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

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Senior Social Worker serves as the Caregiver Support Coordinator ad assists in developing and implementing the Caregiver Support Program specific to his/her area of assignment and insures compliance and collaboration with local facility and the VA Central Office Caregiver Support Program initiatives. The Senior Social Worker: works with other Caregiver Support Coordinators to administer information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers, families and Veterans. Assists in developing and implementing information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction. Assists in developing and implementing and evaluates clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of services. Functions in support of Caregivers, Veterans and family members throughout the Medical Center and in community settings. Is additionally responsible for completing field based assessments in Veteran's home with ability to recognize safety in the home that includes environmental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects is critical. participates in direct caregiver and Veteran contacts to identify and assess caregiver stress/burden and the development and application of directed clinical treatment interventions. advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center on caregiver issues. creates educational tools, assists in developing programs and implements training focused on specific caregiver needs/issues. develops and facilitates caregiver support groups (face-to-face or telephone line) and educational programs. distributes educational materials provided by VA, local, state and national caregiver organizations. conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress and social needs as treatment issues. Professional judgment, including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior, is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with caregivers and the Veterans they care for. provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. provides referrals or consults (when appropriate), or in some cases direct admission of a Veteran to other VA programs including but not limited to the Respite Program, Community Health Care Coordination Program, Hospice, Home Based Primary Care, Telehealth and Community Nursing Home Program. serves as the consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes caregivers, Veterans and families encounter when interacting with government and community agencies. stays abreast of current federal and state legislation directed at assisting caregivers to continue to provide caregiving in an environment that is safe for both themselves and the Veteran. maintains knowledge base of current theory and treatment modalities by reading professional journals, attending conferences, clinic seminars and teleconferences, and materials distributed through VA and private sector sources. collaborates with the patient aligned care team, mental health and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues. Coordination will include hands-on support group work involvement, and training of patient aligned care team clinical social work staff in the development and facilitation of such groups in conjunction with the Program Manager. assists in developing and implementing a library of caregiver support information material for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings. Educational material must be specific to the age group serviced in the clinic, i.e. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson disease in the general and geriatric settings and PTSD and TBI information in the general, OEF/OIF, post-deployment and Polytrauma Center settings." serves as a liaison between the VA and community agencies. Participates in caregiver support activities in the local community and state to promote and recognize the role of the caregiver. participates on state and local caregiver support committees. Duties are continued in the Education Section of this announcement. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 4:45 PM Telework: Ad/Hoc Telework may be authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 EDRP Authorized: Contact the EDRP Coordinator at [email protected] for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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. 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/. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May meet this requirement through the Grandfathering Provision Preferred Experience: GS-12 Clinical Certification 2 years experience with Clinical certification Mental Health experience Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade level. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience and Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience 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. Individuals assigned Senior Social Worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 Physical Requirements: There are no set physical requirements for this position. Use of eyes, hands, walking/standing and hearing may be needed to perform some functions. Mental, emotional, and cognitive stability are required. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39, September 10, 2019 The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

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.

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Note: If your school was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the CSWE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. 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.





Duties Continued:

• assists in developing, implementing and fostering relationships with community partners to assist with system navigation, maintain collaboration and coordinate services.
• assists in providing outreach presentations to community social service agencies, military Guard and Reserve units, Veteran Service organizations and other groups on VA caregiver benefits, programs and services.
• provides consultation, guidance and expertise to community organizations regarding Veteran caregiver specific issues and needs.
• promotes the VA Caregiver Support Program in coordination with the local VA Public Affairs Officer through interviews with local print, voice and television media.
• maintains basic knowledge of local VA medical center programs, community services and VA Central Office caregiver support initiatives.
• maintains knowledge of current federal and state legislation related to caregiver initiatives.
• establishes a Caregiver Support protocol (resources, education, and training) sensitive to the issues of the Caregivers who are providing care to Veterans (in collaboration with the with other clinical staff and program managers).
• assists in developing and coordinating the events and programs for the annual National Family Caregivers Month every November that includes announcement and advertising of month long activities, mobilization of participants, educational sessions, caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs.
• performs a wide range of services and provides technical assistance to state, local, and private agencies, and universities. Technical assistance provided is based on monitoring activities and program reviews, and the development and analysis of information.
• uses sound judgment in the interpretation of trends and patterns; the application of guidelines; and the recommendation of program enhancements.

Contacts

• Address El Paso VA Clinic 5001 North Piedras Street El Paso, TX 79930 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]