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. 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.

Duties

Duties will vary based on grade. At the GS-11 full performance level of this assignment, the Social Worker serves as Coordinator for the Non-Institutional Long-Term Care (NILTC) programs, assumes the technical and administrative responsibility for the management of the Homemaker/Home Health Aid (H/HHA) Program as well as the Non-Institutional Respite Program and Veterans Direct Home, Adult Day Health, and Community Based Programs. This includes planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures, developing program goals and objectives as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, and coordinating the activities of the programs. Strong emphasis will be placed on data collection including patient and caregiver satisfaction and feedback and tracking of performance measures for NILTC. Functional duties include, but are not limited to: Responsible for working with and advising a team of clinical independent professional practitioners who function with a relatively high degree of autonomy and minimal supervision. Responsible for the continuous monitoring and improving of the efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness, and quality of services offered within the NILTC programs. This includes the development and monitoring of quality indicators. Identify areas for improvement, gather and assess relevant data, develop, and implement ideas for improvement and evaluate efficacy of improvements in the organization of clinical social work functions within the NILTC programs. Coordinates organizational changes within the medical center social work service and community agencies to facilitate active cooperation and appropriate transition of change for NILTC patients, caregivers, and programs. Prepares, plans, and advises the social work supervisor of anticipated changes in workload, staffing needs, and program developments. Remains current on clinical aspects of the NILTC programs and will be prepared to fill in for the various social work clinicians assigned to other areas of the medical center when needed. Provides clinical support to the Community Health Nurse Coordinators working with NILTC programs and will serve as a consultant with other disciplines as needed. Provide timely and accurate information in the form of verbal and written reports to the Social Work Supervisor and others as indicated in the program or facility requirements. Writes program specific guidelines and policies as required and sees that these policies are implemented. Keeps staff fully informed of eligibility criteria and relevant services and changes as they occur within the NILTC programs. Identifies problems in service delivers within the NILTC programs and takes corrective action with the concurrence of the Social Work Supervisor. Recruits new NILTC agency providers and establishes contracts for numerous services to include H/HHA, in-home respite care, that meet the needs of the veteran population. Oversees the program operations and program evaluations, identifies areas for improvement, gathers and assesses relevant data, develops, and implements improvement plans and evaluates the efficacy of improvements. Intervenes to resolve clinical problems. Serve on assigned committees for the medical center as assigned by the Social Work Supervisor. May be involved in relevant community activities such as the Area Agency on Aging, Alzheimer's Association, Ombudsman group, etc. Functions as the professional representative of the VA Medical Center, Social Work Service, by providing public relations and community education regarding the NILTC programs. This includes Federal, State, County and City government offices, and private non-profit services, agencies, and organizations. These contacts may be individual or in a group setting. Interacts with Congressional staff and caseworkers regarding Congressional inquiries, investigating the inquiry and preparing a response for the signature of the Chief of Social Work Service and the Medical Center Director. Maintains open lines of communication with clinical and clerical employees who work with the NILTC programs and keep them apprised of management issues, policies, and activities as they impact Social Work Services. Liaises with community agencies for, H/HHA, respite care, Veteran Directed Care, Home and Community Based Services. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: 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 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. TRANSCRIPTS WITH CONFER DATE REQUIRED 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. 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. 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: Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Social Worker, 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. TRANSCRIPTS WITH CONFER DATE REQUIRED Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: light lifting (under 15 lbs), ability to drive GOV. Environmental factors include working both outside and inside and working closely with others.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4815 North Assembly Street Spokane, WA 99205 US
• Name: Michelle Rootes
• Phone: (907)257-3713
• Email: [email protected]