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

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Authorized; if approved, would be on a regularly scheduled basis but this is not a remote position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required The Transitions of Care Senior Social Worker addresses the Veteran's bio-psychosocial status, social system, and resources. This social worker further develops and maintains a therapeutic relationship with the Veteran, which may include linking the Veteran with systems that provide needed services, resources, and opportunities. The social worker collaborates closely with the Veteran, the Veteran's family, the Transitions of Care RN, and the Transition of Care pharmacist to provide the most comprehensive approach to case management services when both complex medical and psychosocial factors are identified that may adversely impact the Veteran's health. Duties for the position include but are not limited to: Supports the Veteran, the Veteran's family, and the Veteran's caregiver's health needs across episodes of care both within and outside the VA health care system in order to ensure the Veteran receives the highest level of quality, satisfaction and cost-effective outcomes as possible. Develops rapport with community hospitals providing care to veterans such that care coordination during transition is optimized. Interacts with members of the health care team within a facility while assessing, communicating, facilitating care, and advocating. Communicates with unit staff to identify learning needs specific to the Veteran and discharge planning needs, especially those unique or essential to a Veteran's health condition or care situation. Facilitates communication between the Veteran, the Veteran's family/caregiver, VA health care providers, and among the Veteran's various health care providers. Establishes, in collaboration with key stakeholders (e.g., providers, payers, employers, family, and significant others), comprehensive case management goals, objectives, and expected outcomes including specified times frames. Conducts thorough assessments to determine psychosocial problems that cause distress, often impacting the health condition and creating barriers to care needs of Veterans and family members, the underlying causes of the presenting problem, the interpersonal and environmental factors impacting the problem, and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with the treatment recommendations. Helps the Veteran and family understand the contributing factors to the problem(s), discusses with them the pros and cons of possible short-term and long-term solutions, and encourages them to make positive and lasting changes to reduce stressors. Provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and advance directives/LSTD. Identifies appropriate resources and provides referrals to various service resources along a continuum of care to fully restore or maintain Veterans independent functioning possible. Collaborates with the health care team to ensure acquisition of the appropriate non-skilled services and community resources necessary to meet the unique health and psychosocial needs of the Veteran. Plans and implements services through coordination, collaboration, and communication with the multi and or interdisciplinary team including VA and non-VA providers. Utilizes evidence-based practice guidelines in development of the case management treatment plan. Ensures timely access to the appropriate level of care by coordinating comprehensive referrals and transitioning the Veteran to VA, DoD, other federal, state, and local home and community based services. Train and mentor staff in this special area of practice and to provide supervision for advanced licensure. Field instructor for social work graduate students who are completing VHA field placements. Serves on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor or Chief of Primary Care. Other duties as assigned.

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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part. 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:GS-12 Senior Social Worker 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: 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Allison Hoffman
• Phone: 304-350-2062
• Email: [email protected]