This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/464753600. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
MHICM patients are seriously mentally ill veterans with a high percentage of co morbid substance issues who have been identified as high utilizers of psychiatric inpatient hospital resources. MHICM patients have previously not been able to achieve adequate community adjustment with traditional psychiatric care. The MHICM patient caseload is complex based on the severity of the mental illness, co morbidities, and resistance to standard treatments. Treatment interventions are innovative and highly individualized. Patients are referred to the MHICM program from the outpatient psychiatry clinics and the inpatient psychiatric unit.
The primary responsibilities of this position is to provide Mental Health Intensive Case Management/Medical Foster Home (MHICM/MFH) program development, recruitment and development of foster homes, recruitment and placement of Veteran residents, case management, development of policies and care processes, and coordination with Home Based primary Care (HBPC) interdisciplinary treatment teams. The incumbent serves as the Social Worker for the HBPC team. The incumbent ensures that the program operates in conformance to local and National VHA policy/handbooks, and applicable State and Federal laws/regulations.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are a current federal employee please apply under announcement #1918987
Learn more about this agency02/23/2017 to 03/13/2017
$72,168 - $93,821 per year
GS 12
1 vacancy in the following location:
Not required
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
No
SS-17-HMR-1918872-EXT
464753600
Clinical Responsibilities:
Program Management:
Organize annual team inspections of MICM/MFH facilities. Compiles, tracks and reports on inspection findings and takes appropriate action to facilitate needed changes
Marketing the model of care and reaching out to community groups and agencies to promote the foster care program. Incumbent serves as a mentor to other VA MFH program coordinators, social workers, and other interested health care providers.
Screening/Assessment:
The Program Coordinator completes psychosocial assessments; interviews veteran and family members and/or significant others to establish facts about the veteran's unique situation; identifies presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the veteran's functioning and health as a part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment; assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services. The social worker interprets and explains VA treatment and benefit programs.
The Program Coordinator develops an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment teams, the veteran, family members and significant others, whenever possible. The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the veteran's functional status and safely maintain the veteran in a medical foster home.
Treatment Planning:
Incumbent develops psychosocial treatment plans in collaboration with the HBPC interdisciplinary team, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. The social worker uses known available resources and the initial assessment of the veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance to make initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals.
The Program Coordinator provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to the interdisciplinary team regarding the course of treatment. These decisions are based on the social worker's advanced practice skills, professional judgment and expertise regarding the veteran's self-care capability, the family support system, the veteran's health care needs and possible consequences; including medical foster home placement.
Evaluation and Management:
The incumbent provides the patient, caregivers, and/or family members with ongoing supportive counseling. The purpose of such counseling is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with chronic/disabling illnesses, onset of a catastrophic illness and/or death and dying; need for non-institutional or institutional services as needed during the course of treatment. The incumbent assists patients and/or caregivers in coping and dealing with the loss and grief experienced in chronic illness, terminal illness and death.
Advocacy:
The Program Coordinator acts as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family.
The Program Coordinator acts as an advocate for the VA and identifies the need for services in specific geographical areas. At all times the incumbent will represent the VA in the community in a positive and professional manner.
Crisis Intervention:
The Program Coordinator is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans to maintain the veteran in a medical foster home. In the event of an alleged abuse case, medical or psychiatric emergency, the medical center policy will be followed.
Incumbent ensures the interdisciplinary team is kept informed of any concerns with the patient and/or caregiver.
Serve as the Social Worker for the HBPC Team completing assessments, meeting with veterans in their places of residence.
Provides other professional services as assigned by the Chief of Social Work
Administrative Responsibilities:
The social worker will collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VHA for the MHICM and for Social Work Service. This work will include referring cases for Protected Peer Review and Intensive Case Review. The Social worker will participate in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed.
Social Worker will attend all meetings (weekly interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, Social Work staff meetings, assigned committees, etc.) and perform other duties as required by Mental Health Service Line. This may include coverage responsibilities in the absence of other social work staff to ensure timely access and coordination of care.
The incumbent completes the continuing education hours need for maintaining Professional Licensure. The incumbent demonstrates professional behavior that conforms to VA regulations and policy, State and Federal laws, and ethical codes of appropriate professional social work accrediting organizations.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm
Functional Statement Title/#: Social Worker MHICM/MFH/HBPC
Physical Requirements: This position provides
direct services to patients and their families through casework. Incumbents
must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential
functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others.
Basic Requirements:
Preferred Experience: Be independently licensed and have four years post grad experience.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including
volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps,
AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic;
religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical
competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and
experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying
experience, including volunteer experience.
In addition, the candidates must demonstrate the
following Knowledge Skills and Abilities:
1. Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Ability to determine priority for services and provide specialized treatment services.
2. Advanced and expert 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 interventions used in the treatment of veterans with poly traumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, posttraumatic stress disorder, etc.
3. Advanced knowledge and expert skill 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. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on empirical findings.
4. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. Ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.
5. Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs. Ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program.
6. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
References: VA
Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker QUALIFICATION
STANDARD, February 13, 2009. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidates education and experience and recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed. For internal selectees eligible for promotion, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):
·Resume
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday, March 13, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete,log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on Application Status. For a more detailed update of your status, click on more information. Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/464753600. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1918872
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?