Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

Summary

The VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) is a Complexity Level 1a facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site health care system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon; outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington; and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics in central and western Oregon.

Help

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to:

Program Coordination The LGBQ VCC is responsible for ensure implementation of VHA Directive 1340: Health Care for Veterans who Identify as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual And Queer.

The LGBQ VCC plays a critical role in ensuring culturally competent, patient-centered, and effective care for LGBQ Veterans because LGBQ Veterans are seen at every facility.

NOTE: See Appendix B for additional guidance for LGBQ VCCs. The LGBQ VCC is responsible for: (1) Supporting the implementation of national policies related to LGBQ Veteran health at the VA medical facility to ensure consistent and timely access to culturally competent care for LGBQ Veterans. (2) Investigating and recommending corrective action upon awareness of an issue and, as appropriate, offering recommendations to facility leadership for further action to assist the facility in educating staff and creating a welcoming environment, (3) Communicating with individual facility services to provide tailored guidance and education as needed. (4) Serving as a point-person, source of information, Veteran advocate, and problem-solver for LGBQ Veteran-related health care issues at the VA medical facility. The LGBQ VCC thus identifies the needs of local LGBQ Veterans, assists the facility in developing needed care, serves as liaison with external LGBQ community organizations, and develops relationships with internal facility stakeholders. (5) Communicating to the public via outreach measures, for example, sustainment of a dedicated Internet page for the facility's LGBQ Veteran care resources and participation in community events and promoting a welcoming environment for LGBQ Veterans (e.g., website, advisory council, LGBQ awareness posters, Pride events) that directly counteracts expectations of discrimination. (6) Conducting LGBQ-specific monitoring and reporting in their VAMC and related CBOCs. The LGBQ VCC is the primary designee of the facility Director for monitoring and reporting on LGBQ Veterans in the catchment area. LGBQ Veteran Care Coordinator can assist with finding additional resources and education products. The LGBQ VCCs can also assist with questions that may arise in clinical care.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (LGBQ) health program was established in 2016 to ensure that culturally competent LGBQ clinical services are provided at local facilities consistent with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policies and priorities.

LGBQ VCCs follow guidance under four priority areas listed below. LGBQ VCCs are encouraged to complete at least the activities listed for each priority area. Furthermore, LGBQ VCCs are encouraged to participate in additional activities specific to the needs of the VA medical facility. a. Create a safe and welcoming environment throughout the facility. (1) Place LGBQ VCC program materials throughout the facility (e.g., LGBQ posters, handouts, fact sheets), including main campuses and community clinics. (2) Make outreach information available at VA medical facilities to inform LGBQ Veterans of LGBQ specific services, role, and contact information of the LGBQ VCC. (3) Display or distribute LGBQ safety signals (e.g., pins, lanyards) to raise awareness. (4) Connect Veterans to LGBQ-focused programing. (5) Collaborate with the Patient Advocate, Equal Employment Office, and VA medical facility leadership in responding to compliments, complaints, inquiries, and recommendations from various stakeholders, including staff, patients, caregivers, congressional inquiries, White House Hotline, and others about LGBQ care at the VA medical facility. b. Build a network of stakeholders, including building allies and partners within the facility and the community. (1) Maintain current contact information for LGBQ VCCs on the VA medical facility website. (2) During the VCCs regular tour of duty, hold at least one joint event (e.g., training, outreach events, town halls) with Equal Employment Office or other VHA program groups, including Women Veteran Program Managers or Suicide Prevention Coordinators. (3) During the VCCs regular tour of duty, attend at least one external LGBQ community event to foster collaborative relationships. (4) Meet at least annually with VA medical facility leadership to improve communication about achievements and ongoing needs for LGBQ Veterans at the facility. c. Knowledge of local LGBQ services and identification of gaps in care. (1) Know what LGBQ Veteran services are provided by VHA and what services are available locally. (2) Identify gaps in local services and take steps to resolve as appropriate.

Work Schedule: M-F 0730 to 1600; M-F 0800 to 1630

Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Help

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

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. 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/.
• Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.
• Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation.
• (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
• (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C.
• 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• 
  
  NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker.
• 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-12

• Experience and Education. 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. 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, 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
• 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.
  
  

Preferred Experience:

2 years post Advanced Practice Licensure.

Experience in Program Coordination and/or Administration.

Health Care Navigation Experience



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 in the range of GS-12 to 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: 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

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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.

Read more

• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.