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Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provides frequent, direct contacts with consumers to provide therapy and support. Frequency of contacts is increased in times of crisis.
• Maintains flexibility in Veteran contact (Veterans are seen in any location and with any ICMHR team clinician who can provide assistance).
• Focusing on strengthening the consumer's ability to address acute and chronic problems.
• Utilizes naturalistic community settings for teaching and modeling problem-solving skills.
• Provision of continuity of care within the framework established by ICMHR. For example, collaborates and consults with other interdisciplinary treatment teams and programs to promote and enhance the care provided.
• Outreach and assertive provision of services to treatment resistant members.
• Mobilization of environmental and organizational supports, including family members, professional, and other interested parties.
• Provides evidence based individual, family or group psychotherapies based on assessment and diagnosis.
• Offers Psycho-educational programs for Veterans, families and staff. Maintains responsibility for linking participants to other VA programs and to community resources.
• Participates in team staffing regarding member selection, determination of treatment plans and goals, progress evaluation, discharge planning, and after care.
• Works assertively and consistently with inpatient teams to assure continuity of care by providing consultation regarding clinical needs, treatment plans, and case management services for assigned members. Works to promote appropriate treatment, rehabilitation, and discharge of assigned members, consistent with program goals and with the individual treatment plans.
• Other duties as assigned by ICMHR Program Director or Chief of Social Work.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00a - 4:30p (The individual may be required to work an irregular tour of duty, to include weekends depending on the needs of the service and medical center. The individual will participate in the medical center's social work on-call rotation, as required. Social work on-call coverage is between 4:30p - 8:00a, to include weekends and holidays).

Position Title/Functional Statement #:Social Worker/PDF00784
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel.

Qualifications

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 (MSW) 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 the CSWE website (www.cswe.org) to verify if that 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-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree levels.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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).

Preferred Experience: Demonstrates an ability to effectively works with various disciplines and treatment teams. Certified Lean Six Sigma and demonstrates an ability to conduct performance improvement efforts based on systems engineering principles.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Senior Social Worker, GS-12

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II Appendix G39 http://vaww.va.gov/ohrm/Directives-Handbooks/Documents/5005.pdf

Physical Requirements: The position will require a moderate level of keyboarding, standing (up to 1 hour), walking (up to 2 hours), bending, reaching above the shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, depth perception, moderate carrying (15 - 44 pounds) and moderate lifting (15-44 pounds). Hearing aid permitted. Long periods of standing are common in this position. The work is performed while sitting though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc., and daily visits to various areas within the community. Position does require daily driving.

How you will be evaluated

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, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.