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 Senior Social Worker is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for HUD-VASH. This position provides SUD case management and intervention support to the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) Program in a team oriented, recovery-based program. The (SUD) Specialist supports the HUD-VASH Program by providing continuity of care between Homeless Programs through services to Veterans with SUDs as they transition from programs such as Domiciliary or Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs (RRTPs), Health Care for Homeless Veterans Contracted Housing, and Grant Per Diem Programs to permanent housing through HUD-VASH. The Senior Social Worker provides on going substance use case management and early treatment interventions to promote sustained stability and abstinence in HUD-VASH subsidized permanent housing. Substance use can be a contributing factor to homelessness, so providing SUD treatment support and early intervention can promote recovery, improved quality of life and successful permanent housing. Homeless Veterans are frequently also diagnosed with co occurring mental health, physical health and social problems that require particular skill in early intervention and crisis management. The Senior Social Worker must be able to develop appropriate professional relationships with the Veterans and meet the Veteran where he or she is ready to engage in treatment. Major duties include but not limited to: Provides direct SUD services for HUD-VASH in the Medical Center. Provides Outreach services for HUD-VASH in the community. Provides training and clinical supervision 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 conducts intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their significant others. Identifies symptoms leading to clinical diagnoses of SUD. Provides all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and SUD assessments 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 recovery model framework. Works with the Veteran to realize the Veteran's treatment goals, and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment. Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment, to include early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits and facility-based contacts. Provides SUD support to the HUD-VASH team as a functional member of this team, to include consultation, interventions, or accompanying other case managers on home visits, when indicated by suspicion of HUD-VASH participant SUD use. Will serve as a member of a multidisciplinary homeless program treatment team. Will develop partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and SUD Veterans, with regular contact and communication. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Telework: May be available on (Ad-hoc) basis. 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

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. 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. 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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12Experience/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. 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. 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. References: VA handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary, although the stress involved in dealing continually with persons in emotional distress and who may be uncooperative makes this work notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs. Requires driving.

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 Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Tyler Jennings
• Phone: 775-486-3377
• Email: [email protected]