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

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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)
• 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/
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) 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
• Preferred Experience: Working with people experiencing homelessness Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting/carrying (15-44 lbs.) - light lifting/carrying (under 15 lbs.) - operation of motor vehicle - ability to see computer screen - and hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Environmental factors include working outside and inside - slippery or uneven walking surfaces - working closely with others - and working alone.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include - but are not limited to: Clinical Assessment: Evaluates each Veteran's situation - abilities - and capabilities - and arrives at a reasoned conclusion including an assessment of vulnerability and priority for program admission
• Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary plan - involving the Veteran and family or significant others - and performs a thorough assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness which may also include - catastrophic medical conditions - dementia - traumatic brain injuries - and other high risks diagnoses
• Based on the psychosocial assessment - the incumbent uses professional judgment and practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis
• Comprehensive Case Management: Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans and their family members to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring Veterans and families to the VA Medical Center - VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies
• Performs on-site visits of HUD-VASH apartments/housing units in rural and remotely separated communities to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes
• Develops psychosocial treatment plans - actively involving the Veteran and/or their family or significant others - in coordination with interdisciplinary team members - based on the psychosocial assessments - including goals for clinical treatment
• Determine the stage of case management for each Veteran and confirm that the multi-disciplinary team is meeting face to face with the Veteran at the frequency required by the given stage
• the incumbent understands that these face to face meetings should take place in Veteran's residence unless otherwise indicated
• Assists Veterans in maintaining appointments at VA medical centers and other community agencies for medical - psychiatric - substance abuse - vocational and other services consistent with Veteran's goals associated with healthful independent living
• Provides referral to VA medical and mental health inpatient and outpatient treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits - as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs
• Program Administration: Incumbent is responsible for data collection - administrative record keeping - and monitoring patient or program clinical indicators - thresholds - and performance measurements
• Develops working relationships and agreements with other organizations and directly coordinates with the designated PHA regarding housing voucher application and award process for each Veteran
• Responsible to review the agreements between Section 8 landlords - PHAs - and the VA to establish appropriate referral sites for placements
• Completes documentation requirements of the HUD-VASH program - including psychosocial assessments - HOMES database updates - measurement-based care tracking - pain - nutrition - and suicide risk screenings
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 0800-1630 Compressed/Flexible: May be available Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and 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) and 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: Available - Ad-hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized