The Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for providing strategic guidance directed toward improving the quality of mental health care for over one and a half million Veterans nation-wide.

Duties

The incumbents function as Suicide Prevention Case Managers (SPCM) and works in collaboration with Suicide Prevention Coordinators to provide services for patients at high risk for suicide and other adverse events.as identified by clinical criteria, the REACH VET algorithm, and patients with chronic pain conditions. The program is a bridge to care. There are no exclusion criteria for veterans and services will be on a short-term basis until patients are engaged in ongoing care. The SPCM will work under the Mental Health Patient Care Center at the James J. Peters VAMC which includes Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) in Yonkers, White Plains, and Queens. Duties include but are not limited to: Respond to Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) consults, where veterans from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds, contact the crisis line with suicidal thoughts, behaviors, or other mental health and non-mental health related issues. SPCM will contact veteran to provide crisis intervention and support, provide safety planning, discuss risk mitigation, resolve problems, coordinate with, and provide support to family members, connect to emergency services, provide referrals to MH or other care, coordinate care with VA and non-VA providers, as needed. Monitoring and completion of VCL consults in Medora (VCL documentation record) Care coordination to assure high risk patients are engaged in treatment; SPCM will meet with veterans (by phone, VVC, or in person) to assess MH care needs and provide appropriate referrals. SPCM will also contact and work with VA and/or community providers to ensure connection to appropriate care. SPCM will monitor veteran appointments and follow up as appropriate. Has 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 treatment plans. Meeting with patients by appointment, as walk-ins, or by home visits as needed to assess suicide risk and mental health needs. SPCM will implement crisis intervention, provide support, and otherwise respond to patient needs, as appropriate. Follow up with patients discharged from the emergency department, acute care, or residential care by meeting with veterans to assess suicide risk, provide safety planning, discuss risk mitigation plans, and provide appropriate MH or non-mental health referrals. Assessment of psychosocial needs (e.g., psychotherapy or other interventions, social support, education, housing, job training, etc.), including completion of psychosocial evaluations as needed. Complete suicide safety plans, including identifying warning signs, coping strategies, lethal means restriction, resources, and sources of support for times of crisis. Referral to appropriate MH and medical services within and outside VA. Referral for housing and benefits assistance and other services as needed. Provide consultation to other disciplines or units providing care to veterans at high risk for suicide and coordinate with providers regarding appropriate treatment plans. Collaboration and consultation with family members and caregivers. Documentation of all contacts in CPRS. Attend and participate in Suicide Prevention team meetings and MH staff meetings. Attend and participate in VISN or national suicide prevention meetings. Attend and provide consultation as appropriate to Mental Health and other team meetings. In all patient contacts, demonstrate appropriate clinical judgment, skill, and multicultural competence by independently conducting assessments and treatment interventions with a diverse veteran patient population. SPCM utilizes risk assessment, mental status examination, symptom assessment, and other appropriate assessment techniques to formulate an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan that adequately addresses veterans' mental health and psychosocial needs. Based on assessment findings, SPCM implements different treatment modalities such as crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, support, validation, problem-solving, coping strategies, etc. to mitigate suicide risk and achieve treatment goals. Monitor patients on the facility High Risk List (HRL) for suicide to ensure that they are attending appointments and engaging in care, with appropriate follow up to patients as needed. Outreach and consultation to community clinics and service organizations to identify at-risk patients not in VA care. Conduct outreach/education about VA services and suicide prevention best practices, safety planning, crisis intervention, and risk mitigation with community providers. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 49391F 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 suicide prevention experience and 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]