The Outreach Social Worker with the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program engages in psychosocial/diagnostic assessment with patient/family on each client. The incumbent establishes therapeutic rapport and elicits relevant information by using advanced interviewing skills and observation.

Duties

The incumbent is responsible for completing the following duties/responsibilities: - The incumbent will conduct initial assessments to determine needs of Veterans. - Serves as an advocate on behalf of Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and links and refers Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices, and/or community agencies. The incumbent will act as Liaison between VA and community - resources, to include marketing and public relation duties as needed. - The incumbent will provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practice which includes case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate. - The incumbent will address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards. - The incumbent will as appropriate, supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker. - The incumbent will coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans. - The incumbent will participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the Supervisor. - The incumbent will maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with JCAHO, CARF, VA and medical center policy and procedures. - The incumbent will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death. - The incumbent will document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care. - The incumbent will coordinate appointments and provide transportation, as needed, to ensure Veteran is receiving the services needed. . - Ability to provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. This requires advanced knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological), and the differential influences of the environment, society, and culture. - Ability to work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems utilizing individual, group, and family counseling skills. Advanced ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: 0800 - 1630 Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible:Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 0000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. 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. 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 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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/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: 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: (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. Preferred Experience: One year experience working independently and with minimal supervision with a variety of people in sometimes difficult situations utilizing critical and creative thinking skills to develop practical solutions. One year experience evaluating patients based on their needs, limitations and desires and ability to submit referrals, consults, schedule appointments as appropriate. One year experience developing treatment plans for clients that are homeless, with mental illnesses, substance abuse or recovering from traumatic events and frequently communicating with clients to ensure their physical and mental health well-being. One year experience following policies, Directives, Handbooks, regulations, etc., .and attention to detail. One year experience with community partners and volunteering for community events and working well as part of a team. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 dated September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Education

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

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.

Contacts

• Address VA Central Texas Health Care System 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive Temple, TX 76504 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]