Social Worker-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program

Job Title

Social Work Professional

Duties

The duties include:

• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments including assessing functioning and needs of Veterans to formulate and implement a recovery-oriented treatment plan, identifying the Veteran's problems, strengths, challenges, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the Veteran, family and interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Provides psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
• Participate in transition planning with other disciplines and ensure that transition plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate to promote care continuity.
• Collaborate with mental health Primary Care Management Module (PCMM) Coordinators to facilitate timely assignment of a mental health treatment coordinator for all Veterans receiving BHIP care and update team member assignments as appropriate.
• Serve as the mental health treatment coordinator for the BHIP team as assigned.
• Monitor Veteran care coordination needs over time, providing care coordination, and facilitating follow-up and outreach as needed to promote proactive, personalized care and care continuity.
• Utilizes independent judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving and evidence-based crisis intervention techniques.
• Knowledge and experience in the use of medical and DSM-5 mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects, and medical and mental health terminology.
• Provide psychoeducation to Veterans and their family members regarding diagnoses, symptom management and recovery from illness.
• Provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on mental health care and compliance with treatment.
• May provide orientation and coaching to new social workers and social work graduate students. The Incumbent may function as Field Instructor for social work graduate students who are completing VAAAHS field placements.
• May participate as a member of various VAAAHS committees functioning as liaison between those committees and the Mental Health Service.
• Evaluate one's own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies and/or other organized means.
• Knowledge and skill in use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, and tracking, predominantly those programs in use by VAAAHS.
• Complete comprehensive documentation in the veteran's charts including assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge plans as per clinic requirements.
• Respond to consults by interviewing the veteran utilizing questionnaires and other assessment tools while determining the Veteran's emotional, functional, and psychological condition.
• Provide back-up coverage for other Mental Health Service social workers as needed or assigned.

Work Schedule

Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Benefits

The benefits include:

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)
• 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.
• 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
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Available, 2-3 days of telework