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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate The social worker in this position serves as the Housing Specialist for the HUD-VASH Program embedded in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program, within the Social Work Service, VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS). In the role of Housing Specialist, the candidate will work closely with team members, stakeholders, and Public Housing Authorities on coordinating the development of housing resources throughout the Illiana catchment area with a primary focus on communities with the lowest voucher utilization rate. In this role, the Housing Specialist will assist the HUD-VASH team and serve as a liaison to the VA Health Care System, Public Housing Authorities (PHA's), landlords and landlord associations, and agencies and corporations devoted to the development of affordable housing. Through the developing and maintaining relationships with community landlords, the candidate will be able to assist in locating open units and providing supportive services to Veterans living in their homes. The candidate will also be responsible for assisting with case management to Veterans in the HUD-VASH program looking for housing to support Veterans securing housing within ninety days of program entry. Working closely with interdisciplinary teams and the PHAs will assist in timely request for reasonable accommodations to support access to independent living. Major Duties: Develop the necessary knowledge base to serve as the HUD-VASH Program's primary resource on existing and future permanent housing resources for all counties participating in the HUD-VASH program. Assists the HUD-VASH supervisor with data management (HOMES Census Report, Interest List, SRN/PAIRS, PBV Registry) until they are able to function independently. Act as a liaison between the HUD-VASH Program and the Public Housing Authority (PHA) responsible for the Housing Choice vouchers Veterans receive in the HUD-VASH Program. Responsible for meeting with PHA staff to address challenges in coordination and planning. Develops working relationships and agreements with other organizations and directly communicates with local housing authorities regarding housing authority inspection standards and paperwork. Assists current HUD-VASH staff outreach to prospective landlords and property management groups on behalf of Veterans in the HUD-VASH program. Works with a multidisciplinary team as needed and community agencies to strive for developing more effective and efficient ways of delivering housing services to HUD-VASH Program Veterans. Assists in administrative/clerical functions of the program such as quality assurance, policy and procedure development, program planning and preparation of reports. Responsible for providing case management for a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH program who are searching for housing. Accompanies Veterans during home inspections and assists the HUD-VASH case management team by performing site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure Veterans are adjusting to permanent housing. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:45am to 4:15pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. 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. Education: Must 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Grade Determinations: GS-9 Level: Experience, Education and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level and are closely supervised. In addition, the candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. GS-11 Level: In addition to the basic requirements, you must have a minimum of one year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience). OR 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) AND 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing, twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items.

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 Danville VA Medical Center 1900 East Main Street Danville, IL 61832 US
• Name: Brooke Cremonesi
• Phone: 217-499-7292
• Email: [email protected]