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 Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9) - as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 - enacted November 1 - 2000 To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA - all applicants must meet the following: a Citizenship Be a citizen of the United States (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g this part) 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 Failure to Obtain License or Certification In all cases - social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment Loss of Licensure or Certification Once licensed or certified - social workers must maintain a full - valid - and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment Grandfathering Provision The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification - may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions

• 3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis - until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• 4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation - who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• 5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C.

7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series - they lose the grandfathering protection If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series - they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates Senior Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education The candidate must have at least two years of experience 9 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: 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 Specialized Experience:Expected to have experience and/or certification in evidence-based psychotherapies or the skills and abilities to learn advanced evidenced based psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Cognitive Processing Therapy - Prolonged Exposure Therapy - Couples/Family Therapy - and Group Therapy Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to the Primary Care Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) - Charleston - SC or designated CBOC The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans and their families/significant others As the GS 12 Senior Social Worker - the incumbent may be requested to serve as the primary point of contact at their designated CBOC but only at the direction of the PACT supervisor or SW Chief Incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to the Primary Care Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) panels - Charleston - SC or designated CBOC The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans and their families/significant others Social work responsibilities include the assessment of psychosocial problems that cause distress - often impacting the health condition and creating barriers to care These stressors can include adjustment to the current medical problems - and inadequate housing and transportation Referrals typically originate from any member of the interdisciplinary team - from Veterans and/or their families who call or walk-in for assistance - and from community professionals The incumbent must complete thorough assessments to determine the underlying causes of the presenting problem(s) - the interpersonal and environmental factors impacting the problem - and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with the treatment recommendations by the multidisciplinary team Must have a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and to their families in Primary Care Clinics The incumbent is able to independently work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical - psychiatric - emotional behavior - financial - legal and psychosocial problems Effective social work in the Patient Aligned Team Care (PACT) context often occurs over a series of several visits Must have knowledge of the PACT team approach and the role of each health and allied health care team members as well as an understanding of the role of the social worker in the PACT model Must independently complete thoroughly advanced psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families The incumbent is able to assess functional acuity of the patient and provide appropriate interventions The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable Must actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans and family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members in the development and implementation of treatment goals and interventions Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Work hours are subject to change based on agency need Recruitment Incentive (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: This position is not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 59955F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs