Social Worker Health Behavior Coordinator (HBC)

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Serves as the lead clinical consultant to the medical center staff on health behavior coaching.
• Maintains awareness of and provides consultation on the evidence basis for health behavior interventions to promote health and prevent disease and effective coaching methods by medical center staff.
• Works with Primary Care and Nursing leadership to provide specific training and consultation with Primary Care Nurses and others to facilitate effective health behavior coaching (i.e. healthy lifestyle coaching to support patient self-management) and build and maintain competencies in health behavior coaching.
• Performs specialty health behavior intervention (e.g. pre-bariatric surgery MOVE! Patients with particular behavioral concerns patients with unique or complex problems impacting their health promotion/disease prevention self-management plans).
• Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.

Administrative/Coordinator Functions:

• Provides consultation and training to Primary Care and Mental Health Service Line staff in the enhancing maintaining and supporting health behavior program for the promotion of health and prevention of disease and enhance patient self-management of chronic disease (e.g. diabetes HIV Hepatitis COPD) to prevent secondary complications and improve long-term outcomes and enhance quality of life.
• Develops programs together with other Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Tobacco Use Cessation and Patient Health Education staff members for teaching and/or improving the Primary Care teams core behavioral health skills.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff on issues related to the function of health behavior assessment and interventions to promote health and prevent disease and may provide in-service and/or invited grand round presentations to the medical center staff in areas directly related to the mission of the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention programs.
• Provides leadership and guidance in carrying out program planning outcome evaluation and staff development activities.
• Serves as the facilities tobacco use treatment lead clinician.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 10257F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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 identification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: Be a citizen of the United States. 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).
• Education: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Must have 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.
  • Note: A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the masters degree in social work.
• Licensure: Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (Copy of License required)

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:

• Experience and Education GS-12: 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. Experience may 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 and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver.
• 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.
• AND
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities GS-12: 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.