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. 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. 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/. (1) Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. 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: GS-9:Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. (b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. (c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. GS-11:Experience, Education, and Licensure: 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. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c of the Social Worker qualification standard. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. (NOTE: These KSAs must be demonstrated within your CV/resume to receive credit):: (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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 (Social Worker Qualification Standard) Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to exercise a high degree of emotional and mental discipline at all times in order to continue to carry out duties effectively. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. 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). ["This social worker position is in the Community Living Center (CLC) at VA Boston Healthcare System located at Brockton, MA Campus. This is a full time 40 hour a week position. The social worker is assigned to cover inpatient CLC units which include specialty areas of long & short term care/rehabilitation, hospice, palliative care & respite care. In collaboration with treatment team members & supervision of a fully licensed Social Work Supervisor, involved in initiating, implementing & coordinating discharge planning activities. Typical duties include but are not limited to the following: Establishing and maintaining effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families/NOK. The incumbent works independently with patient and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems and are in emotional turmoil/ distress. Completing Psychosocial Assessments of all assigned cases per Joint Commission standards through integrating medical record review, veteran interview and collateral information. This includes identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed in order to provide appropriate interventions. Incumbent has knowledge of psychosocial treatment and can independently apply/implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, groups, and family units to achieve the desired goal. Providing supportive counseling, based on therapeutic interventions and selects from among various treatment approaches/ modalities to address/ resolve the identified problems. Providing crisis intervention as needed is able to make quick assessments based on situational circumstances as needed. Incumbent able to illicit the assistance, coordination and collaboration of treatment team as needed. Providing case management and assists veterans with concrete services based on available resources. Initiating, implementing and coordinating discharge planning. Also, providing ongoing process improvements in the area of discharge planning with these\"flow\" patients. Initiating and maintaining a resource file of VA and community agencies and programs for use in discharge planning and referrals as needed. Providing education and information to the veteran/family on Advanced Medical Directives and assisting with completion of advanced directive forms as needed (Living Will and Health Care Proxy). Referring veterans and families to other team members for further information about treatment preferences and other education needs. Independently identifying high-risk patients. Providing case management and appropriate interventions as needed to this patient population. Identifying, evaluating, and providing needed interventions to veterans of suspected abuse and neglect and self-neglect. As mandated reporter, providing verbal and written report to appropriate agencies per state and VA regulations and documents appropriately in the medical record. Work Schedule: Full-time-8:00am-4:30pm. Compressed/Flexible Work Schedule: Not Authorized Telework: Maybe authorized at manger's discretion. Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized EDRP: Authorized - Contact Karen Chapman karen.chapman@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions or assistance on how to begin the application process. Learn more. Relocation, Recruitment, Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. NOTIFICATIONS: This position is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus, as needed. This position is in the Excepted Service. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) will be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees. Incomplete applications will not be considered."]

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