iSate: From Soc}: To: Department oi iv?eterarts Affairs March ??12016 Acting Chief Officer, Readiustment Counseling Service (10RCS) Vet Center Service Delivery Minimum Expectations Assessment Readiustrnent Counseling Service (RC8) District Director and Regional Managers 1. Effective immediately the following information will be distributed to all Vet Centers. 2. PURPOSE: To provide RC8 District and Regional ieadership and Vet Center Team Leaders with information regarding minimum service delivery expectations by staff providers. 3. SCOPE: This guidance is applicable to RCS staff members with responsibility for service delivery, supervision andlor oversight. 4. BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVES: This guidance emphasizes the responsibility of ail RCS leadership to assess the provision and quality of readjustment counseling services on a consistent basis. These oversight activities are entirely grounded in support of the Vet Center readjustment counseiing mission for serving eligible Veterans, Service members, and their families. a. The conceptual focus of readjustment counseling is the nexus between Veterans and Service members? combat experience and their current life adjustment. Readiustment counseling addresses the residue of unresolved traumatic combat experiences that impact postwar adjustment including issues related to tarnity, employment and career adjustment. The readjustment counseling service mission consiists of three inter-?related service functions: outreach, direct re-adiustment counseling, and referral and care coordination. Direct readjustment counseling is provided in three modalities: individuat, group, and family. it). Vet Center oversight evaluation requires a combination quantitative measures and qualitative evaluations regarding the direct service mission. Quantitative measures include direct service visits provided to Veterans, Service members, and their families, SSN verified outreach contacts, and the accurate accounting for time within Quality of care evaluations include annual site visits, assessment of the Vet Center Team Leader?s supervision; the efficacy of the Vet Center?s non?institutional, personally engaging atmosphere promoting collegiai retationships between staff and the local Veteran community; and the strength of Vet Center community relations and partnerships, VA and non?VA. 5. VET CENTER EXPECTATIONS: Specific expectations for Vet Center staff are as follows: a. Team Leaders: Fifteen (15) hours per week (37.5% in direct provision of readjustment counseling with an expecation of 1.5 visits per hour (average 46 hour week 15 hours direct service, 22.5 visits). b. Counselors: Twenty (20) hours per week (50% in direct provision of readjustment counseling with an expectation of 1.5 visits per hour (average 40 hour week a 20 hours direct service, 30 visits). Note: Each hour of facets?face service results in is documented readjustment counseiing visits when accounting for group readjustment counseling work (multipie clients during one time penod) c. Outreach Workers: 60% of actual hours available are spent in primarily Outreach activities and secondariiy in Direct Services 6. THE MANAGEMENT OF UNUSED AVAILABILITY: a. For the purpose of assessment, Vet Center unused availability is defined as the egg of avaiiable visits (derived from avaiiable counseling hours) below the minimum workload expectations and outcomes for each counseling staff member on the team, is, counseling staff were available, but no visits were documented. is. Available counseling hours for each staff providing service are derived directly from the VA PAED system. Available hours are the total hours minus all non?duty hours annuai leave, sick leave, etc. Only available hours are utilized, 0. All staff below 85% of their individualized expectation are required to develop an improvement plan approved by their supervisor. in each case, the staff member will receive documented, supportive and ongoing performance improvement supervision. d. it is the responsibility of ROS leadership at all ieveis to develop strategic plans, snare best practices, and encourage team innovation sufficient to bring every RCS staff service provider up to the minimum expectation: Ensure appropriate staff composition, Ensure effective level of outreach, Ensure appropriate case assignment regarding ciinical complexity, Ensure effective utilization of group readjustment counseiing, and As indicated, ensure appropriate utilization of anciliary staff (interns, temp/term overhires, etc. 9%906! e. Vet Centers with signi?cant levels of unused service availability (over 2,000 unused visits- available) require a strategic remediation plan taking into consideration the provisions of paragraph 6d. above. COMMENT: in conclusion, all RCS leadership and service providing staff are responsible for meeting. minimum expectations. These expectations were developed with foil attention to all aspects of the Vet Center d? ct service mission. Wee.- Charles M. Flora, Team Leader Minimum a 15 Direct service hours per Week 0 22.5 Visits per week 9 ll70 Visits per year 9 Action Plan_Trigger (yellow light) <19 visits per week (below 85 percent of target) Counselor Minimum 9 20 Direct service hours per week 6 30 visit per week a 1560 visit per year 6 Action Plan Trigger (yellow light) 25.5 visits per week (below 85 percent of target) Gutreach 8' 60 percent of hours available in outreach a 24 hours outreach per week 9 Action Plan triggers (yellow light) 20 hours per week (below 85 percent of target)