This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/471480000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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.
The West Texas VA Health Care System (WTVAHCS) provides a variety of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as offering numerous educational programs. Outpatient services include: Ambulatory Care, Mental Health, Women's Health, Transition and Care Management, Home Based Primary Care, Tele-Health, Anticoagulation Clinics, Ophthalmology, and Dentistry. Skilled nursing care and acute rehabilitation is provided in the Community Living Center, with specialty referrals to other VISN 17 facilities and community services. Staffed with approximately 600 employees, the facility serves counties in West Texas and New Mexico area, with a Veteran population of approximately 57,000. The WTVAHCS is part of the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network, VISN 17 and is centrally located at the crossroads of Interstate 20 and Highway 87 in Big Spring, Texas with Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) located in Abilene, Odessa, San Angelo, Ft. Stockton, Texas and Hobbs, New Mexico.
Big Spring, "The Crossroads of West Texas" is home of the newly restored historic "Settles Hotel", "The Spring", and home of the National Championship Howard College Hawks Basketball and Baseball teams. With a growing economy, our city has many new businesses locating in the area offering more shopping and family orientated attractions. Big Spring is centrally located within driving range of the following communities Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Abilene, and Lubbock, Texas.
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.
***Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Maybe authorized for this position. Please note: This is not moving expenses. If incentive is approved, it comes with a 2 year service agreement and is not paid out until incumbent is employed with facility.***
Learn more about this agency06/06/2017 to 06/14/2017
$72,168 - $93,821 per year
GS 12
1 vacancy in the following location:
Occasional travel - Occasional travel within service area.
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
No
VHA-519-17-NR1951091mhr-BU
471480000
This announcement is not intended to cover all the duties, responsibilities or qualifications of this position. This position is full time permanent. The incumbent is assigned to Mental Health Service at the George H. O'Brien, Jr. VA Medical Center, located in Abilene, TX. The Senior Social Worker provides direct care to the Mental Health Primary Care (MH-PC) veteran population seen at the West Texas VA Health Care System (WTVAHCS). The Senior Social Worker assists in the delivery of evidence based care for primary care patients identified with a variety of emotional and psychiatric problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol misuse, etc. The incumbent will be responsible for providing quality psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, brief intervention and education and support, and monitoring of patients. The incumbent will also influence adherence to guidelines by providing "on-time, on-target" information to primary care physicians, and collaboratively making appropriate care decisions. Although this position is located within the Primary Care teams, the Senior Social Worker is considered to be an active participating member of Mental Health serving to meet the best interests of Veterans' well-being. Collaboration of care is accomplished with other members of the MH-PC Treatment Team or other interdisciplinary treatment teams through involvement in Primary Care daily huddles, weekly or monthly staff meetings.
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 independently licensed or certified by a state in the 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 advance practice level.
The advanced practice social worker can be further differentiated from the independent practice social worker by incumbent ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide 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, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification if the position requires. The Senior Social Worker aids in the clinical program development by providing input into the program effectiveness for modification of service patterns. He/She may be assigned in settings where they have no access to social work supervision, such as community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) or satellite outpatient clinics. He/She may be assigned to work with special patient populations with highly complex health or mental health problems.
Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, or as defined by supervisor.
Functional Statement Title: Mental Health Primary Care Senior Social Worker #000000
Physical Requirements: Typically, employees sit comfortably to do the work. Light lifting (under 15 pounds), Light carrying (15 pounds),Reaching above shoulders, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (1 hour), both leg required (prosthesis allowed), both eyes required (glasses allowed), hearing (aid permitted), working closely with others, possess good social skills, emotional/mental stability, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors.
Veterans' Preference:
When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.
Basic Requirements:
Salary to be determined by Professional Standard Board of your peers and based on your education, experience, and professional accomplishments.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
GS-12: Senior Social Worker Program Coordinators and Manager. For Social Worker Program Coordinators, grades are determined by the scope of responsibility and the type, size, and complexity of the assignment.
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 (see paragraph 3a(c) of the qualification standards). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below.
Demonstrated 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 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.
References: Input applicable reference and links. For example: VA Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix F7, SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD, 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 ( or you may use the following generic citation) VA Handbook 5005 available in the local Human Resources Office and OPM Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/IORs/GS0100/0185.htm. ]
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.
***This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.***
***This position is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed every 15 calendar days.***
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.
The following documents are required to be considered for this position:
*VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf) (required).
*Resume (All applicants must submit an updated resume.)
*Responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (All applicant must answer the occupational questionnaire.)
*Form OF-306 (All applicants must submit a current, complete and signed OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment. Your form must be signed and have a date within one year of your application. You can upload your completed scanned 306 or fax it via the instructions for faxing documents. You can Google this form if you are in need of it or it can be found on http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf )
*Copy of education transcripts (If you are using your education to qualify for this position you must submit a copy of your transcripts.)
*DD-214 and any documentation on Service Connected disabilities (Any applicant applying based on Veteran status must provide a copy of their DD-214. In addition, if you are claiming Veterans Preference you must provide documentation of the basis for your preference. Note: If you have more than one DD214 please submit a copy of each document. If you are claiming Veterans Preference you must submit documentation for the basis of your preference.)
*SF-50 (If you are a prior or current Federal employee submit your most recent SF-50.)
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, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Veterans' Preference: When applying
for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the
Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible
copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty
service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable,
general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Additionally,
disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as
widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15
"Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as
stated on the form. For more information, please review the information
for disabled Veterans in the application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1951091.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
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 Friday, June 30, 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 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.
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/471480000. 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): 1951091