Blind Rehabilitation Specialist - Visual Impairment Service Team (vist) Coordinator

Blind Rehabilitation Specialist - Visual Impairment Service Team Coordinator

This Blind Rehabilitation Specialist position services as a Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) Coordinator. The VIST Coordinator develops, implements, directs and evaluates the Visual Impairment Service (VIS) Team program, located at the Tampa Healthcare System. The VIST Coordinator has major responsibility for the coordination of all services for visually impaired Veterans and Service members and their families through the Visual Impairment Services Team.

Responsibilities VIST Coordinators follow a model of lifetime care coordination offered to all Veterans with visual impairment who are eligible to receive services. The model requires varying degrees of intervention based on the clinical and psychosocial needs of each Veteran. The VIST Coordinator plans, develops, implements, directs and evaluates the Visual Impairment Service (VIS) Team program at the VHA sites within his or her catchment area. Case management duties may include cases that are both difficult and complex both in terms of the severity of the visual impairment and the presence of complicating physical and emotional factors impinging on treatment. The Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) Coordinator functions independently in a number of settings. The work environment may be in an outpatient setting, inpatient setting, virtual setting and in a home environment, as deemed appropriate for clinical care. The Visual Impairment Service Team Coordinator case manages patient care and provides care coordination, assessments and blind and low vision rehabilitation to help Veterans reclaim the confidence and skills needed to lead an independent, fulfilling life after vision loss. Within these broad categorizations, the employee must tailor patient care and support services to meet the needs of the individual patient. This includes the responsibility for assessment of each patient's needs and assuring the delivery of services that are responsive to the concerns of individual patients to the extent possible. Additional duties include but not limited to:

• Following a model of lifetime care coordination offered to all Veterans with visual impairment who are eligible to receive services.
• Providing care coordination services to eligible Veterans with visual impairment by assessing (at least annually), coordinating and reviewing the Veteran's rehabilitation and adjustment needs and determining and referring the type and intensity of services needed, based upon clinical judgment and the Veteran's goals.
• Determining if additional intervention by other providers will be needed in order to develop a Veteran's individualized treatment plan.
• Ensuring the update and maintenance of the VIST roster including all legally blind and low vision Veterans enrolled at a given VA medical facility.
• Providing outreach and education to VA medical facility and non-VA agencies and personnel through brochures and other educational materials about Veteran counseling and family information.
• Conducting monthly VIST support groups for Veterans on various topics to enhance outreach, education, adjustment to sight loss, and peer-to-peer engagement.
• Ensuring the recommended prosthetic devices and rehabilitation interventions are in alignment with the Veteran's goals and individualized rehabilitation plan.
• Promoting awareness of the needs of Veterans with visual impairments to the VA medical facility staff through identifying eligible Veterans with visual impairment in the Electronic Health Record.
• Remain current on all Joint Commission VHA criteria (e.g., blind rehab, home health care, etc.).

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, with rotating tours of duty as needed.

Requirements 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. 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. 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 interest.

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 will not be appointed under authority of 38U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. Education: The individual must have earned: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in blind or vision rehabilitation, closely related programs in rehabilitation, special education for the visually impaired, family and consumer science education, or technology and industrial arts education. OR, A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (without a major field of study as outlined in (1)(a) above) that included, or was supplemented by, at least one of the following: At least 30 semester hours of directly related, upper-level undergraduate courses (e.g., at least 200-course level or higher, or as identified by the college or university). One full year of directly related graduate level coursework (typically at least 15 -18 semester hours). A certificate from an accredited college or university in the core curriculum in orientation and mobility, vision rehabilitation therapy, assistive technology for blind and visually impaired individuals, or low vision therapy and a directly related practicum/internship in the occupation, either included in the degree or post-degree. Foreign Graduates must have proof of a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (or foreign equivalent, as verified through an independent credential evaluation company), with a specialization in blind rehabilitation Certification: Required at the GS-11 grade level and above. (1) Applicants must possess at least one active, current, full and unrestricted certification to be eligible for appointment. Certification must be granted by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP), or another equivalent, closely related professional credential in special education or rehabilitation. NOTE: The ACVREP administers four certification programs: Low Vision Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, Assistive Technology Instruction and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. They may then use the designation for the certification they hold. Blind Rehabilitation Specialist (VIST) Coordinators may be drawn from traditional blind/vision rehabilitation backgrounds, and from counseling backgrounds such as social work, vocational rehabilitation counseling, etc. VIST Coordinators must be credentialed/certified through: Any certification via the ACVREP OR Individuals appointed based on experience as a Social Worker must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. If appointed as a VIST Coordinator, Social Workers are appointed to the GS-0601 series, but must still maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment OR Individuals appointed based on experience as a Social Worker must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. If appointed as a VIST Coordinator, Social Workers are appointed to the GS-0601 series, but must still maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment, OR Certification via the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, (CRC) OR Individuals appointed based on experience in other health care occupations must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice in their field. If appointed as a VIST Coordinator, such individuals are appointed to the GS-0601 series, but must still maintain their full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification in their occupation to remain qualified for employment. Examples of occupations may include but [are not limited to Marriage and Family Therapist or Licensed Mental Health Counselor.] 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).

Physical Requirements: It requires reaching overhead, reaching at or below the shoulder, pushing, pulling, some light lifting less than 25lbs. Walking, bending, sitting, and stooping. The employee works with outpatients in a medical center setting and occasionally with inpatients.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: