The Social Work Associate is assigned to the Primary Care/PACT Social Work Team and functions under the auspices of the Social Work Service Line at the White River Junction VA Medical Center.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Provides direct services in person and via telephone to Veterans receiving care; Maintains and shares up-to-date information about commonly-accessed VA and community resources; Develops positive working relationships with VA and community partners; Provides basic education about resources both orally and in writing; Represents VA at community events in a professional manner; Accepts referrals from MSWs and other members of the treatment team and provides timely follow-up; Helps Veterans and caregivers/family members make telephone calls and fill out applications, forms and other paperwork; Mails applications, forms and other paperwork to Veterans and caregivers/family members; Documents all activities in the Veteran's medical record; Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ To qualify for this position, you must meet the Basic Education Requirement for the job series and the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-8 level Social Work Associate position. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Bachelor's degree (or higher) 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~AND~ SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Two years of specialized experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social, or health agency. One year of this experience must have been in a medical setting and equivalent to the next lower grade in Federal service. Specialized experience includes: providing assistance and service support as prescribed by social workers in conjunction with patients' treatment plans; assisting patients with completing forms; providing information about community resources; and arranges rides to medical appointments. This experience must be demonstrated in your resume to receive credit. Applicants must be suited in personality and temperament for this work and must have demonstrated ability to work well with others. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CommunicationCustomer ServiceInformation ManagementPartnering IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. 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. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]