Social Worker (NIC)

Full Job Description

This position is assigned to the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and serves as the Community Care Program Social Worker assigned to provide comprehensive social work services to Veterans manage in home and community based programs including Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services, Homemaker Home Health Aide Services, Outpatient Respite Programs, and Community Adult Day Healthcare.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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.

English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.

§ 7403(f) 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/.

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.

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.

Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment.

Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.

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).

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

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.

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.

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.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.

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.

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

Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.

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.

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.

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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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-9 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: Hearing (aid may be permitted) Environmental Factors: Working closely with others; Working alone Major Duties:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This position is assigned to the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and serves as the Community Care Program Social Worker assigned to provide comprehensive social work services to Veterans manage in home and community based programs including Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services, Homemaker Home Health Aide Services, Outpatient Respite Programs, and Community Adult Day Healthcare.

Duties will vary by grade, but at the GS-11 level: The incumbent implements policies and procedures for program operation and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use.

The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding day to day functioning and program evaluation.

In conjunction with the HHHA Coordinator and the Community Care Program Manager plans, organizes, and directs patient and agency activities.

The individual conducts work activity independently using his/her educational training, advanced clinical experience, VA policies, TJC and other accreditation organization standards in administering direct services.

Administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to patients.

Develops and implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, inpatient days, patient demographics, equipment utilization and patient satisfaction.

In addition, the incumbent uses sound judgement in the interpretation of trends and patterns; the application of guidelines; and the recommendation of program enhancements.

The incumbent performs program analysis, development, review, research, design, and contact work as possible with various agencies.

Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning, and assessment of various programs.

Responsible for key project activities related to the planning, development, and implementation of the project component.

A substantial portion of the workload directed by this position is carried out at one or more locations that are physically removed from the main unit under conditions that make day to day supervision difficult to administer The incumbent will also provide a program of outreach to identify and locate Veterans in need of home care.

Outreach is to include communication and coordination with this Medical Center, other governmental and private community health and social service agencies.

The incumbent will coordinate the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, will ensure equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, will collect, develop and analyze data from this program, and utilize appropriate clinical indicators and monitoring activities to assure the care provided is of the highest quality.

The incumbent will conduct training for staff, students, and community providers regarding issues, will provide education, information, and liaison with resources for Veterans in the community, and will provide technical assistance and educational sessions to community organizations as needed.

They may provide supervision for social work licensure and/or serve as Clinical Instructor for Social Work graduate students.

The incumbent is responsible for the implementation of written program policies and procedures that are based on coherent empirical and theoretical rationale and are consistent with patient rights, and the maintenance of comprehensive written patient progress notes.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-Hoc (Inclement Weather Only) Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized