This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/466107100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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?
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the nation, but we also providemany other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries.
VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/.
NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the step at which the candidate will be placed in that specific grade. The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.
Learn more about this agency
03/20/2017 to 04/07/2017
$72,168 - $93,821 per year
GS 12
1 vacancy in the following location:
Occasional travel - Travel within Service area.
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
12
No
VHA-671-17-GC-1929462-BU
466107100
The Senior Social Worker (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) independently provides clinical psychosocial treatment and case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. Veterans treated come from a wide geographic area. Their health care and psychosocial problems and needs are complex and require a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving. The Senior Social Worker is responsible for monitoring the efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness and quality of PTSD services. The Senior Social Worker is also responsible for continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of PTSD interventions and quality of services. Incumbent is able to provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with poly-trauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, and other serious disorders. You will offer consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills.
Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Note: Hours may vary and applicant may be required to work irregular tour of duty, nights, weekends based on mission oriented needs.
Functional Statement: PCT Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Senior Social Worker
Physical Requirements: Must meet the following physical requirements: Intermittent Lifting (10 lbs and over); Intermittent Sitting (5 hours/day); Standing (up to 2 hours); Intermittent climbing and kneeling (0.50 hours/day); Repeated bending/stooping (up to 2 hours); Intermittent twisting, pulling, and pushing (0.50 hours/day); Simple Grasping & Use of fingers; Both hands required (includes keyboarding) (2.00 Hours/day); Walking (up to 3 hours); Intermittent Reaching above Shoulder (0.50 Hour/day); Intermittent Driving a Vehicle (2.00 Hours/day); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13"to 16"; Hearing (aid permitted).
Veteran's Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), or 10pt (CP/CPS, XPP, XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP), on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section(s) provided. A legible copy of your DD214(s) indicating character of service, disability certification, SF-15 (if claiming 10 pt. preference) or if you are currently serving on active duty and expected to be released or discharged within 120 days; documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Documentation is required for eligibility verification.
BASIC REQUIREMENT
a. Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
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. (Copy of your Official college transcripts for education is required)
c. Licensure. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination.
d. Physical Requirements. Must satisfactorily complete a pre-employment physical. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
e. English Language Proficiency. Social Workers must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
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.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
GS-12 Senior Social Worker
Experience, Education and Licensure. Senior Social Workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. At least two years should be in an area of specialized social work practice. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an ASWB 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). 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.
We will review your application, including an online assessment questionnaire, to ensure you meet the job requirements and assess your ability to perform this job. In addition, your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the subparagraphs below. Please provide a written narrative format of the subparagraphs below:
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 polytraumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post-traumatic 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.
Assignments: Senior Social Workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Incumbent typically practice in a major specialty treatment program area, such as a 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 incumbent is assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. They are also assigned in settings where they have no access to social work supervision, such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. They may be assigned to work with special patient populations with highly-complex health or mental health problems requiring expert level psychosocial interventions, such as VA/DOD liaisons assigned to Military Treatment Facilities as part of seamless transition or social worker case managers in Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) programs.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
References : VA Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix F7, SOCIAL WORKER, dated February 2009, and OPM Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/IORs/GS0100/0185.htm (also available 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.
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's 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.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. CV or Resume. (required).
2. VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf) (required).
3. Occupational Questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire (required).
4. If prior military service, include all copies of your DD Forms 214 (required). Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must also complete and submit an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf).
5. If currently employed in the Federal or VA system, include latest SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action. (required).
6. An official copy of your college transcript. (required).
7. Copy of licensure or certification (required).
8. Narrative copy of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities listed in the announcement.
YOU MUST INCLUDE VA FORM 10-2850c IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS VACANCY. You may upload the completed form to your USAJOBS or Application Manager account if you apply online. Then you can use the uploaded form again and again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide (http://www4.va.gov/OHRM/joblistings/uploading-and-using-documents-online.doc) for more information on uploading and re-using the form in your applications. Other required forms and documents can also be saved in your account and used the same way. Applicants are urged to apply online; this process is much easier and faster.
Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, etc. You will not be contacted for additional information.
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the Questionnaire 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 Friday, April 07, 2017.
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.
Note: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
If you cannot apply online:
1. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire,
2. Print this 1203FX form to provide your response to the occupational questionnaire http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/opm1203fx.pdf, and
3. Fax the completed 1203FX form along with any supporting documents to (478)757-3144. Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission. Keep a copy of your fax receipt in case verification is needed.
To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload:
1. Complete this cover page http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf using the following Vacancy ID 1929462.
2. Fax your documents to (478)757-3144.
After we receive your complete application package (including all required documents), your qualifications will be reviewed and assigned an initial rating. We will also review your application to make sure that your résumé supports the answers given in the questionnaire. If your résumé does not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. Based on your ranking or numerical score, you may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified when your rating is determined.
After the vacancy announcement closes and a referral certificate is issued, an electronic notification letter - or e-mail - will be sent to applicants who provide an e-mail address. Otherwise, you will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service within 2 to 4 weeks.
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/466107100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1929462(Include on all documents)