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Social Worker (Suicide Prevention)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Richmond, Virginia
Closing date
Oct 19, 2021
Duties

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Incumbent is a professional social worker whose duties and responsibilities relate to the case management of veterans who are identified as "high risk" for suicide or suicide behaviors. The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of at-risk veterans as they transition from inpatient to outpatient care.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following tasks:
    • The incumbent will conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members.
    • The incumbent is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines.
    • The incumbent will participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate.
    • The incumbent will provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate.
    • The incumbent will provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits.
    • The incumbent will act as a consultant to other team/staff members.
    • The incumbent will provide consultation/education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure.
    • The incumbent will act as liaison between VA and community resources, to include marketing and public relation duties as needed.
    • The incumbent will provide case management to veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care.
    • The incumbent will provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practice which includes case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate.
    • The incumbent will address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area.
    • The incumbent will provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate.
    • The incumbent will as appropriate, supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker.
    • The incumbent will coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for veterans.
    • The incumbent will participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the service manager.
    • The incumbent will maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission, VA and medical center policy and procedures.
    • The incumbent will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, and death.
    • The incumbent will document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Social Worker (Suicide Prevention)/PD000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact cynthia.eckerd@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • 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
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)


Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2021.
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.
  • English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.
  • Education. 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. To verify that a social work degree meets the accreditation standard for a master of social work, access the CSWE website at http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation/organizations.aspx. (Copy of transcript must be submitted).
  • 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. Social work Coordinators must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level (LCSW or equivalent). (Copy of licensure)
  • PROOF OF LICENSURE AND COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE INCLUDED WITH YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE
Grade Determinations:

GS-9 Social Worker
Experience, Education and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. At the GS-9 level, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
(b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
(c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
(d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
(e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

GS-11 Social Worker
Specialized Experience: 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.

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, the candidate 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.

Licensure:
GS-9 - Must become licensed or certified at the independent level within three years of appointment.
GS-11 - Must have a license or certification in a state at the independent practice level.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 11.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily non-strenuous though a significant amount of walking is required for face to face contact with patients, family members and medical staff. Ability to lift 5-10 pounds, mostly documents and/or binders is required. The ability to sit for 1-2 hours and do substantial computer work.

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.

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 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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

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

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

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

  • VA 10-2850c
  • Resume
  • Transcript


Your resume (Required) (and/or curriculum vitae) must include the following information for each job listed:
    Job title Pay Plan and Grades Held (for Federal positions) Duties (Please be as detailed as possible. We recommend that you include information directly related to the position you are applying to. Good examples of pertinent information can be found in the Duties and Qualifications sections of the announcement. If you have performed any of those duties or have any of that experience, we are looking for that on your resume. We make no assumptions in regards to experience. It has to be on the resume under the position it was performed in at the proper grade level to count towards qualifications. Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
For example:
  • Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (Employee/Labor Relations)
  • Any VA Healthcare System, Address City, State ZIP
  • Full-Time (40 Hours Per Week)
  • GS-12 Step 2 4/2019 - Present
  • GS-12 Step 1 4/2018 - 4/2019
    • Duty related to the position you are applying to
    • Duty related to the position you are applying to
    • Duty related to the position you are applying to


VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: https://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf .
*Required at time of application.

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 (VA)
  • License
  • VA 10-2850c
  • Other (2)
  • Professional Certification
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • 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 Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference .

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.

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