Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

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

• As an on-site POC in the Integrated Mental Health in Primary Care Program, incumbent disseminates information to colleagues at his/her CBOC as indicated by Mental Health Service Leadership.
• Is responsible for such administrative tasks as monitoring consults, coordinating program schedule, facilitating team meetings updating and revising the literature provided to veterans entering the program, ensuring implementation of outcome measures and training staff in how to properly use the tools with veterans entering the services.
• Assists colleagues in preparing for Joint Commission survey by a review of patient records in CPRS and assisting in completion of necessary and required documentation.
• Consult with staff in other disciplines throughout the medical center to organize and coordinate functions that will assist the team in the appropriate care for veterans.
• Incumbent provides direct patient care that may include psychiatric or substance abuse assessment, individual, group and/or couples treatment for a variety of psychological/emotional diagnoses including substance abuse and/or posttraumatic stress disorder.
• Interventions are evidence-based, time-limited and/or brief and may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-focused Therapy, stress management/relaxation training and group psychosocial education.
• Incumbent independently conducts psychosocial assessments and develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Incumbent possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measure outcomes to those interventions.
• Incumbent is able to coordinate community-based services, including in formation and referral f or additional services f rom other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Incumbent has general knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service-connected compensation, non-service connected pension. Facilitates referrals based upon veterans needs and eligibility.
• The incumbent provides intensive social work service requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of social work skills.
• He/she carries full professional responsibility for cases presenting a wide range of psychosocial and environmental problems with no limitations as to the difficulty of services that would be performed.
• The incumbent performs administrative functions such as actively participating in clinic meetings and maintaining accurate records of his/her clinical interactions.
• The incumbent will establish and maintain positive working relationships with other employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
• The incumbent will attend all appropriate staff meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meeting, Social Work staff meetings, Social Work supervision meeting and other committees and workgroups as appropriate) and perform other duties as required.
• The incumbent will collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with Performance Measures as required by Mental Health Service and the Medical Center.
• Incumbent may provide training experiences for graduate social work trainees as well as other allied health care trainees and/or may provide supervision for unlicensed staff social workers.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.)
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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

Qualifications

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States.
• Licensure: Candidate must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. [Copies of licensure/certification must be submitted with application packet]
• Education: 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 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 master's degree in social work. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Conferral of degree(s) must be stated on transcript(s). Unofficial transcripts(s) are acceptable]

Preferred Experience:- Experienced in Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program

Grade Determinations:

GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants 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.
In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. 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.
2. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Infrequently, assignments may require prolonged standing. The selectee may carry light items, such as books, files, or a laptop computer. Duties require ability to walk distances, communicate verbally in a clear manner, which includes normal hearing and manual dexterity.

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.