The incumbent is assigned to the Washington DC VA Community Resource and Referral Center and provides comprehensive social worker services to Veterans and their families. The incumbent in this position functions as the Outreach Social Worker and is responsible for outreach services to homeless veterans in assigned communities and rural areas outside the main Medical Center campuses and will operate separately from the main facility.
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. English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. 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 dependently 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 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: Social Worker, GS-11 (1) Experience and Education: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS- 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. OR (2) 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. (3) 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, educational, and other 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 impart of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Assignment. This is the full performance level. Social workers a this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to: inpatient of outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors, or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team, the social worker facilitates the delivery of health care services. The social worker identifies family/caregiver stressors, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions. The incumbent provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The social worker links the Veteran with services, resources, and opportunities, in order to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, well-being. The social worker conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk and initiate safety plan as appropriate. The social worker provides interventions independently with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems. They provide a range of interventions and treatment modalities which may include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy. They independently formulate and implement a treatment plan including measurable, achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Social workers serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility and VISN level or in the community. They provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. The social worker establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/Military population. 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-11. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations, operative/invasive procedures, or home settings. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: This position requires a current, valid, state-issued driver's license.
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties: Providing outreach services at the full extent of their relevant clinical privileges, credentials, scope of practice, elements of practice, certification, functional statement, position description, or other VHA or local facility approved documentation of competency. Participating in team performance improvement and sustainment activities to optimize team efficiency and outreach services for Veterans. Communicating with all team members (including Veterans and caregivers) to convey clinically relevant information for the care of the Veteran. Performing community-based outreach activities to engage homeless Veterans. Enrolling and providing case management services as clinically indicated, with a special emphasis on serving those who are the most vulnerable, as directed by the VA medical facility Homeless Program Coordinator. Collaborating with VA medical facility Health Eligibility Center (HEC) Enrollment and Eligibility staff to initiate verification of Veterans' eligibility and in assisting Veterans in completing eligibility procedures. Assisting Veterans in applying for discharge upgrades and benefits claims. Arranging for provision of care through VA or community resources in cases in which the Veteran is at risk and eligibility is not yet determined by VA medical facility Enrollment and Eligibility Staff or the Veteran is only eligible for limited services based on discharge status that is other than honorable. NOTE: For more information about registration and eligibility, see VHA Directive 1601A.01, Registration and Enrollment, dated July 7, 2020. Educating Veterans about available homeless and VA resources, providing referrals for requested services, and ensuring linkages to programs serving special populations (e.g., VA medical facility Post-9/11 Military2VA Case Management Team, Suicide Prevention Coordinators, Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program Coordinators, and Women Veterans Program Managers). Coordinating with health care providers in VA medical facilities and community to minimize barriers to outreach services, avoid duplication of services, and improve access to care. Assessing Veterans through HOMES assessment and clinical screening tools to determine the need for crisis intervention, and any coordination needed for housing and health care services., Documenting Veteran contacts in the electronic health record (EHR) and ensuring all HOMES documentation is completed accurately per HOMES policies. NOTE: To access HOMES policy, see https://vaww.homes.va.gov/VAHomesNew.aspx. This is an internal VA website that is not available to the public and access is restricted to VHA Homeless Programs staff with documentation or review status. Work Schedule: M-F, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Authorized Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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 Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000