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. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). b. 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. c. 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/. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Applicants must meet the requirements for providing supervision in the state where they are licensed at the advanced practice level and should list these qualifications within the assessment narrative and their resume. Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example: certification of continuing education credits). Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (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: (document with written demonstration of KSAs must be included with application, see required documents section) (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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Ability to operate a government vehicle. The physical demands of this position involve active listening, reading, observing and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, intermittent walking and sitting, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures and writing clinical notes. The position requires the use of office equipment such as keyboards, computers, telephones, fax machines and photocopy machines. Light lifting is required up to 35 pounds to lift items such as books, binders, reports and records. ["***A recruitment or relocation incentive of up to $15,000 may be authorized for highly qualified applicants*** The HUD-VASH program is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless Veterans aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans while residing in stable housing through HUD's Section 8 voucher system. The current position expands the HUD-VASH role to include case management for enrolled tribal member Veterans' family members and to include Veterans and families who are not yet homeless but are deemed at risk for homelessness. Serves as a Housing and Urban Development-VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) Tribal Case Manager for the local tribes. The incumbent has experience that demonstrates possession of advanced independent practice skills and judgment, with specialized knowledge and expertise in intervention with tribal relations/customs, families, Veterans, and substance issues. Coordinates case management services for Veterans receiving housing provided through tribal housing vouchers, including case management of family members of housed Veterans, which involves specialized knowledge and experience in family intervention as well as extensive collaboration with community partners who provide services to families. Provides intensive case management services that focus on areas of readjustment and re-entry counseling, housing, mental health problems, psychosocial needs, barriers to treatment and mitigating risk factors related to incarceration and readjustment back to the local community where they reside and VA health care system. Serves as a VA liaison to local community substance treatment resources and provides for referral and coordination to those resources. Conducts in-depth multi-faceted assessments to identify \"at-risk\" factors. Works closely with the Veteran to develop a treatment plan, involving the Veteran and family, and possibly tribal elders, to reduce the risk factors and stigma often associated with some diagnoses. Reviews agreements between Tribes, Section 8, landlords, Tribal Housing Authorities and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. Performs on-site visits of HUD-VASH apartments in rural and remotely separated communities to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes. Coordinates care and serves as an advocate on behalf of the enrolled Tribal Veterans and their family members to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring Veterans and families to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or Tribal/community agencies. Work Schedule: 7:30 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact vhavisn23edrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
