The social worker works as a member of a BHIP (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program) team, providing care to this population. The standard location of work is at the John D Dingell VA Medical Center main facility or assigned CBOC, where BHIP MH programs are generally located. The primary work location for this position will be the Pontiac CBOC, located at 44200 Woodward Ave, Pontiac, MI 48341. 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. 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. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Regulations. Grade Determinations (GS-11, Full Performance Level) Experience, Education and Licensure. GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of I year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR, In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Assignments. This is the full performance level for social workers. GS-11 social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. They are assigned to all program areas, including inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. References: VA Handbook, Part II, Appendix G39 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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS11. Preferred Experience: Mental health social work experience Physical Requirements: Ability to physically access various treatment settings within the facility. Ability to use computers frequently/continuously throughout the day for data input and communication. Ability to use phone. Position is primarily sedentary, and incumbent must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time. May require light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds) and climbing stairs as needed. ["Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Conducts brief assessments that may include assessing high risk factors, including suicidal and homicidal ideation, acute needs for VHA or community-based services, and to determine care coordination and treatment needs of Veterans Provides consultation/education to Veterans and families on VA resources (including self-management tools), community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, and options for community care as appropriate Provides care coordination (including care management or case management) to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care including within and across services/departments/sections to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans Provides a full range of services within commonly accepted standards of practice and prioritizes care coordination activities as the primary job function (e.g., needs assessment, chart reviews, care or case management, facilitating measurement based care, which may include the utilization of Behavioral Health Lab software, transition planning, outreach, etc.) and other services as appropriate Provides wellness/prevention education and may facilitate patient/family educational/bridging supportive sessions as appropriate Serves as the mental health treatment coordinator for their assigned BHIP team, thereby serving as the primary clinical resource/point-of-contact for Veterans and other team/staff members Leads daily team huddles and leads treatment planning process meetings with other BHIP team members Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans on BHIP teams, including serving as an effective liaison between VA and community resources (including education and bidirectional communication) to ensure timely delivery of comprehensive and seamless mental health services Collaborates with mental health Primary Care Management Module (PCMM) Coordinators and Clinic Practice Manager to facilitate timely assignment of a mental health treatment coordinator for all Veterans receiving BHIP care and update team member assignments as appropriate Independently identifies high-risk patients and connects with needed resources and services, as needed Consults, collaborates, and coordinates with other staff who provide care to Veteran Serves as social work champion for treatment planning, discharge planning, and psychosocial and psychotherapeutic needs Provides clinical supervision to social work trainees Takes lead in ensuring accuracy of PCMM, maintaining accuracy of data integrity dashboard, and monitoring and addressing BHIP team performance measures Monitors the efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness, quality of services offered within the program area Reviews relevant data, assesses the data, develops, and implement ideas for improvement Trains/mentors new staff and those not yet clinically licensed Prepares for and trains staff on GARF & The Joint Commission standards and accreditation process Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, 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) 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: Yes - As determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93182A"]
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.