The Community Living Center Social Worker is a licensed practitioner providing direct services to patients and their families. The work of the position requires the application of a professional knowledge of the principles and practices of Social Work. The Social Worker is involved in dealing with the complex social and emotional problems, which arise from advanced age, with special attention paid to age-specific problems in the geriatric population.

Duties

The incumbent is responsible for applying professional social work techniques, methods, and skills in all types of social work to patients and their families/significant others, with a minimum of technical supervision and full freedom of independent action. The cases represent all types of biopsychosocial problems, with no limitations as to the difficulty of the services to be performed or the depth of the therapeutic relationship to be engaged in. Services are rendered mainly through professional interviews with the patient, family members, and other interested persons. The goal of the social worker is to identify, through psychosocial assessment, the social, emotional, interpersonal, and environmental factors that may be contributing to the illness, interfering with the utilization of medical care, or impeding the process of discharging the individual to the community and of his or her rehabilitation. Social work treatment, which can be brief or extensive (depending on the need and assessment made), is directed toward identifying and improving negative environmental influences, assisting the patient to focus on adjusting detrimental attitudes and feelings, supporting the patient's adjustment to disabilities, and referring to resources of community agencies. Direct Care with Patients and their Families The Social Worker is attuned to the myriad of bio-psychosocial problems that face patients with psychiatric disorders, chronic disability, acute or terminal illness, in addition to the more routine requests for practical assistance, e.g., financial concerns, benefits, housing, etc. Inpatient Social Workers are responsible for documenting their clinical activity in the event capture system. Outpatient Social Workers are required to complete encounter forms on each patient seen. Social work will need to identify the needs and coordinate services to ensure that the biopsychosocial needs of each resident are met. Participation in the development and reassessment, as needed, of individualized social service and interdisciplinary care plans designed to meet the biopsychosocial needs of each resident. The Social worker will assist residents and families in locating and using financial, legal, mental health, land other community resources. Advocacy of appropriate care and treatment of residents through the development and implementation of policies and education of residents, staff, and family members regarding residents' rights, as well as consultation with the long-term care team. The Social Worker will ensure that mental health services are available to resident to assist with attaining or maintaining the highest level of mental and psychosocial well-being. The Social Worker will act as a resource to CLC psychologist participating in behavioral interventions. The Social Worker will attend behavioral committee meetings. The Social Worker will coordinate Interdisciplinary team meetings and ensure completion of MDS daily. The Social Worker will provide education such as completion of Advance Directives. Interdisciplinary Collaboration The incumbent participates independently in team conferences, discharge planning meetings. The Social Worker-requests medical or other information necessary for psychosocial planning and carries out independent responsibility for interpreting psychosocial data and presenting the social work treatment recommendations. Community Contacts In arranging for the discharge of residents, referrals are made to numerous psychosocial, health, rehabilitation, or multi-purpose community agencies. At times the incumbent will gather resources where none are available, such as foster or boarding homes, or unique placements for severely disabled individuals. Student Training The Social Worker may supervise and train social work student interns participating in MSW programs, functioning in the role of field instructor for the school of social work, as assigned. Documentation Chart documentation occurs electronically through the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). The Social Worker also has responsibility for the preparation of correspondence to patients, families, nursing homes, and community agencies or to other VA medical centers. Administrative Activity and Staff Development The Social Worker prepares any reports requested regarding social work activity and enters appropriate data electronically when indicated. The incumbent is expected to participate actively by discussion and by the periodic presentation of case material, which is used for staff development purposes. The Social Worker recognizes responsibility for self-development by study of professional literature and attendance at professional programs. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 37968F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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/. 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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). 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-Masters 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. 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. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 September 10, 2019 An applicant with a current, unrestricted driver's license is preferred The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11 which is the actual grade an applicant may be selected for.

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 Bronx VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Rd. Bronx, NY 10468 US
• Name: Kelli Bencic
• Phone: 716-458-6982
• Email: [email protected]