Deputy Director of Veterans Services

Position Purpose/Summary

Essential Functions

• Acts for the Director of Veterans Services in his/her absence or as delegated.
• Assists in planning, organizing, directing, administering, and coordinating departmental social work, advisory, fiscal, and clerical activities.
• Plans, assigns, supervises and reviews the work of caseworkers engaged in investigating eligibility of applicants for veteran’s benefits, determining extent of need, and providing continuing social casework services.
• Instructs, advises and assists caseworkers, and personally participates, in difficult and unusual cases.
• Participates in casework, involving responsibility for investigating the eligibility, need, resources, and residence of applicants for veteran’s benefits, for recommending acceptance or rejection, and for providing continuing professional social casework services.
• Conducts staff meetings and holds periodic conferences for training and development of staff; provides instruction in investigative and casework methods, use of community resources, and interpretation of pertinent laws, rules, regulations and policies.
• Reviews reports and case histories and holds individual conferences in order to maintain standards of interviewing, case study analyses, casework services to clients and families and case recording and reporting.
• Personally carries special caseload of hospital and nursing home cases as well as difficult or unusual cases.
• Provides advice and assistance to veterans and their dependents concerning financial and other benefits available to make referral to proper agencies.
• Performs related work as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of statutes, ordinances, and regulations pertaining to veterans benefits, particularly Chapter 115 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
• Considerable knowledge of the philosophy, practices, procedures and techniques of professional social work in the public sector.
• Considerable knowledge of state, federal, and local legislation pertaining to veterans.
• Considerable knowledge of public assistance programs and related laws.
• Considerable knowledge of the functions of private social agencies and other community resources.
• Considerable knowledge of the causes of public dependency and family insecurity, including economic, social, health, and psychological problems.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with applicants, recipients, subordinates, other agencies, and the general public.
• Ability to interpret and apply a variety of laws, regulations and policies.
• Ability to plan, assign, supervise, and review the work of subordinates.
• Ability to express oneself clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Skill in dealing effectively with, and eliciting information from persons under considerable emotional and economic stress.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with major course work in social sciences; or graduation from a standard high school or equivalent, supplemented by college level courses in social work.
• Minimum of eight years of experience as a social worker, preferably in a public agency dealing with veterans and their dependents.