Senior Social Worker - Centralized Screening

Senior Social Worker

This position serves as Senior Social Worker assigned to the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Centralized Screening Team. Primary responsibilities include serving as part of a team that will screen Veterans for transfer or admission to residential programming within VISN 22. They must use a high level of skill in assessing the complicated psychosocial problems of the Veterans being referred for placement and determining the least restrictive setting for the Veteran referred.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Participate in the admission/screening process by assessing Veterans and/or their caregivers and completing intake data collection.
• May conduct psychoeducational activities following professional prepared resource guides.
• Act as a liaison between staff, Veteran, and other stakeholders in the development and review of treatment recommendations.
• Use supportive/facilitative techniques with Veterans and their families to help them better communicate with each other and when necessary help confront problem behaviors.
• Independently coordinate community-based services to include information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other governmental programs, and community agency programs.
• Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families.
• Utilize psychosocial assessments to facilitate the Veterans maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
• Facilitate for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.

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: Ad Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Bargaining Unit: Yes