Senior Social Worker

Summary

The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) is currently seeking a licensed social worker to support the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program and the Primary Care Aligned Care Team (PACT). This position requires experience in providing services to Veterans of all ages - including individuals who are terminally ill - chronically ill or injured - visually impaired - disabled - or elderly.

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
• Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work
• Licensure: Candidate 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
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements - applicants 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
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations
• This includes individual - group - and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area - utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area - as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession - and to write policies - procedures - and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area
• Preferred Experience: Preferred qualifications include two years of experience in care coordination and conducting home visits
• Prior experience collaborating within a multi-disciplinary team is also desirable
• References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing - walking - bending - twisting - and carrying light items
• The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Senior Social Worker provides expert consultation and advanced psychosocial guidance for complex Veteran cases - mentoring entry-level staff and overseeing graduate training
• They support performance improvement - VA metrics - and program development - modifying services based on data and Veteran feedback
• Coverage may be required during staff absences - with day-to-day direction from program leadership and supervision from Social Work Service
• The role involves frequent home visits (2-3 daily) using government vehicles and building relationships across VA and community partners
• Key duties include: Conducting thorough psychosocial assessments - including home visits - to inform treatment plans
• Providing independent diagnoses - evidence-based interventions - and outcome evaluations
• leading or participating in interdisciplinary care planning
• Coordinating VA and community services - educating Veterans and families on benefits - advance directives - and resources
• Prioritizing high-risk patients - delivering case management - crisis intervention - and family support
• Establishing therapeutic relationships
• offering individual - family - group therapy using advanced modalities
• Completing caregiver assessments - providing counseling - respite - and resource support
• Performing rapid crisis assessments - developing management or placement plans
• Understanding laws on vulnerable adults - emergency mental health - and abuse - serving as liaison to community agencies
• Consulting with staff on psychosocial factors affecting treatment adherence
• participating in peer reviews and case conferences
• Documenting all interactions accurately in the Electronic Health Record
• ensuring confidentiality and contributing to documentation standards
• Interpreting policies and seeking consultation as needed
• Addressing the needs of adult and geriatric Veterans
• integrating psychosocial and mental health considerations into care plans
• tailoring interventions
• Evaluating progress - conducting follow-ups - and collaborating on care modifications
• Coordinating referrals to non-institutional and institutional services
• educating Veterans and families on options
• assisting with placement decisions
• Maintaining comprehensive documentation - participating in reviews - and adhering to program standards
• Managing workload efficiently - setting priorities to ensure timely care - and attending meetings
• Engaging in performance improvement - meeting VA performance measures - completing training - and pursuing relevant continuing education
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 07:30 a.m
• - 4:00 p.m
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.