PLEASE READ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE BEGINNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO ENSURE YOU SUBMIT ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. This Job Opportunity Announcement will be used to fill a Social Worker GS-0185-1 position in Social Work services at the Tulsa VA in Oklahoma 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. 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 the social worker position GS-0185 series in the 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/ORHM//T38Hybrids. For the GS-11 all applicants must be licensed or certified Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. 6 NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS[1]0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. GRADE DETERMINATION Social Worker, GS-11 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. 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 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: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 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. 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. 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. 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 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G-39 Dated September 10, 2019 Preferred Experience: Case Management/Discharge planning experience preferred The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is at the GS-11 level. Physical Requirements: Must be able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk, working on a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending and carrying supplies. They must have good manual dexterity, must be able to express or exchange ideals by means of spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. Incumbent will be asked to transport patients in GSA vehicles and must meet facility driver standards as established in policy. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU 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 The incumbent will be responsible for providing services to veterans presenting for care at the Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System. This includes high quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA and/or community service providers / agencies as needed by the client. This is accomplished in cooperation with other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate. The incumbent displays the ability to provide independent psychosocial and case management services in the Palliative Care program. The incumbent demonstrates skill in the provision of services to address veterans who tend to have serious and severe crises, may lack any familial and community support, may be poor self-monitors, may frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or may have major deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. Incumbent provides education and supportive services to veterans who are consulted to the Palliative Care team. Work involves intensive social work services requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of social work practice skills; individual, group, family therapies. The incumbent will have gained a range of specialized interventions and acts as a resource expert to colleagues. The incumbent will provide high quality social services, case management, discharge planning, resource referral, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers / agencies as needed by the veteran. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the appropriate clinical teams and the Palliative Care program. The incumbent will provide consultation service for the Palliative Care program providing primarily education, adjustment to illness, consultation, and case management to veterans referred for social work services. Through the requested process, the incumbent will provide professional social work services to address the psychosocial needs of veterans for specific psychosocial issues from the providers in the program. The scope of these services will vary and depend upon the nature of psychosocial issues for which the veteran has been referred. The incumbent will provide psychosocial services in a timely fashion and will modify approach to the needs presented. Incumbent will be cross trained to provide back-up social work coverage to other social workers for the benefit of the veterans, family, and quality of services provided. assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the veteran's functional status as they relate to the Palliative Care diagnosis. The incumbent demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients including those with complex medical problems, co-occurring, severed and persistent mental illness, and geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions. It is the responsibility of the incumbent, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team to develop a treatment/care plan with the veteran based on this assessment This position will be moved to the Tulsa VA once the new hospital is open. Preferred Experience: Hospital Case Management Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 08:00AM-4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: may be authorized for highly qualified candidates per manager approval Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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: May be approved for highly qualified applicants. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55747-O"]
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.