Social Worker

Summary

The incumbent functions in a multidisciplinary outpatient Primary Care clinic setting at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Appleton - WI. The patients for whom the incumbent regularly provides treatment services have a wide range of health care problems including acute and chronic - severe and debilitating conditions - physical and psychiatric conditions - substance abuse or homelessness.

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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Education: Must 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
• Note: A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work to meet the Basic Eligibility requirements
• Licensure: You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• 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 Determination: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
• 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
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 11
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS 11
• Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary
• Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting
• There may be some walking - standing - twisting - turning - sitting - pushing - bending - repetitive keyboarding - or carrying of light items.

Duties

• Major Duties of the outpatient Primary Care Social Worker Include but are not limited too: Patient Care Independently performs case finding functions and outreach - identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs
• Independently conducts psychosocial assessments
• Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team
• Coordinates community-based services - including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs - other government programs and community agency programs
• Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services
• Provides crisis intervention services - seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint - coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families
• Provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan
• Facilitate referrals for veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs - service-connected compensation - non-service-connected pension based upon veterans' needs and eligibility
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures
• Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the consumer constructively and appropriately
• Serves on medical center committees and work groups as needed to support the mission of the organization including: Performs other duties as assigned VA Careers - Social Work: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Full Time Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm 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: ADHOC as determined by Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 08122F 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.