Social Worker

Duties

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

The HCHV Social Work Supervisor is responsible for all administrative and clinical functions related to managing HCHV staff. The Supervisor establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. Incumbents workload will consists of 50% administrative and 50% Clinical work load. The Supervisor regularly observes employees' performance and demonstrates, as well as conducts work performance conferences. The Supervisor is able to receive and handle informal complaints and grievances. The Supervisor provides advice and counsel to employees related to work and administrative matters, coordinating with the HCHV Coordinator. The Supervisor reviews, approves/ disapproves all leave requests as well as ensures all employees are trained and fully comply with all trainings and the provisions of the safety regulations.

The HCHV Supervisor will be responsible for either Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program(s) and/ or contract housing program(s) in addition to their supervisory duties (approximately 65% program and 35% supervision). Program duties to include admission and discharge paperwork in Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) as well as monthly progress and other appropriate forms.
Contact and interaction with community partners to ensure a continued channel for communications between HCHV and internal and external partners. The Supervisor would ensure all required reporting mechanisms and reports are timely, accurate and professionally presented. The HCHV Supervisor will collaborate with the HCHV Coordinator to collect and analyze data points and utilize this information to direct a more efficient use of current programs and resources, and develop new ways to help homeless Veterans.

The HCHV Supervisor provides clinical supervision to approximately 8-12 employees within the HCHV programming. The HCHV Supervisor may monitor assigned tasks such as HOMES data entry, compliance with regular reporting requirements and other products or projects requested or assigned.

Clinical supervision includes monthly reviews of employee's clients charts to ensure professional and hospital standards are met. Supervision includes the timely submission of completed reviews relevant to maintaining employee's professional standing through the Medical Staff Office and Professional Standards Boards such as Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE).

The Supervisor will be available to provide guidance and direction for ethical concerns and reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of Veterans and their families. The HCHV Supervisor will provide crisis intervention services and programmatic guidance, in collaboration with the HCHV Coordinator.

The HCHV Supervisor will monitor all fiscal transactions and ensure that all payments are made in a timely manner. They will serve as a point person for all fiscal issues related to Homeless Grant Per Diem and Contract Housing.

Performs the administrative and personnel management function relative to supervised staff. Incumbent will have established guidelines and performance expectations for staff clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. The Supervisor observes employee's performance, demonstrates and conducts work critiques, provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance.
The Supervisor works to resolve informal complaints and grievances, develops work improvement plans and recommends personnel actions as necessary. The Supervisor provides counsel to employees in work and administrative matters and is involved in disciplinary matters as appropriate to the authority delegated. Incumbent reviews, approves/ disapproves leave requests and ensures employees fully comply with time and leave policies; additionally, the Supervisor ensures employees are trained and in compliance with all safety regulations. The Supervisor is required to meet with HCHV Coordinator weekly for clinical and administrative supervision

Additional responsibilities include monitoring enrollment into all HCHV programming to ensure all protocols, forms and processes have been engaged. This includes adherence and compliance with all HOMES forms.

Work Schedule: 8am-4:30pm
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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.
• The HCHV Supervisor must be licensed at the independent level and hold a valid driver's license.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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/.

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.

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.
• Professional knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and social work care management for patients with a wide range of physical, mental health, and psychosocial problems.
• Knowledge of the psychosocial, medical and mental health issues common in OEF/OIF service members and Veterans following deployment to a war zone.
• Mastery of a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness and advocating for the special needs of the population.
• Comprehensive knowledge of VHA, VBA, and other government entitlement programs and benefits available to Veterans, including community resources and services for the disabled, local peer counseling programs or groups, and Federal laws or regulations regarding the disabled. Comprehensive understanding of Federal laws and regulations, VA policies, and resources applicable to CIS Veterans.
• Knowledge of the requirements of the Mental Health Uniform Services Handbook, and the VHA's Care Management goals, objectives, and guidelines. Knowledge of the sequence and timing of key program events and milestones and methods of evaluating the worth of program accomplishments.
• Demonstrated skill to plan, organize, direct work and negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations where the proposals involve substantial agency resources and require extensive changes in established procedures.
• Demonstrated skill in both oral and written communication with a wide variety of individuals.
• Ability to operate a personal computer with a variety of software in order to enter required information on patient care issues.

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).

• All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
• Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker.

Grade Determinations: 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.
• 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 KSAs.

References: VA Handbook 5005 reference APPENDIX G39. SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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. 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 to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .