Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Suicide Prevention Program

VA Careers - Social Work: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) will serve to facilitate implementation of suicide prevention strategies within the medical center to help ensure that all appropriate measures are being taken to prevent suicide in our patient population.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Oversees the day-to-day processing of crisis line referrals from the National Veterans Crisis Line and ensures timely completion of follow-up contacts to requests.
• Monitors reviews and assigns local National Patient Record Flag for suicide through chart review consultation with assigned clinical staff and by assessment of the Veterans current state.
• Provides data collection input validation and monitoring for suicide prevention and REACH VET programs.
• Services as REACH VET Program coordinator ensuring adherence to national VISN and local guidelines and procedures related to REACH VET.
• Postvention Services: Provides debriefing and postvention support to staff and next of kin impacted by suicide loss.
• Provides outreach teaching and training to the Medical Center and CBOC staff members Veterans family members and community at large about risk factors warning signs treatment options and resources available to Veterans at risk.
• Promotes the use of evidence-based intervention and strategies for suicide prevention in the medical center and CBOCs.
• Interfaces with services throughout the medical center to resolve administrative and clinical problems.
• Provides full range of clinical services including crisis intervention suicide risk evaluations and safety planning case management individual and group psychotherapy for Veterans who are at increased risk for suicide and adverse outcomes as needed.
• Services as the facility Subject Matter Expert for suicide prevention efforts developing local procedures and ensuring compliance with local VSIN and national policy and directives related to suicide prevention and providing administrative and clinical guidance for Suicide Prevention REACH VET and related programs.
• Monitors inputs and analyzes dashboards to ensure metric compliance with national guidelines.
• Responds to referrals from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline/Veterans Crisis Line internal facility calls consults and other referral methods to ensure Veteran safety provide stabilization support and interventions.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Maintains a valid drivers license to conduct community outreach and education events.

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.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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

• Licensure/Certification. 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 masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to 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: Social Worker (Program Coordinator) GS-12
  • Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
  • Experience 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. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse neglect exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members identifying the patients strengths weaknesses coping skills and psychosocial acuity.
  • Knowledge Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate the following KSAs :
    • 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.
  
  Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is 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: 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:

  Additional information

  Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
  
  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.
  
  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 applicants 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.

  Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

  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.

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  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.