The VA Northern California Health Care system is currently recruiting for a Social Worker to join our Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team for the Mental Health Service at the Martinez location. Responsibilities are focused on providing direct services with the aim of assisting BHIP providers in meeting the needs of enrolled patients primarily through care coordination and case management services.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency. Telework: Telework if approved would be on a regularly scheduled basis, but this is not a remote or virtual position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #612-00108-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Responsibilities for the Social Worker (BHIP), GS-0189-09/11, are focused on providing direct services with the aim of assisting BHIP providers in meeting the needs of enrolled patients primarily through care coordination and case management services. The incumbent will function as a Mental Health Treatment Coordinator (MHTC) for BHIP enrolled Veterans and under direction, will provide individual and or group psychoeducation and assist with consult management. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Serves as Mental Health Treatment Coordinator for a panel of BHIP enrolled Veterans. Completes initial suicide risk screening via C-SSRS. Makes follow up and bridge calls between appointments at provider request. Facilitates communication regarding timely appointment needs with established providers. Provides care coordination for patients affected by BHIP staff departures and callouts. Assists with chart reviews, outreach calls, secure messages and responds to patient requests for care (i.e. coordinating referrals). Assists in facilitating, linking and advocating for referrals within the VA and to community resources. Uses measurement based care tools, periodically review patients' mental health service use and progress to ensure appropriate discharge to lower levels of care. Assist with completing clinical reminders. Tracks Veterans referred by the team to other levels of care and keeps the team informed. Assists Veteran and provider with completing paperwork for various needs including disability, FLMA, etc. Act as liaison to Inpatient Psychiatric Unit to facilitate continuity of care. Triages BHIP enrolled Veterans with unscheduled visits or requests for phone follow-up. Incumbent will seek direction from senior level staff for Veterans flagged as high risk. Assists with needed outreach of patients affected by provider callouts for BHIP Team and outreach high risk, same day, post-discharge engagement, and other patients as appropriate. Provides psychoeducational individual and group services. Completes all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system. Other duties as assigned.

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. 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. 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. 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, this part. Grade Determinations: GS-9 Entry Level Social Worker Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following 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 Full Performance Social Worker 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is 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: This position requires hearing (aid 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.

Contacts

• Address VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Allison Hoffman
• Phone: 304-350-2062
• Email: [email protected]