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Social Worker (Caregiver Support) - EDRP Approved/Recruitment Incentive Authorized

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
West Texas VA Health Care System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/15/2023 to 09/25/2023
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$66,256 to - $104,209 per year

This salary range represents the Big Spring, TX and Hobbs, NM catchment area. The Salary Range for Ft. Stockton, TX is $57,118 - $89,835.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Hobbs, NM
Big Spring, TX
Fort Stockton, TX
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Regular/Recurring Telework 1-2 days per week
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CAZM-12131130-23-JRH
Control number
749512600

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to U.S. Citizens. If you are a (Current & Permanent) Federal Employee or (Current or Former) Participant of a VA Health Profession Trainee Program, please apply to our Internal Announcement: CAZM-12131129-23-JRH.

Videos

Duties

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VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

The Caregiver Support Social Worker's primary responsibilities are to provide clinical care based services and interventions; program development; caregiver, Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues; community outreach; resource development; continuous quality improvement activities; and evaluation/consultation.

In conjunction with the Caregiver Support Coordination Program Manager/Coordinator, plans, organizes and directs administrative, operational, caregiver, Veteran and personnel activities for the service.

The Caregiver Support Social Worker:

  • provides consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions.
  • develops and establishes linkages and collaborates on VA caregiver support efforts with community healthcare and social service agencies.
  • assists in the program development and effectiveness of the facility Caregiver Support Program.
  • develops and implements the Caregiver Support Program specific to his or her area of assignment and ensures compliance and collaboration with local facility and the VA Central Office Caregiver Support Program initiatives.
  • administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers, families and Veterans. Develops and implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction. Develops implements and evaluates clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of services.
  • participates in direct caregiver and Veteran contacts to identify and assess caregiver stress/burden and the development and application of directed clinical treatment interventions.
  • advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center on caregiver issues.
  • creates educational tools, develops programs and implements training focused on specific caregiver needs/issues.
  • provides education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families and caregivers.
  • provides ongoing consultation and support to colleagues regarding caregiver support.
  • develops and facilitates caregiver support groups (via face-to-face, audio, or video) and educational programs.
  • distributes educational materials provided by VA, local, state and national caregiver organizations.
  • provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members.
  • maintains knowledge of Suicide Prevention policy and procedure, recognizes warning signs for suicide ideation or recent self-directed violence, and utilizes the identified screening tools to assess suicide risk.
  • conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress and social needs as treatment issues. Professional judgment, including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior, is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with caregivers and the Veterans they care for.
  • provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs.
  • provides appropriate referrals or consults, or in some cases direct admission of a Veteran to other VA programs including but not limited to the Community Residential Care Program, Respite Program, Community Health Care Coordination Program, Hospice, Home Based Primary Care, Telehealth and Community Nursing Home Program.
Duties are continued in the Education Section of the Announcement


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Regular/Recurring Telework 1-2 Days per week.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized

Per VA Handbook 5007/58 June 22, 2020 PART VI CHAPTER 2, Page VI-8

Recruitment Incentives. Recruitment incentives may be authorized to full-time, part time, or intermittent individuals in their first appointment as a Federal employee or to a newly appointed former Federal employee with at least a 90-day break in service

EDRP Authorized: Contact the EDRP Coordinator at VISN17EDRP2@va.go for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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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.
  • 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 Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

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. HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

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.
  • English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • 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 www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
  • 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. 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. 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. 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).

Preferred Experience:
  • Experience in case management, resources, community referrals and discharge planning
  • Knowledge in collaborating with internal and external services to facilitate care transition.
  • Ability to engage, advocate, collaborate, practice and coordinate with other services and disciplines within the VHA or in the community to assist Veterans/Caregiver to close the gap of services.
  • Experiences as a community liaison with skills and knowledge regarding outreach and program development
  • Knowledge in conducting in home assessments with focus on education of self-care, self-management developed by patient identified goals.
  • Ability to adapt to high volume workload and change in daily plans while remaining professional, courteous and a team player

Grade Determinations: GS-9 Social Worker:
Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
(a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
(e) 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.

Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure or certification. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience.

GS-11 Social Worker:
Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non- VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR, Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
(c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
(d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
(e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to: inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics.

Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level


Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

If your school was accredited by CSWE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the CSWE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Qualifications Continued:

The full performance level for this vacancy is GS-11. The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-9 or GS-11.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard.

Physical Requirements:
There are no set physical requirements for this occupation. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Duties Continued:

  • serves as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes caregivers, Veterans and families encounter when interacting with government and community agencies.
  • stays abreast of current federal and state legislation directed at assisting caregivers to continue to provide caregiving in an environment that is safe for both themselves and the Veteran.
  • maintains a knowledge base of current theory and treatment modalities by reading professional journals, attending conferences, clinic seminars and teleconferences, and materials distributed through VA and private sector sources.
  • collaborates with the patient aligned care team, mental health and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues. Coordination will include hands-on support group work involvement, and training of patient aligned care team clinical social work staff in the development and facilitation of such groups.
  • develops a library of caregiver support information material for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings. Educational material must be specific to the age group serviced in the clinic, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson disease in the general and geriatric settings and PTSD and TBI information in the general, OEF/OIF, post-deployment and Polytrauma Center settings.
  • serves as a liaison between the VA and community agencies. Participates in caregiver support activities in the local community and state to promote and recognize the role of the caregiver.
  • participates on state and local caregiver support committees. Invites state and community caregiver related agencies to participate on the local VA Caregiver Support Advisory Board.
  • develops and fosters relationships with community partners to assist with system navigation, maintain collaboration and coordinate services.
  • provides outreach presentations to community social service agencies, military Guard and Reserve units, Veteran Service organizations and other groups on VA caregiver benefits, programs and services.
  • provides consultation, guidance and expertise to community organizations regarding Veteran caregiver specific issues and needs
  • promotes the VA Caregiver Support Program in coordination with the local VA Public Affairs Officer through interviews with local print, voice and television media.
  • maintains basic knowledge of local VA medical center programs, community services and VA Central Office caregiver support initiatives.
  • maintains knowledge of current federal and state legislation related to caregiver initiatives.
  • establishes a caregiver support protocol (resources, education and training) sensitive to the issues of the caregivers who are providing care to our youngest returning Veterans (in collaboration with the with other clinical staff and program managers).
  • assists in coordination of outreach events and programs that include, resource fairs, summits, educational sessions, caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs.
  • assists in data monitoring to measure the efficacy of the program.
  • assists the Program Manager/Coordinator through collecting, analyzing, and reporting program data to local management, VISN Caregiver Support Coordinator Lead and the National Caregiver Support Program, Care Management and Social Work Service, Office of Patient Care Services. Such data will be used to evaluate program progress and outcomes to continuously modify and improve the program and processes.
  • performs a wide range of services and provides technical assistance to state, local, and private agencies, and universities. Technical assistance provided is based on monitoring activities and program reviews, and the development and analysis of information.
  • uses sound judgment in the interpretation of trends and patterns; the application of guidelines; and the recommendation of program enhancements. The incumbent performs program analysis, development, review, research, design, and contact work as possible with various agencies (public, DOD, state).

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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, resume, 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

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.

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