Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

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. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Social Work (SW) Program Coordinator serves as the Assistant Director of Outpatient Mental Health within the Mental Health Service at VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS), a highly complex Level 1A facility. The Outpatient MH division encompasses clinics located across three major medical center campuses and four community-based outpatient clinics that serve Veterans with a wide range of mental and behavioral health problems.The Social Worker (SW) Program Coordinator serves as a member of the MH Leadership team, working closely with the Outpatient Mental Health Director and MH Service Line Director to set priorities, develop standard operating procedures, and make decisions about resource allocations within the Outpatient MH division. The SW Program Coordinator works independently and must possess broad clinical, administrative and supervisory knowledge, skills and abilities. The SW Program Coordinator serves as the supervisor for designated clinical team leaders, with responsibility for such duties as establishing workload expectations, completing performance appraisals, and approving/disapproving leave. The SW Program Coordinator also provides direct clinical care, including assessment, psychotherapy, and case management, in one of the Outpatient MH clinics. The SW Program Coordinator may be responsible for additional managerial/administrative or clinical duties as assigned by MH Leadership and may provide coverage for the Outpatient MH Director. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed: May be available 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 [email protected], 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: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F523-F08725 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Notifications: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by a special rate. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. 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. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. 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. 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.

The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. b. 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. c. 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 d. 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.

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker Program Coordinator, GS-13 (1) 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. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Serving as the sole practitioner in a specialty program and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area; oversees the daily operation of the program, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics; 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; provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. 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. (2) Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as supervisory social workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for lice