Social Worker

Summary This Behavioral Health Social Worker is assigned to the Emergency Department (ED) with responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans and their families who present for care. The primary mission of the position is to provide mental health and lethality assessments and intervention. 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. 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 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 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 Grade Determinations: 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 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 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 Preferred Experience: LCSW Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Duties Conduct mental health evaluations and psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members Functions as the ED provider for patients who present to the ED with behavioral health concerns - providing crisis intervention - provisional diagnosis - treatment and disposition recommendations Work may involve consultation with the on-call psychiatrist Participates in discharge planning with other disciplines and is responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate Possesses knowledge of residential placement options including nursing homes - and referral processes for alternative placement in the VA and community Provides individual - family and group counseling as appropriate Makes referrals to a variety of appropriate programs such as Health Buddy - MHICM - Home Health Services - and Psychosocial Rehab and Recovery Program - and facilitates consults and appointments for aftercare Provides case management to Veterans and families - as needed - throughout the continuum of care Addresses Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area As appropriate - supervises the practice of social work interns - or a less experienced social worker Maintains data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission - VA and medical center policy and procedures Assists patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with loss and grief experiences in disability - terminal illness and death Participates in a rotation of on-call social workers - including modification of tour of duty to accommodate patient care needs on weekends Assures timely and accurate documentation - using appropriate notes and templates as defined within the facility ED - Suicide Prevention Program and behavioral health Provides cross coverage for suicide prevention case managers and inpatient psychiatry social workers Perform other assigned duties Work Schedule: Monday - Thursday; 7:00am to 5:30pm OR 1:30pm to 12:00am Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized; Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized; 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: Available; Virtual: This is not a virtual position #J-18808-Ljbffr