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The Columbia VA Health Care System (VAHCS) opened in 1932 at its current location. The facility has 204 skilled nursing beds, which includes acute medical, surgical, psychiatric, and long-term care. The hospital provides primary, secondary, and some tertiary care. The facility is a complex teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology, education, and research. 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: 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. 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, applicants must also meet the GS-12 grade level requirements: (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. Preferred Experience: One year of mental health social work experience. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Work Qualification Standard, dated September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds; light carrying, under 15 pounds; walking (2 hours); standing (2 hours); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; 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; hearing (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability. Subject to dry atmospheric conditions; constant noise; dust; working closely with others; working alone. ["Duties include but not limited to the following: The VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary primary care services in the homes of Veterans with complex and chronic, disabling disease. In addition to primary care interventions, HBPC provides palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and care coordination services. HBPC targets Veterans in advanced stages of chronic disease. particularly those at high risk of recurrent hospitalization or nursing home placement. The HBPC Mental Health social worker provides and coordinates mental health care services to Veterans in a home environment or residential care setting. The incumbent has advanced practice skills and judgement when completing mental health assessments, treatment planning, and treatment which may include individual, group, or virtual video connect (VVC). This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the interdisciplinary treatment team as appropriate. The HBPC advance practice Mental Health social worker provides mental health coordination of care and treatment for Veterans at the Dorn VA Medical center who are in the HBPC program. Providing advanced screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other mental health conditions as outlined in the DMS-5 with exception to personality disorder, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches; Assessing and providing specialized treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the patient may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication); Providing mental health prevention services to patients at significant risk for mental illnesses; Providing services to the families of Veterans with dementia being served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care for the Veteran and allow the family to sustain the Veteran in the home environment. For example, family members may be trained to better manage behavioral problems associated with dementia; such training may allow the HBPC Team to reduce use of psychoactive medication as a means of controlling behavioral problems; Providing clinical services through the use of face to face visits in the Veterans home, home care setting and/or VVC; Providing specialized screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed; Assessing the patients' understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such materials to patients in a format they can understand; Providing individual and group interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions; Providing psychoeducational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the Veteran, for spouse, family, members/caregivers and other that are crucial to keeping the Veteran at home; Providing effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to relieve relationship difficulties, provide support to caregivers of Veterans with dementia or other significant frailty, and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team, for the benefit of the Veteran. At all times, the necessity for and benefit of the intervention for the Veteran should be documented and included as a part of Veteran's treatment plan; Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation and enhance medical compliance; Promoting communication/interactions between medical team members, patients and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process; Providing clinical supervision to students and interns and Assures appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources are accomplished. Example: Mental Health Programs for additions, post-traumatic stress and Mental Health Intensive Case Management, Compensated Work Therapy, Homeless and Day treatment, Vocational Rehab and Long Term Care. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.(Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the agency).\nTelework: Available\nVirtual: Yes\nFunctional Statement #: PD01534A\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]