This Social Worker Associate position is in Social Work services at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, located at the White River Junction, Vermont location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The Social Work Associate (SWA) is assigned to the Primary Care/PACT Social Work Team and functions under the auspices of the Social Work Service Line. The incumbent provides services in accordance with their limited scope of practice and functions as a Community Resource Specialist (CRS). The incumbent receives referrals from MSWs and other members of the treatment team and supports Veterans and caregivers/family members in accessing VA and community resources. The SWA in this position provides direct services in person and via telephone to Veterans receiving care at VA White River Junction Healthcare System and their caregivers/family members. Duties include but are not limited to: Resource Development and Maintenance: Maintains and shares up-to-date information about commonly-accessed VA and community resources, such as caregiver supports and State-based financial programs such as LTC Medicaid. Develops positive working relationships with VA and community partners and effectively utilizes internet searches to obtain and confirm resources. Employee and Veteran/Caregiver/Family Education & Outreach: Provides basic education about resources both orally and in writing. Is able to explain processes and present options in a clear and unbiased manner. Utilizes public speaking and technology to present information about VA and non-VA resources. Represents VA at community events in a professional manner. Care Coordination: Accepts referrals from MSWs and other members of the treatment team and provides timely follow-up by performing a variety of care coordination tasks, examples of which are listed. Helps Veterans and caregivers/family members make telephone calls and fill out applications, forms and other paperwork. Collaborates with other VA programs and services to address barriers to accessing health care, such as by requesting transportation to appointments and communicating with the Business Office and Office of Community Care to address VA and non-VA billing issues. Supports case management activities of MSWs by making follow-up calls and linkages in support of the Veteran's treatment plan. Gathers information from Veterans and caregivers/family members. Mails applications, forms and other paperwork to Veterans and caregivers/family members. Documents all activities in the Veteran's medical record. Keeps MSWs and other members of the treatment team apprised of services rendered. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: This position is authorized for telework but has not been authorized as virtual or remote (i.e., the must be able to work at the location the position is being announced for). VA supports the use of telework to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Worker Associate/PD405-03498-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/20/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: A driver's license in the State or Territory in which assigned may be required. If required, candidates must pass a Federal service driving test. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in major fields of study such as: social welfare, sociology, psychology, public administration, philosophy, education, anthropology, history, economics and/or English. REQUIRED: A transcript must be submitted with your application to meet the basic education requirement for this position. AND, Specialized Experience: You must have two (2) years of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social, or health agency. One (1) year of this experience must have been in a medical setting and equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-7) in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: providing assistance and service support as prescribed by social workers in conjunction with patients' treatment plans; interviewing patients; using general counseling techniques and crisis intervention techniques to assist clients; obtaining and compiling data; and organizing mental health and medical treatment needs. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationCustomer ServiceInformation ManagementPartnering Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Position requires moderate lifting and carrying 15-44 pounds, walking and standing for 2 hours, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other eye, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing with aid. Work Environment: The population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. The population also includes caregivers and family members. Services are conducted at the facility, primarily in an outpatient clinic environment. Environmental factors include working closely with others and working alone. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations at the VA facility. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. For more information on these qualification standards, please see VA Handbook 5005 Appendix F10 dated April 15, 2002.

Education

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 White River Junction VA Medical Center 215 North Main St. White River Jct., VT 05009 US
• Name: Jessica Steed
• Phone: (802) 295-9363 X2021
• Email: [email protected]