Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Suicide Prevention Program

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work : Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) will serve to facilitate implementation of suicide prevention strategies within the medical center to help ensure that all appropriate measures are being taken to prevent suicide in our patient population. Duties include but are not limited to : Oversees the day-to-day processing of crisis line referrals from the National Veterans Crisis Line and ensures timely completion of follow-up contacts to requests. Monitors, reviews, and assigns local National Patient Record Flag for suicide through chart review, consultation with assigned clinical staff, and by assessment of the Veterans current state. Provides data collection, input, validation, and monitoring for suicide prevention and REACH VET programs. Services as REACH VET Program coordinator, ensuring adherence to national, VISN, and local guidelines and procedures related to REACH VET. Postvention Services : Provides debriefing and postvention support to staff and next of kin impacted by suicide loss. Provides outreach, teaching, and training to the Medical Center and CBOC staff members, Veterans, family members and community at large, about risk factors, warning signs, treatment options and resources available to Veterans at risk. Promotes the use of evidence-based intervention and strategies for suicide prevention in the medical center and CBOCs. Interfaces with services throughout the medical center to resolve administrative and clinical problems. Provides full range of clinical services, including crisis intervention, suicide risk evaluations and safety planning, case management, individual and group psychotherapy for Veterans who are at increased risk for suicide and adverse outcomes as needed. Services as the facility Subject Matter Expert for suicide prevention efforts, developing local procedures and ensuring compliance with local, VSIN, and national policy and directives related to suicide prevention and providing administrative and clinical guidance for Suicide Prevention, REACH VET, and related programs. Monitors inputs and analyzes dashboards to ensure metric compliance with national guidelines. Responds to referrals from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline / Veterans Crisis Line, internal facility calls, consults, and other referral methods to ensure Veteran safety, provide stabilization, support, and interventions. Other duties as assigned. Maintains a valid drivers license to conduct community outreach and education events. Work Schedule : Primarily Monday-Friday : 8 : 00am-4 : 30pm with occasional after hour / weekend events Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : May be authorized to highly qualified applicants Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) : May be authorized to highly qualified applicants EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN9HREDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions / assistance. Learn more 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 : Not available Virtual : This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement # : 51120-F 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 (). 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. 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 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. English Language Proficiency : Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Experience / Education. You must possess 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. Licensure / Certification. 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 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 Licensure Requirement : You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Experience Requirement : You must possess 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. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to : assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and / or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members / caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities : In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following KSA's : 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 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements : See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. 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 : 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 : 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.