Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator

Clarification from the agency

Current, permanent Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center Employees Only. Please ensure you are submitting a SF-50 dated in 2026 to confirm your eligibility. Failure to submit proper SF-50 will result in disqualification. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan is recruiting for a Social Worker (Program Coordinator) that will function in Mental Health Service with primary duties as a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Social Worker with additional duties that include serving as the Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Providing mental health treatment, psychosocial assessment, case management, and advocacy services at an advanced practice level to eligible Veterans and their family members.
• Interacting with no only the patient but also family, significant others, community agencies, and other staff.
• Serving Veterans who may have frequent and severe crisis, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, may fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support.
• Assisting with transferring the patient to an inpatient or residential setting.
• Treating Veterans with serious medical and psychiatric problems by providing individual interventions, counseling or group therapy.
• Serving as the MST Coordinator for the VA Saginaw Healthcare System and is administratively responsible for the development of the MST program and for providing the coordination of treatment for Veterans who have experienced sexual trauma.
• Functions as the facility's primary resource on sexual trauma and related issues and is responsible for program development in the area of MST.
• Managing the operations of activities related to MST and serves as a resource on sexual trauma for other clinicians and medical staff at the facility regarding the provisions of services and coordination of care for Veterans who have experienced MST.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm; tour of duty subject to change based on the needs of the Agency
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn10hrccoe@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Ad-Hoc telework may be available per Agency policy and with approval from supervisor.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 932950

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:

• 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. Note: 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 website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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: At the GS-12 grade, Program Coordinators are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area, such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury, Homeless Continuum Veteran Program, Hospice and Palliative Care Program, Suicide Prevention Program, Veterans Justice Outreach, Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program. The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area. The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They may be responsible for the program's budget, developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice, standards and guidelines on documentation, workload, data entry, ethical practice and service delivery. The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. They may be responsible for, or contribute to, the program's resource and fiscal management, monitoring control points developing the annual budget, operating within that budget, and accounting for appropriated funds. The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned staff. They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports, including productivity assessments. They oversee program operations and evaluations, identifying areas for improvement, gathering relevant data, assessing the data, developing and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts.

Experience, Education and Licensure. 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. Their experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. They 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• 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: Must be able to sit at a desk working at a computer, and engage in light to moderate physical activity, including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The social worker must be able to perform light and sedentary duties with occasional moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions with reasonable accommodation if necessary. Position requires walking throughout the clinic or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time. Must demonstrate emotional stability and mental clarity sufficient to exercise sound clinical judgment, make appropriate decisions, and provide sage, effective and ethical patient care. Must be able to manage stress, regulate emotions in a professional manner, and maintain cognitive functioning adequate for assessment, treatment planning, and crisis intervention.

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:

1. Resume (must include the following information):

• Job Title
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2024 to April 2025)
• Full-time or part-time (include hours worked per week)

NOTE: Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. Including any of this information may result in an ineligibility rating.

2. Transcript (must include the following information):

• Your Name
• Name of the college or university
• Full address of the college or university
• Degree Received
• Date Conferred

REMINDER: A transcript, either official or unofficial, must be submitted with your application for ALL degrees. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process.

3. License (must include the following information):

• Name on License
• Issuing state
• Complete license number
• Expiration date

**Note: Current, permanent Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center employees MUST submit a recent SF-50 (dated in 2026) for verification of your VHA employment. You may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from your eOPF. Failure to provide this will exclude you from your claimed eligibility and will result in disqualification.

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

• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

You must ensure all duties are detailed in your resume and it clearly shows how you meet the specialized experience and KSAs required of the position. We cannot make any assumption on duties performed or level of experience based on a job title. All duties must be described under each job entry with the beginning and ending dates of employment (month and year and hours worked per week). If we are unable to determine your qualifications based on the application materials submitted we are unable to refer you for consideration.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action for VHA employees - To verify your eligibility as a VHA employee, you must submit a copy of a recent Notification of Personnel Action (dated in the year 2026), Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from your eOPF. Failure to provide this will exclude you from your claimed eligibility.

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 (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal agency employees.

Next steps