Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

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 must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Education: Have a master's 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
• A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work
• Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid
• Driver's License Requirement: A current - Valid State issued Driver's License is required for this position
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education
• The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which - one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment
• Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice
• Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty
• Licensure/Certification
• Senior social workers 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 they must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations
• This includes individual - group - and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area - utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes
• (d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area - as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills
• (e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession - and to write policies - procedures - and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area
• 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
• Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level
• Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site
• a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center - or a national VHA referral center - such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center - or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity
• Preferred Experience: 1-year post-MSW experience in a health care setting Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health - able to sit at a desk working at a computer - engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting - walking - bending - and carrying supplies
• Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands - exercise patience - and control emotions - with reasonable accommodation - if necessary - without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others
• This position requires a valid state driver's license and local travel to provide community-based care to Veterans
• The position requires significant travel in the community - through use of a government vehicle or other individual arrangements - to meet with representatives/stakeholders who provide assistance and support to Veterans in clinics - medical centers - Community Clinics - etc
• This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures
• transcribing
• viewing a computer terminal
• extensive reading
• and repetitive motions of the wrists - hands - and/or fingers.

Duties

• Represents the VA with professionalism & respect to both internal & external stakeholders
• Acts as a subject matter expert on VA &/or community resources
• Collaborates with other service providers in assessing the Veteran's needs as appropriate
• Works closely & coordinates with other PACT Social Workers in the health care system - along with providing consultation & education to VA staff & community-based service providers - including medical residents & social work students
• Educates Veterans &/or caregivers about the available services & assists them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of their authorized surrogate decision-maker
• Conducts outreach & engagement activities with Veterans experiencing homelessness - housing instability - behavioral health concerns - or difficulty engaging in healthcare services
• Establishes & maintains collaborative relationships with community shelters - transitional housing programs - law enforcement agencies - treatment courts - food pantries - outreach teams - & other community partners serving vulnerable Veteran populations
• Provide consultation services regarding the psychosocial needs of homeless & justice-involved Veterans to PACT staff & community providers
• Utilizes knowledge of community resources - makes referrals to the community & other government agencies as appropriate - & coordinates services
• Utilizes current VA & community social service programs & enhances the content to the benefit of Veterans
• Serves as a liaison with community agencies - assists Veterans (or caregivers) with referrals for services from community & government agencies - & helps coordinate these services - when appropriate
• Coordinates with other VA staff & community agencies to assist in problem-solving as needed
• Runs psychotherapeutic & psychoeducational groups for Veterans - caregivers - &/or family members
• Conducts direct outreach - assessment - case management - & care coordination for Veterans experiencing homelessness or housing instability & refers Veterans to appropriate VA & non-VA services
• Assists eligible Veterans with enrollment into VA healthcare & linkage to housing - mental health - substance use disorder treatment - financial assistance - transportation - & supportive community services
• Coordinates with VA Homeless Programs - including HUD-VASH - HCHV - Grant & Per Diem (GPD) -Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) - VJO - & community providers to facilitate continuity of care & housing stability
• As appropriate - this may entail coordinating with other VA facilities due to the clinic's location
• Collaborates with community agencies - shelters - outreach teams - law enforcement - & justice partners to improve access to care & reduce barriers for Veterans experiencing homelessness
• Participates in community outreach events - stand downs - & field-based engagement efforts to identify & connect vulnerable Veterans with VA healthcare & supportive services
• Conducts psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - cultural - ethnic - educational - & other diversified backgrounds
• Functions as an independent provider within the PACT
• Work Schedule: M-F 8:00am- 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact - mailto:joshua.titensor@va.gov OR mailto:karen.diaz@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary & regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) & federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: May be Available on an Ad-hoc basis as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 613960 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized