This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (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 appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: 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 38 U.S. Code). 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 Master 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates, GS-12, Senior Social Worker 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. 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. References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position require moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds); the use of fingers; walking (up to 2 hours); standing (up to 2 hours); near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; hearing (aid may be permitted); and emotional/mental stability. Environmental Factors: Work may be performed outside and inside; exposure to dry atmospheric conditions; and you must be able to work alone and closely with others. ["The Senior Social Worker provides clinical psychosocial and evidence-based therapies to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. The incumbent provides specialized treatment for Veterans who have experienced trauma which includes Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and provides trauma informed therapies in both group and individual settings (virtually and in person). The position requires interaction with the patient, family, significant others, community agencies, and other staff. The social worker works in close collaboration with the Women's Health Coordinator to develop and provide services that are especially helpful for women Veterans and their health needs. Interview Clients and Conduct Psychosocial Assessments Interview Veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's function and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Assess high risk factors, acuity, and need for services. Serve Veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support. Make Psychosocial Diagnoses Evaluate the client's situation, including the Veteran's reaction and ability to cope with his/her life stressors and arrive at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment, use professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis. Assess at-risk factors and develop a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Make independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action. Plan Effective Treatment Develop psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Independently conclude the appropriate action, even in instances where actions can have serious impact on the life of the Veteran. This might include long-term institutional or nursing home care or separation from family members. These decisions are based on advanced practice skills, professional judgment and the expertise regarding the Veteran's self-care capability, the family support system, the Veteran's health care needs, and possible consequences. Adjust the psychosocial treatment plan and interventions based on changing needs and response to interventions. Consult with other specialists in planning treatment for Veterans and with co-morbidities. Implement Treatment Provide clinical services to Veterans and family members/significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment. Provide individual and group therapy to patients and their families, on a regularly scheduled basis to engage in activities and/or discussion designed to improve patients' cognitive, social, emotional, vocational and/or behavioral functioning. Employ Social Work methods and techniques to maintain a therapeutic relationship that will help the Veteran work toward the best way of dealing with his/her problems. Evaluate, Educate, Supervise, Coach, and Mentor Establish a continuing relationship with the Veteran, evaluate progress towards goals and adjust the treatment plan as appropriate. Devise methods of obtaining data and evaluate data to determine the effectiveness of treatment. Identify consistent qualities of successful treatment and of failed treatment. Serve as a mentor to other Social Workers, particularly those at the entry level. Provide clinical supervision for unlicensed Social Workers and for Social Work associates. 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 Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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). 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. 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. Telework: Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized."]
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.
