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

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Social Worker is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the Heath Care for Homeless Programs. This position provides brief case management and early intervention support to SSVF utilizing a harm reduction approach. The SUD Specialist supports the SSVF Program by providing continuity of care between Homeless Programs while linking to services for Veterans with SUDs. The incumbent provides on-going substance use case management and early treatment interventions to promote stability while receiving SSVF services. They will assist in providing early engagement and ensuring continuity of care with linkage with supportive resources. These Veterans are frequently diagnosed with co-occurring mental health, physical health and social problems that require skill in early intervention utilizing a holistic approach. The incumbent must be able to develop appropriate professional relationships with Veterans provide treatment according to their treatment preference and stage of readiness for change. The incumbent also will need to develop liaison relationships with more acute treatment providers/ programs, such as an Intensive Outpatient Program and/or community-based SUD resources. As the incumbent will be working independently in the community, delivery of these services requires specialized knowledge and skills and extensive experience in resource identification and access with VA medical, mental health, substance abuse, and other specialty clinical providers. FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: - Provides direct SUD services for SSVF Grantees, to include brief interventions and motivational interviewing/enhancement. - Provides outreach services for SSVF Grantees. - Provides training for other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, anger management, and life skills and SUD with co-occurring disorders. - Independently completes a needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their significant others as referred by SSVF case managers which may include an ASAM assessment. Utilizes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) to determine the clinical diagnoses of SUD. - Provides all necessary assessment functions, (e.g., interviewing, biopsychosocial histories, and SUD ASAM criteria) to aid in the development of treatment plans. Develops comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contributed to homelessness, including SUD and other co-occurring factors within a harm reduction approach. - Works with the Veteran to identify the Veteran's treatment goals and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement. - Provides individual case management for SUD, to include early interventions, supportive follow-up, and linkages to eligible services within VA and the community. - Provides SUD support to the SSVF Grantee to include consultation, interventions, or accompanying SSVF case managers on home visits. - Will be expected to work with SSVF grantees across the facility catchment area, and homeless program staff to engage Veterans experiencing SUD concerns into VA services. This may include but not limited to, SUD specialty care or residential services. - Will develop effective and strong relationship with community resources to ensure continuity of care and to promote successful transition of services. - Will provide liaison services with other programs referring homeless Veterans to SSVF to ensure continuity of care and promote successful transition of Veterans from one program to another. - Will provide appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans. - Will be responsible for the collection of statistical data and for reviewing the data to improve performance and delivery of services to homeless Veterans. - Utilizes a harm reduction approach with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community. - The incumbent will conduct and participate in outreach activities including field interviews, assessments, and referrals for homeless Veterans contacted in the community, shelters, and "on the streets" with the SSVF Grantee. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday 0800-1630 Telework: Available, pending Supervisor approval. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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

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. 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 SW Licensure Summary by State. 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Senior Social Worker, GS-12: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. Preferred Experience: Substance Use Disorder experience preferred. Experience working with stigmatized populations is preferred. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. 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 White City VA Medical Center 8495 Crater Lake Highway White City, OR 97503 US
• Name: Caleb Stone
• Phone: 208-422-1315
• Email: [email protected]