Administrative duties performed at the Everett CBOC, as well as providing direct clinical case management to Veterans in the Snohomish County area. This Social Worker is assigned to the HUD-VASH program within the Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) Programs at VA Puget Sound Health Care System located in Puget Sound, Washington with responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans, their families and caregivers.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: 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. 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: 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. 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-12. Physical Requirements: This job requires moderate lifting, 15-44pounds, moderate carrying, 15-44pounds, pushing, operation of motor vehicle, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental Factors include outside and inside, working closely with others and working alone.
Duties will include, but are not limited to: Case Management: Provide clinical case management to Veterans and families. Perform regular home visits. Verify Veterans' status, eligibility for VA care, and eligibility for HUD-VASH program participation. Accept referrals for screening and admission to HUD-VASH. Referrals may be received from the local Continuum of Care, local coordinated entry systems, community partners, other VA programs or locations. Assess Veterans through comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments and regular reassessments. Collaboratively develop a treatment plan and monitor progress and review and update regularly throughout the episode of care. Provide a full range of services, acuity level, and preferences for care. Services may include case management; individual, family, and group therapy; discharge planning; resource linkage; and care coordination. Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals. Monitor Memorandums of Understanding and other agreements between property owners, service providers, Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), and the VA to establish appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. Collaborate with VA multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies to develop effective and efficient ways of delivering healthcare services. Act as a consultant to other team members and take a lead clinical role in case consultation. Collect and submit HUD-VASH participant data as outlined by policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues and VA in accordance. Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record. Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission, CARF, and other relevant accrediting bodies. Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the CHOS supervisor of shifting Veteran care needs and identifying the need for SOP or policy changes. Actively participate in VISN 20 and VACO Homeless Program Office conference calls and trainings. Provide supervision to students, interns, or unlicensed Social Workers as requested. Maintain familiarity and responsibility for all HUD-VASH performance measures. Assist in development and maintenance of operational plans and strategic goals related to these measures. Provide training, education, and consultation to trainees, VA staff, and community partners as a subject matter expert in specialized practice area(s). SUD related Activities: Provides direct SUD services for the Homeless Programs in the Medical Center. Provides training for other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team. Independently conducts intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans. Provides all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and SUD assessments. Develops comprehensive treatment plans. Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment in home visits and in facility-based settings. Provides SUD support to the CHOS team as a functional member of this team. Has advanced practice skills working with the veteran's family concerning the stress of caring for an individual with complex and disabling conditions. Expected to maintain a valid driver's license and have clearance to drive a government owned vehicle, as well as transport Veterans when clinically indicated, in accordance with VA Policy. The HUD-VASH SUD Senior Social Worker: Provide outreach services to engage homeless Veterans. Serve as the primary VA point of contact for a project-based housing site, a geographical region, or a community agency- with the bulk of work performed in these community-based settings. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station: Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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) 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: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized