Summary

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.

Qualifications

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 ofSocial 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/
• 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: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 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
• Preferred Experience: Case Management Assessments and Interventions Working with Clients Living and Homelessness Supportive Therapy and Psychotherapy Working with clients living with Mental Health illness Working with clients in the community Reference: 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: Light lifting & light carrying (under 15 pounds) - light carrying - (under 15 pounds) - straight pulling (1 hour) -pushing (2 hours) - reaching above shoulder - use of fingers - walking & standing (3 hours) - repeated bending (1 hour) - climbing - use of legs and arms - both legs required - ability for rapid mental & muscular coordination simultaneously - near vision correctable to 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 - depth perception - ability to distinguish basic colors - ability to distinguish shades of colors - hearing (aid may be permitted) - frequent keyboarding
• A pre-placement examination will be required to be able to determine if the incumbent is able to safely operate a Government Vehicle.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The HUD/VASH Senior Social Worker independently 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 assessment
• Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs
• Reviews all data - subjective and objective - and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths
• Effectively uses professional skill - objectivity - and insight
• Uses advanced clinical training - insight - and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options
• Assesses high risk factors - acuity - and need for services
• Performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness
• Incorporates complex - multiple causations in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients - including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice
• Provide Case Management of up to Veterans requiring substantial communication skills - organizational skills - problem solving and time management
• Utilizes various counseling approaches to include - but not limited to conflict resolution - anger management and effective/healthy coping skills
• Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment utilizing only evidenced based modalities
• Provides individual and group counseling services - including short-term solution-focused psychotherapy and family services
• Provides Veteran psychoeducation groups/classes weekly in the areas of mental health - substance abuse - recovery and/or behavioral interventions as assigned by the supervisor
• Responsible for ensuring that HUD/VASH Program is compliant with all regulations - policies - and procedures relevant to the population served and monitors medical center performance related to population served
• Develops effective and strong relationships with community resources to ensure continuity of care and to promote successful transitions of services
• Has advanced skills in community partnership building and expertly represent the HUD/VASH program
• Participates in the orientation of new social worker staff and other interdisciplinary team members
• Serves as a mentor to other social workers
• A valid Driver's License is required Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VISN17EDRP2@va.gov - - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 54436-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized