Incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to David Grant Medical Center, a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Patients served include both Department of Defense (DOD) and VA patients being treated by the Joint Venture Program and may include both inpatients and outpatients. 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. 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/. 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. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. 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: Social Worker, GS-9 (Entry Level) Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. 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. 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. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. 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. Social Worker, GS-11 (Full Performance Level) 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, 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: 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 G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019. 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-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: Environment of Care: The incumbent implements, and monitors OSHA goals related to Life Safety Management, health and the environment procedures. Report's safety hazards, accidents and injuries. Implements, monitors and reviews hazardous materials/Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)/waste management, fire protection. Implements and monitors Emergency Preparedness plan. Implements and monitors security policies/procedures. The incumbent implements and monitors compliance with federal, state, and local environmental and other requirements preventing pollution, minimizing waste, and conserving cultural and natural resources. Infection Control: The incumbent implements, and monitors infection control practices related to disease prevention (i.e. hand washing, universal precautions/isolation procedures, including TB requirement/precautions. Health and Safety: The incumbent fosters a high profile of the VA Occupational Safety and Health Program by assuring employee awareness of potential safety hazards, promptly reporting all injuries and effecting corrective actions necessary to eliminate safety and health hazards in the work area. ["Work Schedule: Full Time; Monday - Friday - 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Telework authorized per Agency policy; this is not a remote or virtual position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 04621 F, 04620F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Accordingly, the interface of these two complex health care systems requires knowledge of both systems and intervening within the interface of these two systems is critical to assure success of these and future ventures as well as to ensure continuity of care for veterans and military service members and their families. Duties for the position include but are not limited to: Consultation with members of the multidisciplinary team is provided in order to coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a veteran's treatment needs and include serving as liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for veterans and/or their families. Services include but are not limited to screening/assessment, treatment planning/goal setting, advocacy, referral to service providers, discharge planning, resource usage/development, coordination of non-institutional and institutional services, crisis intervention, education/health promotion and prevention, and supportive counseling. Performs case management of complex physical and psychosocial problems in patients (DOD and VA) incorporating complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of patients. Employs, establishes, and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and/or their families who are experiencing medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Completes thorough psychosocial assessments, including psychosocial diagnosis and high-risk assessments, to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of veterans and/or their families. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence, post-discharge; that is possible and practicable. Serves as a liaison between veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services."]
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.
