Supervisory Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Veterans Health Administration • Albany, NY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as Social Work Supervisor for facility social workers in the Homemaker Home Health Aide, Veteran Directed Care, and Home-Based Primary Care programs at the Albany VA Medical Center, and provides administrative and clinical oversight for the Caregiver Support Program. The position performs approximately 80% administrative and 20% clinical services. It administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and improve Community Care Program service quality, develops systems for tracking social work activities, and develops and evaluates clinical guidelines and service-utilization protocols.

The role includes supervision, personnel management, performance evaluation, staff development, leave decisions, and resolution of informal complaints and grievances. The incumbent supports equal employment opportunity and ensures staff training and compliance with safety regulations. Clinical work includes psychosocial assessments of veterans and their families, assessment of risks and service needs, diagnosis and disposition planning, explaining VA treatment and benefit programs, and making independent professional recommendations. Cases may involve serious or complex psychiatric, medical, dementia, and other high-risk conditions. The incumbent also educates and supervises social work trainees and may train other healthcare trainees. Other assigned duties may include administrative or clinical coverage in other areas and, when necessary, rotating shifts or flexible hours.

The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is ad hoc at the supervisor’s discretion; the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master’s degree.
• State license or certification to independently practice social work at the master’s degree level; program coordinators must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and able to provide licensure supervision.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 level, demonstrating advanced practice skills, judgment, and progressively greater professional competency.
• Maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination and background/security investigation; comply with the seasonal influenza vaccination requirement for VA healthcare personnel.
• Complete required application and onboarding requirements and serve a two-year trial period.
• Meet the stated education-recognition requirements; foreign education used to qualify requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in case management, geriatrics, complex care management, and program administration.
• Certification or other post-master’s training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university with a defined curriculum and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Supervise social work staff in the Homemaker Home Health Aide, Veteran Directed Care, and Home-Based Primary Care programs, and provide administrative and clinical oversight for the Caregiver Support Program.
• Administer information and analytical systems to evaluate and improve the quality of Community Care Program services.
• Develop and implement systems to track social work encounters, visits, and unique veterans served.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate clinical guidelines and protocols for appropriate service utilization.
• Perform personnel management, including setting and communicating performance expectations, observing and evaluating performance, providing feedback and counsel, resolving informal complaints and grievances, developing improvement plans, recommending personnel actions, applying disciplinary measures as authorized, and reviewing leave requests.
• Ensure supervised staff are trained and comply with safety regulations.
• Advance equal employment opportunity and affirmative action objectives and adhere to nondiscriminatory employment practices in the supervised area.
• Interview veterans and family members or significant others and conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments.
• Explain VA treatment and benefit programs; review assessment data to identify needs, strengths, risks, acuity, and service requirements.
• Develop psychosocial diagnoses and preliminary disposition plans using professional judgment and advanced practice skills.
• Assess serious and complex cases, including those involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses, and make independent professional recommendations.
• Educate, train, and supervise social work trainees; serve as a Field Instructor and/or Task Supervisor when applicable.
• Train other healthcare trainees on social work issues as applicable.
• Perform other assigned duties, including administrative or clinical coverage for other areas or staff, and rotating shifts or flexible hours when necessary.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior federal work or military service, subject to approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior