Senior Social Worker

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. Program 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. 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. Program 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. 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 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the 3 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 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 for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: (KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level) Senior Social Worker - GS-12: Experience/Education: The candidate 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 Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty Licensure/Certification Senior social workers 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 Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (1) 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 (2) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice (3) 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 (4) 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 (5) 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: Skilled in: Patient Engagement - Crisis response - interdisciplinary collaboration - recovery oriented - adaptable Data-informed clinical decision making Knowledge of community and VA resources Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation - see Duties section for essential job duties of the position May require standing - lifting - carrying - sitting - stooping - bending - puling - and pushing May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions the area is adequately lighted - heated - and ventilated However - the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but are not limited to: Collaborate with assigned BHIP team through interdisciplinary consultation to ensure veteran needs are met and support optimum clinical care Provides care coordination (including care management and case management) to Veterans and families - as needed - throughout the continuum of care Communicates within and across care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans and additional support for veterans between visits Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs This includes individual - group - and/or family counseling - or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial - and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans Provides a full range of services within commonly accepted standards of practice and prioritizes care coordination activities as the primary job function [e.g. - needs assessment - chart reviews - care or case management (as needed) - discharge planning - outreach - etc.] and other services as appropriate Complete care coordination needs assessments and recovery biopsychosocial assessments to determine needs - preferences and generalized care plan Discuss measurement-based care and SMART goals with Veterans - how they are used and administer tools as appropriate Independently formulate and implement treatment plans that include measurable - achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and psychosocial acuity Discharges (FLOW) Veterans from care when they have reached their identified goals - integrating internal and external support resources for the Veteran Monitor ongoing treatment for adherence - medication side effects - and clinical outcomes Conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs - evaluate risk - and initiate safety plan as appropriate Educate veterans and staff about BHIP model - to include other initiatives that occur within (MBC - MHTC and FLOW) Participate in treatment and discharge planning with the Veteran and BHIP team Provide Veterans and family members with education regarding their mental health care - treatment plan - self-management resources and psychoeducation to support healthcare adherence and relapse prevention Advocates on behalf of the Veterans - when needed - to ensure delivery of comprehensive - seamless MH service Links the Veteran with services - resources - and opportunities - to maximize recovery - independence - health - and well-being Provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to clinical mental and behavioral health Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm - Monday-Friday - subject to changed based on needs of facility Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive Contact View email address on click.appcast.io - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Learn more 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: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 01096F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr