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. 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 Requirement: Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. 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 dependently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-11 Experience and Licensure: 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, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. 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. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, (KSA's), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training. Otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. The GS-11 KSA's for this subject position are; Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates 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. 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). Preferred Experience: Prefer advance practice license, experience in medical/mental health social work. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G-39, Qualification Standard for the appointment of Social Workers, GS-0185, in VA. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work requires extreme patience and controlling of emotions. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing, and carrying light objects. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the social worker to communicable diseases common to the hospital setting. Able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. They must have good manual dexterity. Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. The job entails walking, standing, bending, pushing, traveling among several different stories/floors, sitting, working on a computer, carrying objects. ["DUTIES: The social worker will independently complete psychosocial and mental health assessments of Veterans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, caregivers, and significant others. The goal of the assessment is to identify needs and formulate a plan to meet those needs. The social worker is knowledgeable of the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients including geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions. The social worker must be knowledgeable of the problems of advancing age and respect for the diversification of the aging Veteran population, being sensitive to human growth and development, age-appropriate needs and concerns of the Veteran and be able to provide current and advanced techniques to the treatment of this Veteran population. Social worker must be knowledgeable of the current DSM and how to identify and determine psychiatric diagnosis. It is the responsibility of the social worker, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team, to share in the development of a treatment plan with the Veteran based on this assessment. With the treatment team, the social worker will assess and determine needs for high risk suicide protocol to be implemented. The social worker is responsible for assisting in the development of the treatment plan and developing achievable treatment goals with the Veteran and family members/caregiver and collaborating with all additional providers. The treatment plan will be documented in approved VA treatment planning software and in the electronic health record. The social worker is responsible for planning and organizing work, coordinating with clinical interdisciplinary staff, other professional and clinical staff, and management personnel. This social worker is responsible for reviewing and coordinating all phases of the continuing care for Veterans served. The social worker understands the complexities of the medical system, recognizes, and understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and acts as an advocate when needed to serve the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Additionally, the social worker will educate and encourage the Veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. The social worker will complete crisis assessments, developing and executing crisis management plans in a timely, effective and efficient manner. The social worker has knowledge of psychosocial and mental health evidence based treatment modalities and has the ability to implement evidence based treatment modalities in working with Veterans and families to effectively negotiate crisis situations, utilizing supportive, problem solving, and/or crisis intervention techniques. The social worker has advanced skills in independently making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. The social worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow system/service policies/protocol. The social worker will provide the Veterans and their family members/caregiver with ongoing supportive counseling/ evidence based psychotherapy groups appropriate to level of licensure. The purpose of such counseling/evidence based psychotherapy is to deal with the psychosocial, mental and emotional impact of coping with chronic/disabling illness(es), onset of a catastrophic illness, mental illness(es), etc. This group counseling/evidence based psychotherapy includes participating in formatting and ongoing evaluation of group content for effectiveness and appropriateness for the patient population. The social worker will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each Veteran. The social worker will educate the Veteran, their family members/caregiver and the team of all the options available to them regarding VA/community resources/programs, level of care, placement and will collaborate with the Veteran and family members/caregiver on their preferred options allowing the Veteran to remain in the least restrictive environment. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available. Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Social Worker, Emergency Department, FS# 000000 EDRP Authorized: Contact Geraldin Louis at geraldin.louis@va.gov and/or Lajuanta Mitchell at lajuanta.mitchell@va.gov, the NF/SG EDRP Coordinators for questions/assistance. Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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