Social Worker (Program Coordinator) - RANGE Program

Summary

The Fargo VA Health Care System is recruiting for 1 full-time Program Coordinator for the Rural Access for Network Growth Enhancement (RANGE) program. This position will be filled by a Social Worker (Program Coordinator) or a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator).

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) .

Duties

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The Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Services (ICMHR) services provide clinical community-based services to Veteran with severe mental illness (SMI), severe functional impairment, and high inpatient mental health unit utilization, in coordination with existing community and VA services. It has a high staff-to-Veteran ratio with multiple visits per week needed, clinical services provided by an interdisciplinary team, interventions are occurring primarily in the community, and availability maintained for services over a prolonged period as clinically indicated. The Rural Access for Network Growth Enhancement RANGE programs serve Veterans who meet criteria for ICMHR services in rural areas or less densely populated locations.

The RANGE Coordinator will remain knowledgeable about National, VISN, and facility level policies and trends related to ICMHR / RANGE Programing. The RANGE Coordinator will also serve as a point person and source of information and problem solving regarding ICMHR / RANGE issues for the facility. Other duties include providing intensive case management services, continuous quality improvement activities, evaluation / consultation, psychosocial assessments, Veteran groups, individual therapy, placement services, and referrals to various community agencies and hospital services to ICMHR Veterans.

This position will function independently to provide administrative leadership to plan, develop, implement, and oversee clinical services and programming for Veterans that have a high degree of clinical complexity. The incumbent has full supervisory responsibility for all case managers (exception of nursing) and administrative staff within the ICMHR / RANGE Program. Supervisory responsibilities include performance evaluations, time, and leave, hiring, and disciplinary decisions.

Duties include, but are not limited to :

• Complete consults and RANGE Evaluations using measurement-based care, bringing the findings to the team to determine acceptance into the RANGE program or to provide recommendations for an alternative level of care that is clinically indicated.
• Function as case manager for Veterans in the ICMHR program performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care. Participate in the development of a treatment plan for each ICMHR Veteran with measurable goals outlined based on relevant psychological, medical, and psychiatric information with the principles of treatment matching.
• Assist ICMHR Veterans in the preparation of materials needed for applications to various agencies for entitlements, then, follow the process of the application until a determination has been made. Serve as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes Veterans encounter when interacting with government and community agencies.
• Serve as therapist in treatment groups, individual psychotherapy, and family therapy as needed. Responsible to stay updated on current theory, treatment modalities, and best practices by reading professional journals, attending conferences, and among other approved methods. Assess the ICMHR Veterans learning needs regarding their substance use issues, psychiatric and medical disorders, and the treatments and medications required, incorporating teaching in the treatment.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per 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 review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, 8 : 00 a.m. - 4 : 30 p.m.

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 : Ad-hoc

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

EDRP : Approved

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions 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 :

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 :

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 :

GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

(1) Experience and Education . One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which is defined as : Working knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services; Independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds; Working knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses / injuries, common medications and their effects / side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan; Independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals; Providing consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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.

(2) 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. Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example : certification of continuing education credits).

(3) 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.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

Assignments . For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Program coordinators at the GS 12 grade level 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.

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 : You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Education

IMPORTANT : A transcript must be submitted with your application.

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

The VA Midwest Health Care Network 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.

This is an OPEN CONTINOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Qualified applications will be referred every two weeks from the opening date of this announcement until the closing date, or until the position is filled, whichever is sooner.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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