junction Healthcare System at the Community Based Outpatient Clinic at the Littleton, New Hampshire location.

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

The incumbent serves as a Social Work Program Coordinator, locally titled Caregiver Support Program (CSP) Manager, which provides a state-of-the-art continuum of services, education and resources to caregivers of Veterans with complex needs. The incumbent oversees service delivery and coordination of care activities for family caregivers who provide personal care services to eligible Veterans regardless of period of service. The CSP includes the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) and the Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) at the VA Health Care System. The medical care, mental health, and psychosocial needs of Veterans receiving Caregiver Support Program services are complex, with an increased burden upon their caregivers, requiring a high degree administrative and clinical oversight, advanced technical consultation, creative problem solving and personal mastery skills.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff, training of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action.
• Coordinates program implementation with multiple clinical services across all campus locations within the VA Health Care System (HCS), including but not limited to: nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapists; and mental health and primary care providers.
• Provides clinical interventions to the Veteran and caregiver populations served by the programs.
• Develops and facilitates CSP-program focused direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for VA facility staff and the community.
• Develops and implements a plan for outreach to Veterans and Veteran caregivers who may benefit from the CSP program services (but who do not presently use VA for their health care needs).
• Maintains a current network of referral resources to include peer support mentoring groups, caregiver skill building and self-care educational opportunities, mental health support, legal and financial services.
• Directly supervises the VA HCS Caregiver Support Coordinator(s) (CSC) and, when applicable, Program Support Assistant (PSA) and other interprofessional staff assigned to Caregiver Support Program as outlined in VHA Directive 11152(1), Caregiver Support Program.
• Serves as subject matter expert (SME) to VA Facility leadership and staff for all CSP related issues and serves as a consultant to other VA professionals and administrators on program specific activities.
• Serves as a liaison to Veterans Integrated Service Network Program (VISN) CSP Program and the VA Central Office (VACO) Program.
• Serves as the VA HCS POC for all inquiries and outreach requests regarding eligible PCAFC and PGCSS caregivers.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Telework: Ad-hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: F08556
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Hannah Neilson at hannah.neilson@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure: Not Required

Notifications:

• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• This is not a Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

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 identification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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:

• 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).

Grade Determinations: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-13:
Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates 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.

AND

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.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.

1. Skill in coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility.
2. Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive.
3. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).
4. Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.
5. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action.
6. Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
7. Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations

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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Résumé Reminder: Your résumé must include the following information each job listed:

1. Job title
2. Duties (be as detailed as possible)
3. Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
4. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your résumé. Be sure that your résumé clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

An incomplete application will receive a rating of IFFM (ineligible due to missing forms). Requests for reconsideration will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software or fax transmissions.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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