This position is eligible for 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 your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (1 to 5 years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions. 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). 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: 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. Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 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. 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. 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. Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Former VA Handbook References: Part II Appendix G39 Effective date: September 10,2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: This work requires light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, walking, standing, operation of motor vehicle, ability to distinguish basic colors and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental factors include working outside and inside, working closely with others and working alone. ["Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Is responsible to provide a variety of services for Veterans assigned to the Homeless Primary Care Team (HPACT) specialty clinic, including psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, short-term, solution focused counseling with individuals and families who are homeless and/or may be in crisis, education and referral for resources and benefits, and case management to Veterans and families. Uses their educational training, clinical experience, and knowledge to include that of VA policies and standards in administering direct services to provide psychosocial assessment of patient/family needs in relation to the provision of interdisciplinary treatment planning and service delivery, individual, group, and family counseling, and case management services for the purpose of addressing identified needs and address homelessness. Performs visits to HPACT Veterans who are dually enrolled in HUD-VASH at project-based facilities and/or in community settings, as well as other CHOS program settings. Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices, and/or community agencies. Will conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members and is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines and ensures appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care. Will supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker. Will provide consultation/education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure. Participates in discharge planning with other disciplines and is responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Will coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans. Conducts: routine suicide risk screens; comprehensive suicide risk evaluations, and collaborative safety plans when clinically indicated; follows-up with Veterans who fail to attend appointments per local procedures; seek needed consultation with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Disruptive Behavior Committee, and CHOS Program Manager. Assists patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, and death. Will document social work interventions and patient contact in the patient's clinical record. Will participate in clinical assignments and collateral duties, as deemed necessary by the CHOS Program Manager. Social Workers at this level assume complete professional responsibility for their clinical assessment findings, Veteran care decisions, and documentation. Provides leadership in identifying and addressing ethical issues that impact patients and staff. Serves as a resource and advocate for the protection of patient/family rights. Provides considerate care, respecting patient/family and staff personal values and belief systems. Will be expected to perform a large part of their work in community settings. Must have an unrestricted State Driver's License and be cleared upon hire to drive a government vehicle for transporting Veterans. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@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. 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: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000"]

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