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 Senior Social Worker functions as a discharge planner with advanced skills meeting the needs of Veterans with complex care and psychosocial needs, and coordinates care with a multidisciplinary team to ensure that discharge planning needs are in place prior to the veterans discharge from the inpatient setting. The Senior Social Worker has a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. Duties include but are not limited: Provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with polytrauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, and other serious physical and mental disorders. The Senior Social Worker possesses competent social work treatment, management and administrative skills backed by a broad knowledge base and experience to deal effectively with the variety of complex situations that may be referred for social service activity. The incumbent interfaces with inpatient, interdisciplinary medical/surgical teams, Utilization Management staff, and the facility leadership for improvement and innovation regarding coordination of social services for complex cases. The incumbent coordinates referrals/consults for non-institutional services such as Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC0, Community Adult Day Health Care (CADHC), Community Nursing Home, hospice, transitional, and supportive housing, and skilled and non-skilled homecare services in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team members. The Senior Social Worker serves as the subject matter expert on VA and community resources and can interpret and explain VA treatment and benefit programs. The Senior Social Worker discusses skilled nursing rehabilitation with patients when recommended by the medical team. The incumbent discusses residential care and assisted living options for patients as appropriate. The incumbent provides resources for homeless veterans, including shelter information as well as available low-cost housing. Provides veterans with contact information for emergency assistance such as rental assistance, financial assistance, and general assistance (211). Assists veterans with transportation options for discharging home and ongoing transportation issues post discharge. The incumbent serves as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran, caregiver, family and/or significant other. The incumbent will make rapid assessments and develop crisis management plans and develop multiple resource directories. The incumbent will complete suicide risk screenings and suicide risk assessments. The incumbent will educate the veteran, family, caregiver or significant others, as well as other VA staff, regarding the availability of services and assist them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference. The incumbent will educate patients and families about the levels of care and resources available after discharge. The incumbent will provide information about Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The incumbent provides patients and families with emotional support as well as educating patients and family concerning goals of care and hospice care, decedent affairs and referrals to other VA and community resources as appropriate. The incumbent must meet the needs of customers while supporting VA missions; consistently communicate and treat customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner; providing customers with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Collaborates with divergent multidisciplinary team members in a manner that enhances coordination of comprehensive patient care. The incumbent protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, Federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy. The incumbent protects the data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion. The incumbent uses word processing software to execute several office automations functions such as storing and retrieving electronic documents and files. The incumbent uses the Veterans Health Information and Technology Architecture (VistA) to access information in the Medical Center Computer System. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm) Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not 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

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 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/. 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: 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 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: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior SW are licensed/certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior SWs typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope/complexity. May be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness/modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision; collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. Provides leadership, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. Serves on committees, work groups and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. Assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. Assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Preferred Experience: 2 years of Case management and discharge planning experience. 2 years of experience conducting psychosocial assessments. Experience working with an interdisciplinary team. Experience providing Crisis Intervention, goal directed supportive counseling, and grief/bereavement counseling. Experience making referrals for community resources such as, but not limited to nursing facilities, group homes, assisted livings, substance abuse treatment, and hospice services. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting & light carrying (under 15 pounds), light carrying, (under 15 pounds), straight pulling (1 hour),pushing (2 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking & standing (3 hours), repeated bending (1 hour), climbing, use of legs and arms, both legs required, ability for rapid mental & muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable to 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid may be permitted).

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.

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. 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.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the CWSE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Contacts

• Address Dallas VA Medical Center 4500 South Lancaster Road Dallas, TX 75216 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]