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This position is located in the Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center. This position provides social work support to the Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center and is assigned duties as the Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center Discharge Planning Coordinator. 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 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/. 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. 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 the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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: Medical/Surgical Experience References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12, which is the actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. ["Duties may include but are not limited to: The incumbent performs, and oversees the unit Social Workers of the Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center providing comprehensive discharge planning services of medically complex Veterans. The incumbent functions as the Discharge Planning Coordinator, and serves as the point of contact for all inquiries regarding discharge planning. The incumbent must have an understanding of medical and psychosocial problems that can affect Medical-­Surgical Acute Care patient population and caregivers, and the issues specific to Medical-Surgical Acute Care Discharge Planning. The incumbent chairs the Length of Stay Committee Meeting and provides updated information to the Nurse Navigator, Director Medical-Surgical Acute Care, and the Chief, Internal Medicine. The incumbent will oversee the unit Social Workers of Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center completing thorough assessments to determine the underlying causes of the presenting problem, the interpersonal and environmental factors impacting the problem, and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to be safely discharge back into the community. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to group and family care homes, assisted living facilities, adult day health care programs, contract nursing homes, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services. The Senior Social Worker will oversee the patient's assigned social worker helping the patient and family to understand the contributing factors to the problem(s), discussing with them the pros and cons of possible short-term and long-term solutions, encouraging them to make positive and lasting changes to reduce stressors. The Senior Social Worker will ensure a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for the Veteran's medical treatment needs identified by physicians, which includes liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families. The Senior Social Worker will assign case load to unit social workers according to the need of the Medical-Surgical Acute Care Center which includes the Emergency Department when there are social admissions/discharges. Services included but not limited to overseeing interventions for safe discharge and to increase access to care; transportation assistance, advanced directives, economic assistance, including assistance with medical bills, financial aid services and strategies to increase income (employment, vocational rehabilitation, VA benefits, disability), and/or reduce expenses, identifying the appropriate discharge outcome for the patient's level of need (referrals to independent housing, homeless shelters, group and family care homes, Veterans Homes, assisted living, nursing homes, respite care., hospice care) and other necessary services as needed. The incumbent must have advanced knowledge and skills to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans at all levels of the Discharge planning process and/or their families. The Senior Social Worker must be able to provide supervision to the assigned social worker/discharge planner coordinating with Physicians, Nursing, Physical Therapist, Psychiatry and the patient along with their families/significant others who will be involved in their post-rehab care for the Veteran population who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, financial, legal and psychosocial problems associated with discharge. Has knowledge of the discharge planning process such as Patient Review Instrument (PRI), Screen (mental health), Insurance Authorization, Nursing Home placement, Home Care Services, Medicare/Medicaid; Managed, Acute, SAR and CIIRP rehabilitation services. Must be able to educate the unit social worker in the completion of a thorough Social Work initial Assessment, and timely initiation of discharge planning. Actively participates as a member of the Interdisciplinary and Length of Stay (LOS) teams. Senior Social Worker is expected to contribute to team discussions identifying barriers to discharge presented by the Veteran, and family. Present/implement resolutions for safe discharge, in addition to identifying resources benefiting the Veteran (s) and family. Has advanced knowledge and expert skill of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses, substance abuse disorders, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. Senior Social Worker will be instrumental in facilitating family meetings as needed regarding patient care for successful discharge. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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