The Senior Social Worker (Compact Care Coordinator) is a Social Worker assigned within the Psychology Service Line- , located at Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS). These duties include educating providers, other VA staff, Veterans, and their families/caregivers on recovery and evaluation of implementation efforts. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date 9/30/2024 of this announcement. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Must be US Citizen. 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/. 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). Grade Determinations: n addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.GS-12 Senior Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience/Education: Must have at least two (2) years of experience POST advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) 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. AND 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. Advanced License must be submitted with application. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), 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. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. These are the KSA's for this subject position and grade level: 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Senior Social Worker Qualification Standard, dated 9/10/19 Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty. The applicant must have a valid driver's license and pass Occupational Health screening as position will require driving a government vehicle. Incumbent must be able to climb stairs and walk short distances. Incumbent must be able to lift 25 pounds. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major Duties: Work in partnership with VAMC, VBA, BAS and financial service Work in partnership with the Transitional Care Coordination Team Actively participate in the treatment planning process with the disciplines and assist with discharge planning Provide individual, family, and group counseling as appropriate Face-to-face contact to introduce the Veteran to the \"face\" of VA Behavioral Health Service while inpatient at the non-VA inpatient mental health facility to the VA outpatient setting Discuss with the Veteran what to expect upon discharge and the reason for such frequent contact Complete the Suicide Prevention Safety Plans while still in the non-VA inpatient facility, Facilitate appropriate hand off with VA Suicide Prevention Program staff to assure continuity of care when needed Build therapeutic alliances with the Veteran and establishing rapport with the non-VA inpatient mental health facility staff/organization. Establish and maintain communication between providers, Veterans, and care team to allow for opportunities for clarification and feedback. Coordination across the spectrum of services, Effective transitions and warm hand-offs. Ensure Veterans demographics and contact information are up to date and accurate in CPRS. Conduct follow-up home visits when Veteran does not show for first follow-up visit/phone call. Support Veteran's recovery, goals, and preferences for mental health/medical care. Engage in explicit discussions with the Veteran (and caregiver if available) regarding warning symptoms or signs to monitor that may indicate that the Veteran's condition has worsened and who to contact in an emergency. Reduce non-VA inpatient facility readmissions and length of stay to support fiscal accountability and cost-savings. Coach and counsel Veterans and families Serves as a role model for utilization of appropriate communication and conflict management techniques, effectively guiding and motivating team members Evaluate practice for a service, based on established professional, community and regulatory standards and recommends/implements changes to meet those standards Act as Liaison between providers, team members, VA, and community resources for continuity of care to include identification of need of care at home or alternatives such as outpatient treatment, extended care facility and/or assisted living facility Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:619-54559F Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.