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

The General Caregiver Support Social Worker's primary function is to provide direct clinical, evidence-based services and interventions to the caregivers and Veterans served by the Program. These clinical duties include, but are not limited to: Supportive individual counseling to Caregivers; Caregiver/Veteran couple's counseling when clinically indicated Clinical triage and crisis intervention when clinically required; this includes completing all aspects of VA required risk assessments and safety planning Quality-improvement activities and evaluation/consultation with Social Work Supervisor and Caregiver Support Team. Coordination of Care and brief Case Management to assist Veterans in accessing services in a timely manner; this may include direct referrals to VA medical and mental health treatment services and to other VA and Community services (ie, Home-Based Primary Care, Respite Program, etc..) including VA benefits, as well as to community-based services (ie., Hospice) and other non-VA entitlement programs. Caregiver education workshops and training to Caregivers, VA staff and community partners regarding Caregiver issues The Social Worker will collaborate with the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), mental health and primary care clinicians to provide direct assistance to Caregivers and Veterans and related staff education on caregiver issues (ie., geriatric and Dementia care). Supports the planning and implementation of the events and programs associated with 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. The Social Worker will operate such vehicles as sedans, station wagons, 4x4 utility, pick-up trucks or stake bed trucks weighing less than 22,000 pounds as travel in the community to meet with community agencies and partners may be required; travel may also include visiting Caregivers and/or Veterans in the community as needed. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000/Senior Social Worker EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator(s) for questions/assistance. 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 to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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 and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs Below: 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, Part II, Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds); Light carrying (under 15 pounds); Reaching above shoulders; Use of fingers; Operation of crane, truck, tractor, or motor vehicle; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/0 and to 20/40 in the other; Specific visual requirement (see computer screen); Hearing (aid permitted. Environmental Factors: Working closely with others; Working alone.

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 White City VA Medical Center 8495 Crater Lake Highway White City, OR 97503 US
• Name: Angelica Jimenez
• Phone: (541) 440-1000 X40641
• Email: [email protected]