The GS-11 Caregiver Support Program Social Worker is assigned to the Caregiver Support Program at Albany VAMC. The Albany VAMC is a large social work service located in a highly complex (complexity level 1) VA facility. The Albany VA Medical Center is responsible for the delivery of health care services to eligible Veterans, covering nineteen (19) counties and including eleven (11) CBOCs.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major Duties and Responsibilities: The GS-11 Caregiver Support Program Social Worker with primary responsibilities to provide clinical evidence-based services and interventions; provide caregiver, Veteran, and staff education on caregiver issues; engage in community outreach and resource development; continuous quality-improvement activities, and evaluation/consultation. The Social Worker works closely with the Caregiver Support Program Coordinator and/or designee to complete program required home visits, telephone contacts, assessments, annual evaluations, and respond to Caregiver Hotline calls. The Social Worker will function in support of caregivers, Veterans, and family members throughout the Medical Center and in the community and support the development and implementation of General Caregiver services. This includes conducting frequent needs assessments to implement education, wellness, and support groups. The incumbent must be a skilled communicator capable of developing positive, effective relationships with Veterans, caregivers, local, state and federal agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations. The GS-11 Social Worker assists the Program Coordinator in providing clinical services as part of the program, completing notes and gathering/monitoring data related to the day-to-day functioning and evaluation of the program. The Social Worker will adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics, all local social work policies, and maintain an unrestricted, unsuspended license to practice social work. The Social Worker 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, develops programs, and implements training focused on specific caregiver needs/issues. Provides education and in-service training to Albany VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and caregivers. Provides ongoing consultation and support to colleagues regarding caregiver support. Develops and facilitates caregiver support groups (face-to-face or VANTS telephone line) and educational programs. Distributes educational materials provided by VA, local, state, and national caregiver organizations. The Social Worker 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. The Social Worker provides referrals to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, community-based social services, and other non-VA entitlement programs. If appropriate, he/she provides referrals or consults, to other VA programs including but not limited to the Respite Program, Community Health Care Coordination Program, Hospice, Home Based Primary Care, Telehealth and the Community Nursing Home Program. As a Caregiver Support Program Social Worker, the employee stays informed regarding current federal and state legislation directed at assisting caregivers to continue to provide caregiving in an environment that is safe for both them and the Veteran. The Social Worker will maintain a 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. The Social Worker will collaborate with the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), mental health, and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues. The Social Worker will develop/maintain a library of caregiver support information materials for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings. Educational materials 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/OND, post-deployment and Polytrauma Center settings. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 38866F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Social Worker United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed for this vacancy. 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 Master 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/. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment 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). NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Creditable Experience: The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-11 Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level must be Unrestricted, at the Independent Practice Level, with the ability to work independently. OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Assignments: This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Duties include but are not limited to assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Incumbent independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. In collaboration with the Veteran, family/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team, the social worker facilitates the delivery of health care services. The social worker identifies family/caregiver stressors, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions. The incumbent provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy at the GS-11 grade level. 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 Samuel S Stratton VA Medical Center - Albany 113 Holland Ave Albany, NY 12208 US
• Name: Yviana Martinez
• Email: [email protected]