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Social Worker (Outpatient PACT/ GM & Specialty Clinics)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Clinical social worker assigned to the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), General Medicine & Specialty Care Clinics, Emergency Department and SW Triage Walk-in Clinic. Referrals to the Outpatient PACT/GM & Specialty Care SW typically originate from members of the interdisciplinary treatment team, from Veterans, families, caregivers, guardians, community professionals, and VA Ann Arbor staff members in the form of consults, phone calls, walk-ins, emails and electronic medical record alerts.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/29/2021 to 01/18/2022
Salary
$66,214 to - $86,074 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Toledo, OH
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
CBSR-11339503-22-JKF
Control number
630955900

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Duties

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  • The Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) is a multidisciplinary team which delivers primary care to Veteran patients using a patient centered, strengths based approach to disease prevention, health promotion and improvement, care coordination, and disease management. The PACT SW utilizes a bio-psycho-social perspective to assists Veterans and their families/caregivers in resolving psychosocial, emotional and economic barriers to achieving health and well-being while building on their strengths and abilities. The PACT SW often functions as the care coordinator with VHA and Non-VHA community partners to ensure Veterans are receiving the appropriate level of care and services to include home care/skilled home care, Sub Acute/SNF/Long Term Care referrals, Assisted Living and Adult Foster Care.
  • The PACT/ GM & Specialty Clinic SW functions as the subject matter expert with regards to VHA/VBA/ Federal, State and local government programs, benefits and services available to our Veteran population. Further, the incumbent has enhanced knowledge and experience with providing education and assistance to Veterans, family members and medical team staff on Advanced Directives, guardianship/conservatorship processes and VA Fiduciary programs.
  • Overall responsibilities includes the provision of direct Veteran centered patient care, concrete social services, medical care coordination, case management services, collaboration with the relevant interdisciplinary treatment team(s) and utilization of VHA, VBA, and community resources to most appropriately meet the needs of the clientele.
  • Demonstrates a high level of skill in assessment, intervention and treatment plan development when addressing the comprehensive psychosocial needs of the Veterans He/She is assigned. The incumbent will assess the patient in order to identifying emotional, social, physical, familial, economic instability, and vocational needs that may be causing distress and impacting the health condition or creating barriers to the patient receiving recommended care/treatment. Stressors can include adjustment to the current medical condition, untreated or under-treated Mental Health or Substance Abuse condition, economic instability, legal problems, inadequate housing and transportation, abuse/neglect and exploitation. The incumbent must complete a thorough assessment to determine the underlying causes of the presenting issue(s), interpersonal and environmental factors, the patient's functional acuity and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with treatment recommendations by the multidisciplinary treatment team
  • Provide a thoughtful approach to assist the patient/ family to understand the contributing factors to the identified issue(s), discuss available short/long term solutions and/or resources, using a strengths-based empowerment model to formulate an appropriate patient centered intervention plan to reduce stressors, improve health and reach health related goals.
  • Actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans/family/caregivers/Non-VA providers. The incumbent must be available to provide consultation to treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans, the impact of the identified psychosocial barrier on the Veteran's health care planning and compliance with treatment and available interventions/programs/services available to assist in resolving identified barriers.
  • Identifies appropriate VHA/VBA/community resources and facilitate utilization of and linkage to these resources by the veteran and family in order to assist clientele in reaching optimal functioning.
  • Responsible for supporting the mission, policies and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, the Social Work and Community Based Services and the NASW Code of Ethics.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
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
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

a. Citizenship. Be a 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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.

c. 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. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.]

  1. 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. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure.
  2. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record.
  3. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application.

Failure to Obtain License or Certification. 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.

d. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized

GRADE DETERMINATIONS.

Social Worker, GS-11

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.

NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c.

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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.


References: VA Handbook 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019

Physical Requirements: The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

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.

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

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