The primary responsibility of this position is to provide social work services to PACT/ GM & Specialty clinics within VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Care System. Responsible for providing Outpatient Social Work services to Veterans who are receiving medical care predominately in the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). Employs a complete range of social work methods, individually or with groups, treatment planning, case management, crisis intervention, advocacy, and medical care coordination.
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: 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. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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/. 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.] (a) For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. (b) A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. (c) Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. 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. 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). English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Social Worker, GS-11 (Qualifications located under additional information) 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.
FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES Professional social worker assigned to the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Referrals typically originate from members of the interdisciplinary treatment team, from Veterans, families, caregivers, guardians, community professionals, and VA Ann Arbor staff members in the form of consults, phone calls, walk-ins, emails, and electronic medical record alerts. Referrals will be managed timely and appropriately using the Outpatient Social Work response protocol(s). Possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical terminology, medical/mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses, common medications, and their side effects. Demonstrates a skill in assessment, intervention and treatment plan development when addressing the comprehensive psychosocial needs of the Veterans . Will assess the patient to identifying emotional, social, physical, familial, economic instability, and vocational needs that may be causing distress and impacting the health condition or creating barriers to the patient receiving recommended care/treatment. Stressors can include adjustment to the current medical condition, untreated or under-treated Mental Health or Substance Abuse condition, economic instability, legal problems, inadequate housing and transportation, abuse/neglect and exploitation. Must complete a thorough assessment to determine the underlying causes of the presenting issue(s), interpersonal and environmental factors, the patient's functional acuity and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with treatment recommendations by the multidisciplinary treatment team. Provide a thoughtful approach to assist the patient/ family to understand the contributing factors to the identified issue(s), discuss available short/long term solutions and/or resources, using a strengths-based empowerment model to formulate an appropriate patient centered intervention plan to reduce stressors, improve health and reach health related goals. Actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans/family/caregivers/Non-VA providers. Must be available to provide consultation to treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans, the impact of the identified psychosocial barrier on the Veteran's health care planning and compliance with treatment and available interventions/programs/services available to assist in resolving identified barriers. Identify appropriate VHA/VBA/community resources and facilitate utilization of and linkage to these resources by the veteran and family to assist clientele in reaching optimal functioning. Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (8:00 am - 4:30 pm) Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized