The incumbent serves as the Associate Chief of Staff of the Mental Health (ACOS MH) for the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS). This position reports directly to the Chief of Staff (COS). They will be responsible for setting overall goals for the Mental Health Care Line that comply and support Veterans Administration (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and VASDHS strategic goals & objectives. 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. Licensure: Candidate must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: GS-14 Social Worker (Service Chief) Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. 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. Licensure/Certification. The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements. 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. At the GS-14 grade level, size, scope, significance and impact are greater than the GS-13 grade level. The chief social worker responsibility includes management of large, complex, social work services within the organization. The chief social worker is the highest level professional position at the facility with responsibility for the professional practice of all facility social workers and provision of social work services. The chief social worker provides supervision to social work service, with multiple sections or programs across the health care delivery system as well as an assistant chief and supervisors. Social work service includes staff members of different grades, as well as multiple disciplines, various treatment sites and at locations close to and distant from the medical center. The chief social worker has full responsibility for managing and supervising all aspects of social work service operations including clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision of the service.] Preferred Experience: Three years supervisory experience in a Mental Health or healthcare setting. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: Physical demands required are essentially non-strenuous and include prolonged sitting, occasional extended mobility to various areas of the facility, standing, bending and the incumbent may be required to lift light office items and files not exceeding 25 lbs. ["The incumbent is ultimately responsible for overall MHCL clinical and administrative operations currently structured around a hybrid Care Line Model that is veteran-centric and recovery-oriented. The MHCL is an interdisciplinary service and its hybrid organizational structure aligns with distinct roles and responsibilities for the ACOS MHCL, Deputy ACOSs for the MHCL, service chiefs and discipline leads (psychiatry and psychology chiefs, associate nurse executive for mental health, and mental health social work program coordinator), and section chiefs overseeing 8 functionally distinct sections across the continuum of care from inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health care to primary care mental health integration and other mental health services embedded in non-mental health settings. Responsibilities include system operations of inpatient acute care, emergency/crisis care, residential care, outpatient clinics, community-based programs, patient/customer satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and successful attainment of VASDHS, VISN and VHA performance measures, and efficient and effective service delivery and resource management. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Direct all activities of the Mental Health Care Line to include budget and fiscal management, human resource management, strategic planning, clinical end administrative program development, management and evaluation of services and programs, and ensuring that the clinical and administrative functions are integrated in order to provide optimal mental health care to veteran in the context of appropriate utilization of resources. Establish MHS objectives congruent with and reflective of the philosophy and objectives of VA, VHA, VISN, and VASDHS. Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate complex integrated mental health programs. Provide oversight of the comprehensive inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health care for Veteran's diagnosed with acute and chronic mental health and/or substance use disorders. Provide direct and indirect oversight to the educational and research missions of the MHCL. Collaborate with senior management officials and service chiefs to negotiate, persuade, decide on, and coordinate work related changes affecting the operations of the MHCL. Represent VASDHS on issues within his/her purview at meetings, conferences, community events, etc. Plan and direct the administrative and technical aspects of personnel management, coordinating such functions through subordinate managers. Utilize sound management practices, using knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations, supporting the partnership process with employee unions by actively seeking opportunities to develop productive labor relations, and is guided by ethical standards of his or her profession. Accountable for all applicable VA performance measures and responsible for quality improvement activities within mental health, using data tools for collection and analysis. Collaborate with senior management officials including the Chief of Organizational Improvement and Quality Management to ensure compliance with applicable performance measures and practice standards. Shares responsibility with the Chief of Staff for monitoring Patient Safety and Risk Management issues in Mental Health. Responsible for a multi-million dollar budget, including staffing of about 600 FTEE, equipment, leases, non-VA care services, contract funds, etc. Identify need for and recommends major equipment acquisition and replacement with consideration being given to timeliness of acquisition and cost effectiveness of new equipment. Work with Human Resource Management Service in the employment of Title 5, Title 38, and Hybrid Title 38 staff. Provide direct services to patients and their families utilizing a comprehensive range of techniques, skills, and resources. Work with subordinates to ensure optimal utilization of training resources, if appropriate, and high quality training is provided within the outpatient MHCL units. Oversee the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance processes. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, PST Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
