Duties

Summary

This professional Social Worker coordinates a variety of activities including outreach, interdisciplinary activities, psychocsocial assessments, treatment planning, consultation/education to Medical Center Staff and community base service providers, the collection and maintenance of statistical data, program planning evaluation and modification.
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Responsibilities

Major duties include:

• Collaborate with the other members of the team in the provision comprehensive health care services to veterans, will ensure equity of accesses, service, and benefits to this population, and collect, develop and analyze data from this program, using appropriate clinical indicators and monitoring activities to assure that the care provided is of the highest quality.
• Incumbent is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines.
• Provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits.
• Incumbent will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death.
• Ability to complete periodic program planning evaluations and reviews, and will recommend and implement new programs and/or modifications/expansion of existing programs, as indicated.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Knowledge of psychosocial treatment and ability to independently implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems to achieve treatment goals.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, but extended hours outside of tour of duty may be required.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/15/2019.
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.
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 c&idacy 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 the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation st&ards for a master of social work. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 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 on the OHRM website . Physical Requirements. The work frequently requires lifting, carrying, filing, & h&ling of medical records, forms & supplies, Requires sitting, st&ing, bending & traveling to a variety of locations within the medical center. Requires daily use of computer terminal for processing all phases of daily work. The incumbent must have emotional & mental stability, & able to work close to others. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with VA H&book 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

Grade Determinations:

For GS-09: Experience, Education & Licensure. GS-9 is the entry level grade for the GS-185 social work series & is used for social workers with less than one year of post-MSW experience & for social workers who are not yet licensed or certified at the independent practice level. Social workers at the GS-9 level are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure or certification. In addition, the c&idates must demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (b) below.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

1 . Ability to provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, & other diversified backgrounds. This requires knowledge of human development & behavior (physical & psychological), & the differential influences of the environment, society, & culture.

2 . Ability to work with patients & families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, & social problems utilizing individual, group, & family counseling skills. Work with more complex problems is done under close supervision. With guidance from the social work supervisor, ability to assess the psychosocial functioning & needs of patients & their family members, & to formulate & implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, & assistance needed.

3 . Basic knowledge of psychosocial treatment modalities &, under supervision, ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, & groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment & skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.

4 . Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, & representatives of community agencies. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally & in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.

5 . Knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, & traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications & their effects/side effects; & medical terminology.

6 . Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, & tracking. Ability to learn & utilize software programs in use by VHA.

(c) Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-9 social workers are considered to be at the entry level & 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 VHA program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Since these social workers are not practicing at an independent level, they should not be assigned to program areas where independent practice is required, such as in a CBOC, unless there is a licensed social worker in the program area who can provide supervision for practice. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision.

For GS-11: Experience, Education & Licensure. Promotion to the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social
OR,

In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. In addition, the c&idate must demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (b) below.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

1 . Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community & other governmental agencies for services, & ability to coordinate services.

2 . Ability to independently assess the psychosocial functioning & needs of patients & their family members & to formulate & implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills & assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family & interdisciplinary treatment team.

3 . Ability to independently conduct psychosocial assessments & provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational & other diversified backgrounds. This requires knowledge of human development & behavior (physical & psychological) & the differential influences of the environment, society & culture.

4 . Knowledge & experience in the use of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities & treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications & their effects/side effects, & medical terminology.

5 . Knowledge of psychosocial treatment & ability to independently implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families & groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical & social problems to achieve treatment goals. This requires independent judgment & skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving or crisis intervention techniques.

6 . Ability to independently provide counseling &/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups & families. Social workers must practice within the bounds of their license or certification. For example, some states may require social workers providing psychotherapy to have a clinical level of licensure.

7 . Ability to provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients & the impact of psychosocial problems on health care & compliance with treatment. Ability to provide orientation & coaching to new social workers & social work graduate students. Ability to serve as a field instructor for social work graduate students who are completing VHA field placements.

8 . Ability to independently evaluate his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies, or other organized means.

References: VA H&book 5005/23, Part II, Appendix G39.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

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

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

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

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.

If you are unable to apply online 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.

Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following for each job listed:
1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet time-in-grade, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them;
2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience);
3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2007 to 04/13/2008);
4) Hours worked per week for each job listed
5) Full Name and address of Employer
6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name
7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact

NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's 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 recommend grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Confidential

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Resume
• Transcript

VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search .

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• PCS Orders
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and 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 Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.