Social Worker (Admissions Coordinator)

Summary

The CLC social worker admissions coordinator is located at VA WNY Health Care System. Assigned to the Community Living Center (CLC). Primary responsibility to provide direct services to veteran residents and their families of this service as well as servicing as the admission coordinator to all admissions into the Community Living Centers (Buffalo and Batavia).

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties: Coordinating and evaluating the appropriateness of admissions supporting the CLC Medical Director and CLC Nurse Leader in assessing the availability of CLC beds, appropriateness of Veteran admission, or the need to refer the Veteran to home-based or community-based services for prospective CLC residents. Acts as a point person for the interdisciplinary treatment team to facilitate veteran respite opportunities within the Community. Lead/implement the discharge plan as developed by the IDT suggesting or recommending home and community-based care for support services once discharge services provide guidance regarding application, screening, intake, and discontinuation of respite services for veterans. Work with other team members to determine appropriateness, acceptance into respite and thoroughness in application process. Utilizing Bed Management System (BMS) Patient Pending Bed Placement for Veteran's denied admission due to no bed availability. Each admission requires veterans understanding and agreement on reason for admission, expected duration of the CLC residency and Veteran discharge goals. Case management with members of the interdisciplinary team is provided to coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's treatment needs and include liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families. Provides a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work which include case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate. Direct services provided include but are not limited to completing social work assessment and history, identifying patient discharge disposition, collaborating about post CLC needs. Providing health care proxy/living will education and completion; economic assistance or financial aid services and strategies to increase income (employment, vocational rehabilitation, VA benefits, disability); determining patient disposition which may involve placement to the least restrictive environment i.e. retirement facility/supportive living, assisted living, nursing home, or homeless shelter, group home, or a return to the prior to admission living situation. Assist patient and family with adjustment to alternative living arrangements such as nursing home placement, (long-term, subacute rehab), assisted living, supportive housing, etc. Referrals are made as soon as possible during the patient's care Actively participate in discharge planning process with patient/family and team members ensuring the individualized discharge plan is safe and meets patient needs and executed in a timely and appropriate manner. Advocates on behalf of the patient to ensure that services are obtained in a timely manner. Acts as a liaison between patient/family and medical team in communicating concerns or issues of importance. Provide individual and family counseling to help lessen the distress associated with acute and chronic illness issues. Provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives, and VA benefits. Provide consultation/education to other team/staff members, medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure. Provide case management to veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of patient care and make a warm handoff to the next social worker. Provides education on health care proxy, living will assist in completion of same, records completed document(s) or revisions in the electronic medical record, and forwards hard copy for scanning. Communicate effectively in oral and written commentary. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm 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 si…

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. 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 3 accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure or Certification Requirement: You MUST be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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 for Social Worker(Program Coordinator),GS-12 Experience and Education 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. 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. AND, Licensure/Certification Requirement: 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. AND, In addition to the basic, experience, education and licensure/certification requirements above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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. 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…

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/.