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. 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. Learn more 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. 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts showing degree earned and conferred date. 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/. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your current, valid and unrestricted SW License. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your SW licensure showing Advanced Practice Level and 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. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. 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). References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. Dated: September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs.), Reaching above shoulders, Use of fingers, Walking and standing (6 hrs.), Ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors, Hearing (aid permitted), Working closely with others, Working alone, Operation of motor vehicle. ["SUMMARY:\nHousing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless and vulnerable Veterans aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans seeking or residing in stable housing through HUD's Section 8 voucher system. The HUD-VASH Senior Social Worker serves as a member of an interdisciplinary care team for HUD-VASH Veterans and functions as the primary case manager for a group of Veterans enrolled in the program. The HUD-VASH Senior Social Worker serves as a liaison between the VA and community partners including housing authorities, property management, and governmental or non-profit partners; they may be the primary VA representative for community partnerships or geographic regions and are expected to practice independently.\nThe Duties and Responsibilities of the Senior Social Worker include but are not limited to:\nProvide clinical case management to Veterans and families in the HUD-VASH program. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain Veterans in stable housing.\n- Perform regular home visits to ensure Veterans reside in environments that foster independence and safety in the community.\n- Verify Veterans' status, eligibility for VA health care, and eligibility for HUD-VASH program participation.\n- Accept referrals for screening and admission to HUD-VASH. Referrals may be received from the local Continuum of Care (CoC), local coordinated entry systems, community partners, other VA programs or locations, the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (NCCHV), or other sources.\n- Assess Veterans through comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments and regular reassessments to determine clinical needs and acuity status.\n- Collaboratively develop a treatment plan (or housing stability plan) with each Veteran served. Monitor progress and review and update regularly throughout the episode of care.\n- Provide a full range of services within the Social Work Scope of Practice based on Veteran needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Services may include, but are not limited to, the following: case management; individual, family, and group therapy; discharge planning; resource linkage; and care coordination.\n- Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals.\n- Monitor Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and other formal and informal agreements between property owners, service providers, Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), and the VA to establish appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. Work closely with partners to communicate needs or issues when they arise following relevant privacy regulations.\n- Collaborate with VA multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies to develop effective and efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to Veterans in HUD-VASH through treatment coordination and communication.\n- Act as a consultant to other team/staff members and take a lead clinical role in case consultation.\n- Collect and submit HUD-VASH participant data as outlined by Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) and Homeless Operational Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).\n- Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics, VHA Code of Ethics, and local ethics policies. This includes but is not limited to: compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information; protecting Veterans' personal identifying information.\n- Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record in accordance with facility policy, VHA Directive 1162.05 (and revisions), and program-specific SOPs.\n- Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission, CARF, and other relevant accrediting bodies. Assist program leadership in accreditation preparation and continuous readiness activities as requested.\n- Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the CHOS supervisor of shifting Veteran care needs and identifying the need for SOP or policy changes.\n- Actively participate in VISN 20 and VACO Homeless Program Office conference calls and trainings. Work Schedule: M-F: 8:00am to 4:30pm\nTelework: Available with management approval\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: Senior Social Worker, GS-0185-12; 00000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact Stacy.Hermann@va.gov or Taia.Henderson@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinators for questions/assistance\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]