Social Worker Program Coordinator (Medical Foster Home Coordinator)

Company: Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: Little Rock
Posted on: June 10, 2021

Job Description:

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Duties

Summary

If you are a current, permanent VA employees and Federal employees from other federal agency, you should apply under CBST-11133284-21-ER.

This position is responsible for maximizing psychosocial quality of life issues by assisting veterans with an option of long term care that is less restrictive than a nursing home and that decreases their need for hospitalization. Serves veterans who have serious crises, lack family/adequate community support.

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Responsibilities

The duties of the Medical Foster Home Program Coordinator in Home Health Care Service include but are not limited to:

Program Management:

• Providing oversight and coordination of the CAVHS Medical Foster Home program. The incumbent is in charge of program development, recruitment, and development of the foster homes, recruitment and placement of veteran residents, case management, development of policies and care processes, and coordination with HBPC interdisciplinary treatment teams.
• Selecting of homes and residents, establishing intake processes, oversight responsibilities, and maintaining a record-keeping system for the program.
• Marketing the model of care and provides outreach to community groups and agencies to promote the foster care program. Incumbent serves as a mentor to other VA MFH coordinators, social workers, and other interested health care providers.
• Providing education to caregivers, students, residents, interns and fellows from other disciplines regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a medical foster home.
• Assisting physically disabled veterans. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects, such as medical records. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable diseases common of the client population. Some work is performed outside the medical center campus, where the environment cannot be controlled

Screening/Assessment :

• Receives and completes consults from interdisciplinary teams and social workers on complex, difficult cases, using advanced practice skills and expertise. Incumbent also provides consultation to referral sources and is responsible for development and maintenance of professional standards of practice and educating others regarding such.
• Interviews and conducts psychosocial assessments. The social worker interprets and explains VA treatment and benefit programs.
• Develops an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment teams, the veteran, family members and significant others, whenever possible. The assessment will include a home visit. It is the responsibility of the social worker, working within the interdisciplinary treatment teams to develop a treatment plan with the veteran based on this assessment.
• Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Uses advanced clinical training, insight and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options.

Treatment Planning:

• Develops psychosocial treatment plans in collaboration with HBPC interdisciplinary team, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance, makes initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals.

Evaluation and Management:

• Establishes a continuing relationship with the foster home caregiver and veteran, and involved family members, evaluating progress towards goals and adjusting the treatment plan as appropriate. Meets with medical foster home caregiver, veteran and/or family members to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals. The incumbent monitors progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders, and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment. Makes recommendations for care and changes to interdisciplinary treatment plan.
• Provide the patient and/or caregivers and family members with ongoing supportive counseling. The purpose of such counseling is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with chronic/disabling illnesses, onset of a catastrophic illness and or dying; need for non-institutional or institutional services as needed during the course of the patient's enrollment in HBPC. The incumbent will assist patient/and/or caregivers in coping and dealing with the loss and grief experienced in chronic illness, terminal illness and death.

Advocacy:

• Act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family. The MFH also acts as an advocate for the VA and need for services in specific geographical areas. At all times the incumbent will represent the VA in the community in a positive and professional manner.

Crisis Intervention:

• Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans to maintain the veteran in a medical foster home. In the event of an alleged abuse case, medical or psychiatric emergency, the protocol of the HHCS and/or medical center policy will be followed. Incumbent ensures the interdisciplinary team is kept informed of any concerns with the patient and/or caregiver.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

None

• Job family (Series)

0185 Social Work

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• Requirements

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• 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/.

Preferred Experience: Home Care and/or Geriatric Outpatient Experience

Grade Determinations:

Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

Experience and Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Examples of creditable experience include but not limited to assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence, advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies, independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, collaborate with the Veteran, family/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team to facilitate the delivery of health care services, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses, independently formulate, provide a range of interventions and treatment modalities and implement a treatment plan. 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.

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard dated September 10, 2019. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

The level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate lifting (45 pounds and over), light carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, walking (~2 hours), near and far vision (correctable with lens), hearing (aid permitted), and mental and emotional stability. Environmental factors may include working outside and inside, working closely with others. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.)

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT): VHA HPTs pending the completion of education or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. NOTE: This applies to current/past/upcoming VHA HPTs only. An HPT is an individual appointed to a temporary position in one or more VHA medical facilities performing clinical or research training experiences to satisfy program or degree requirements or receiving VA Health Professional Scholarship Program. HPTs can be either VA-paid or Without Compensation (WOC).

Keywords: Department of Veterans Affairs, Little Rock , Social Worker Program Coordinator (Medical Foster Home Coordinator), Other , Little Rock, Arkansas