The Substance Abuse Treatment Team (SATT) Social Worker, located at Gainesville, independently provides clinical psychosocial, mental health and case management services to eligible Veterans who have problems with substance abuse or dependence and may include work with family members and the Veteran. Provides appropriate delivery of services across episodes of care which may include inpatient detoxification, outpatient treatment and residential treatment with the VA or community. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 01/27/2025 Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Must be US Citizen. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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 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. The incumbent must be licensed or certified by a state at the independent or advanced practice level as determined by an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-11 Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience and Licensure: Completion of a minimum of one (1) 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 listed above, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one (1) year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. You must attach additional transcripts to support this qualification. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. These are the KSA's for this position and grade level: 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. Grade Determinations: The full performance level of this position is the GS-11 grade level. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work requires extreme patience and controlling of emotions. The work may require using appropriate techniques to physically restrain patients who present a danger to self or others. The work may also require assisting physically disabled Veterans. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable diseases. Incumbent must be able to climb stairs and walk short distances. Incumbent must be able to lift 25 pounds. ["Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Duties may include, but are not limited to: Coordinates care with other services such as Vocational Rehabilitation, Health Care for Homeless Veterans, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team, along with community partners. Population served includes issues with substance dependence, mental health issues such as PTSD, mood disorders, TBI, SCI and legal problems related to mental health matters. Interviews 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 functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial and/or mental health assessment. Has the ability to serve Veterans who tend to have serious 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, have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. Completes a psychosocial and/or mental health assessment documenting appropriate treatment plans, interventions, VA/community resource referrals and follow-up case management services; services provided are focused on helping Veterans maximize treatment potential and achieve a more satisfying and productive level of emotional, social, and physical functioning. Case management ensuring that the Veteran receives needed substance abuse, psychological, and psychosocial services in the most appropriate treatment setting and is assisted with resolution of access to these services, and facilitating linkage of the Veteran and/or family members with community resources. Utilizes the latest version of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual; the appropriate level of care is assigned using the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) multi-dimensional criteria. Uses the full range of direct social work practice services in the course of assessing, treating and coordinating care for assigned Veterans. Independently evaluates the client's situation, including the Veteran's reaction and ability to cope, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan, involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Uses advanced clinical training, insight and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. **Primary location to fill is Gainesville. Applications will be accepted for Lake City location in case those vacancies become available soon.** Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Ad hoc (emergencies only - not reoccurring) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Social Worker (SUD), FS# 50301F Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Additional Benefits: Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, 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)"]
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.
