The Clinical Social Worker provides Mental Health services to the veteran population enrolled at James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center and CBOC's. Services include provision of high-quality case management, individual and group therapy, clinical treatment, crisis intervention, advocacy, coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers/agencies, as needed by the client. 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. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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-11 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. 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 G3 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-9 to GS-11. ["Functions of this position include, but are not limited to: Screening/Assessment - Development of a psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran and family members/significant others. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - Responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran, family members/significant others and other Outpatient Mental Health clinical staff. Referral to service providers - Subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. Collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs. Responsible for educating the veteran and family members/significant others of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker. Resource Usage/Development - Responsible for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans. Advocacy - Advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran and family members/caregiver. Crisis Intervention -Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. Education/Health promotion and prevention - Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans and family members/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services -Review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran. Educate the veteran, their family members/significant otherand the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the veteran and family members/significant other on the preferred option. Supportive counseling -Provide the veterans and their family members/significant other with ongoing supportive counseling. The purpose of such counseling is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with severe mental illness (es), chronic/disabling illness (es), onset of a catastrophic illness, etc. Therapy - Provide individual and group evidence-based therapies (i.e., CPT, PE, etc.) to veterans. This role may be performed through the use of telehealth technologies such as telephone messaging devices, webcams, global media carts or video conferencing equipment. Administrative responsibilities - Enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies. Attend all appropriate staff meetings (i.e., team meetings, Social Work staff meetings, Social Work supervision meetings, committee meetings, workgroups, etc., as appropriate) and perform other duties as required. Collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program. Participate in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorizied Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
