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 Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Social Worker (SW) is the point of contact and coordinator of referrals to appropriate clinical staff to provide psycho-social supportive and therapeutic services to identified Veterans with Military Sexual Trauma related issues throughout the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center (VAWW) and its community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs). The MST SW is available for case consultation throughout the continuum of care. MST services are specific to Veterans who have experienced sexual abuse or harassment during active military service. MST services at VAWW include screening, education, outreach, individual and group therapy, assistance with symptom management and/or reduction, and improved psychosocial functioning, in addition to connecting Veterans with other needed services. The MST SW will act as the MST subject matter expert for the VAWW Main Campus and CBOCs via educating staff and community about MST and reporting MST clinical reminder data to the Women Veteran's Program Manager bi-monthly. Functions of the position include: Independently perform direct patient care addressing psychosocial care needs via face to face and teleconferencing. Develop treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family. Provide educational and therapeutic services to reduce the risk of re­ victimization. Coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. Identify high-risk patients and connect with resources and services as needed. Provide crisis services that may include assisting Veterans currently experiencing intimate partner violence or sexual assault to connect with services in the VA or community. Have working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures to include acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families. Work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of MST-related and medical and social problems utilizing individual, group and family counseling and evidence-based therapy skills. Provide consultation to medical staff in identifying and managing MST- related issues while providing medical care. May be called upon to support a Veteran with MST during medical exams that may trigger symptoms. Facilitate groups as needed to assist Veterans in obtaining needed medical care and managing chronic health and mental health symptoms. Provide clients with general knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service-connected compensation, and non-service-connected pension. Specific knowledge of MST programs and services throughout network and nationally is required. Consistently communicate and treat customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Handle conflict and problems in dealing with the consumer constructively and appropriately. Provide coordination of Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities to include The Women Veterans' Forum and additional outreach and educational activities. Understand the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients including geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions. Understand the intimidation of bureaucracy and act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family. When appropriate and feasible, educate and encourage the Veteran/family to advocate on their own behalf. Make rapid assessments and develop crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. Maintain access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the CBOC and mental health clinic at the VA Medical Center. Attend all appropriate staff meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, Social Work staff meetings, other committees as appropriate, etc.) and perform other duties as required. Collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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 Master 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. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates, GS-12 Program Coordinator Experience and Education. Must have at least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and 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) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. (b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. (c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. (d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). (e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position require the use of fingers; both hands required; must be able to see a computer screen; and hearing (aid may be permitted). There may be exposure to silica, asbestos, etc., and you must be able to work closely with others and work alone.

Education

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). If selected for this position, you are encouraged to apply for EDRP within four (4) months of appointment and must meet specific individual eligibility criteria in accordance with VHA Policy 1021. Final award amount and program start date is determined after review of a complete EDRP application, supporting documentation, and final approval by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact the EDRP Coordinators @ [email protected]

IMPORTANT: This position has a positive education or training requirement. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of the required degree or program is required and must include the name of the school, your name, date conferred, and degree type.

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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Joe Julkowski
• Phone: 509-434-7382
• Email: [email protected]