The Salem Veterans Affairs Health Care System is recruiting Social Workers assigned to the Social Work Service at the Lynchburg, Virginia Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The Social Worker provides services to the Veterans and families. Specialty Areas: Primary Care - Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) Mental Health/Substance Abuse To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/21/2022. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). Education. 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. (Copy of Transcript must be submitted) 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/. (Copy of Licensure) English Language Proficiency. Social Workers Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Proof of Licensure and College Transcripts must be included with your application. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Social Worker: Specialized Experience: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings. OR, Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. (AND) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. (c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. (d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. (e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Licensure: GS-11: Must have a license or certification in a state at the independent practice level. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is i the rage of GS-09 to GS-11. 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. The 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. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require minimal travel into the community to meet with community agencies and partners who assist and support to the Homeless program, and its Veterans. 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. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Social Worker (PC-MHI) functions as part of an interdisciplinary team. Incumbent provides direct patient services through the Primary Care - Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) program. The primary responsibilities are to provide brief assessment and intervention support to the Patient Alignment Care Team (PACT), with an emphasis on integration of mental health services within primary care. Clinical Duties include, but are not limited to: Provides a full range of assessment and evaluation services appropriate to the primary care setting, especially in the areas of emotional and behavioral problems. Provides a range of advanced interventions consistent with training and expertise, with special emphasis on brief and evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in primary care settings. Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the primary care setting and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues. Provides consultation services for primary care providers to maximize the effectiveness of their interventions in reducing health-risk behaviors and enhancing health-promoting behaviors, with a significant emphasis on a prevention-oriented model of care. Supports primary care provider (PCP) decision-making, building on PCP interventions and improving PCP-patient working relationships. Provides clinical care management when appropriate directly to an assigned cohort of patients. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision-making capacity regarding health care. Develops person-centered, culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients. Social Worker (MH-SA) provides mental health/substance abuse services to the Veteran population enrolled at the Salem VA Health Care System. Services include provision of high-quality case management, individual and group psychotherapy, clinical treatment, crisis intervention, advocacy, coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers/agencies, as needed by the client. Clinical Duties include, but are not limited to: Uses a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans referred for mental health and substance abuse services. Completes thorough psychosocial assessments and diagnostic interviews as part of the consult process when the Veteran is initially referred for mental health or substance abuse services. Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans engaged with mental health or substance abuse services and/or their families. Works independently with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Completes thorough psychosocial assessments and diagnostic interviews to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. Contributes to the development of the patient centered treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran, family members/significant others and other outpatient mental health clinical staff. Maintains general knowledge of Veteran's benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies. Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans and family members/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Provides consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning, compliance with treatment, and discharge planning. Social Worker (PC-MHI) and (MH-SA) Administrative Duties include, but are not limited to: Enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates and in accordance with Medical Center standards. Collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program. Attend all appropriate staff meetings. Serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies. Work Schedule: 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday\nTelework: Not Available.\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 01936F\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required."]