Social Service Representatives

Indian Health Service • Red Lake, MN

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in the Behavioral Health Department at the PHS Indian Health Hospital, Red Lake Hospital, in Red Lake, Minnesota. The purpose of the position is to help patients gain access to needed medical, social, educational, and other services through direct assistance, case coordination and oversight, and linkage to appropriate services.

The Social Service Representative works with a multidisciplinary team to support appropriate patient care, continuity of care, and efficient use of resources. The position also advocates for patients and families, hears and documents their complaints and concerns, provides guidance to Service Unit personnel on case management and discharge planning under supervisory review, and refers patients to mental health facilities when appropriate. The position has promotion potential to GS-8; promotion is discretionary and not guaranteed.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• Successfully complete a federal background investigation; required investigation forms must be completed within five calendar days of issuance.
• Meet the financial suitability requirement, including demonstrating financial responsibility and satisfying legal financial obligations.
• Present two valid forms of identification before appointment; a state-issued ID or driver's license must be REAL ID-compliant.
• For GS-7, demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-6, including relevant tasks such as using an Electronic Health Record system, providing information about available resources and services, teaching patients about medication adherence, and coordinating care; or have one year of directly related graduate-level education in social sciences.
• For GS-8, demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7, including relevant tasks such as outreach to support continuity of mental health services, identifying and coordinating resources for individualized patient needs, advocating for patients and families, and referring patients to appropriate mental health facilities.
• Merit Promotion candidates in the competitive service must meet the time-in-grade requirement of one year at the next lower grade; this does not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan.
• Meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the announcement closing date.
• Clearly document duties, responsibilities, and hours worked per week for each position in the resume.
• If using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, provide a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Responsibilities

• Help patients access needed medical, social, educational, and other services through direct assistance, case coordination and oversight, and linkage to appropriate services.
• Coordinate with the multidisciplinary team to provide appropriate patient care that reduces length of stay, contains costs, and supports continuity of care.
• Advocate for patients and their families; meet with patients by appointment or as walk-ins to hear and document complaints and concerns.
• Provide guidance and orientation to Service Unit personnel regarding case management and discharge planning, under supervisory review.
• Refer patients to appropriate mental health facilities as deemed necessary.

Benefits

• Federal annual leave accrual of 4, 6, or 8 hours per pay period, based on years of federal service.
• IHS may offer newly appointed federal employees credit for directly related prior non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed