This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Citizenship. 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 3, g, of 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 the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of 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. Current state requirements may be found on the OHRM website. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part. Not Required Grade Requirements. This section is only to outline the grade determinations used for initial grade placement upon selection and will not be used for minimum qualifications. These grade determinations can be reviewed in VA Handbook 5005, Chapter II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standards. 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. ["Major duties include but not limited to: Provides case management at Grant and Per Diem Program sites as described in the Grant and Per Diem Program rules, regulations, and directives. Utilizes various treatment modalities of individual and group work, casework, community organization, and community outreach activities to alleviate or remove problems that interfere with the Grant and Per Diem Program participants' ability to achieve independence. Monitors the clinical care and assesses the compliance of the programs receiving per diem as described in the grant recipient's original grant application. When necessary, the incumbent intervenes to facilitate compliance or corrective actions and, when appropriate, develops, facilitates, and monitors plans of correction. Provides services and oversight of the Homeless Grant and Per Diem funded programs as defined in the Grant and Per Diem rules, regulations, and directives including verification of veteran status and eligibility for participation in the Grant and Per Diem Program, maintaining admission and discharge dates of participants for billing purposes, reviewing and approving/disapproving readmissions to and extensions of care, and collecting and submitting participant information as outlined by NEPEC evaluations procedures. Coordinates and participates in program site inspections utilizing the Grant and Per Diem Program rules, regulations, and directives as guidance and forwards completed inspection packages to the appropriate offices. Engages in coordination with community agencies, organizations, and groups to learn of services or resources available for homeless veterans as well as provides current information on services and benefits available in the VA for Homeless Grant and Per Diem Program participants. Coordinates and participates in program site inspections utilizing the Grant and Per Diem Program rules, regulations, and directives as guidance and forwards completed inspection packages to the appropriate offices. Complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct so as to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the Homeless Grant and Per Diem Program Liaison/Case Manager. Participates in Medical Center research by identifying questions and trends that should be studied as a basis toward improving aspects of social service and/or physical or mental health care delivery to veterans as well as devising and carrying out studies designed to test appropriate hypotheses. Actively participates in the Grant and Per Diem Program conference calls and attends training offered by the Grant and Per Diem Program. Responsible for improving professionals skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested. Actively participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences. Must be skilled in providing networking, communication, marketing, and/or procurement services. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday Telework: This position is eligible for telework on an ad-hoc basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position. EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@VA.GOV, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
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.