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

Incumbent provides direct care social work services to Veterans with complex medical and mental health needs, who are inpatients or outpatients. From 1:30 to 5:30PM, the incumbent provides support to medical and surgical units when the primary social worker in that area is on leave, during periods of vacancy, during periods of high demand for social work services, or after the day shift social worker is off duty for the day. Incumbent serves as a consultant and subject matter expert for social work colleagues who are providing services to Veterans hospitalized in diverse acute care settings. The incumbent manages the daily operations of social work services within the Medicine Section of Social Work Service, develops policies and procedures for program operation and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding day-to-day functioning, process improvement and program evaluation. Incumbent coordinates closely with the supervisory social worker for the Medicine Section of Social Work Service, the Utilization Management and Review Program, the DCOS for Acute Care Medicine, nursing case management, and the Office of Quality, Safety and Value. From 5:30PM to 10:00PM Major duties include but not limited too: The incumbent independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs. The social worker will develop an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others. Psychosocial assessments are conducted for individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the veteran's functional status. The incumbent must possess a basic knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological), and the differential influences of the environment, society, and culture. The incumbent demonstrates an ability to work with patients and families who are experiencing highly complex health and/or mental health problems as well as social problems utilizing individual, group, and family counseling skills. The initial assessment will be completed as specified by the policy for the assigned work area. An initial patient assessment is required as well as reassessments as defined in policy. It is the responsibility of every social worker doing an intake, a social assessment, a psychosocial diagnosis or any information-gathering process with a patient to be especially attentive to risk factors, and to verbally and/or in writing call attention to treatment staff of such factors and ensure they are addressed. Social workers will also educate other clinical personnel to be sensitive and responsive to risk factors, as necessary. The incumbent assesses the safety of the home situation of veterans through interviews with veterans and their family or friends and reports abuse and neglect or other unsafe situations to Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services as appropriate. Incumbent interfaces with inpatient, interdisciplinary medical/surgical teams, Utilization Management staff, and the facility ACOS for the Office of Quality, Safety and Value regarding coordination of social services for complex cases with lengths of stays greater than 30 days. The incumbent is also responsible for ensuring coverage of social work services in the Medical Section at Palo Alto Division when social work staff are absent for planned or unplanned leave as well as when a social work position in the Medical Section is vacant. Incumbent may monitor the work of the other social workers in the Medicine/Surgery areas. In collaboration with the Supervisory Social Worker, may provide orientation, guidance and feedback related to job performance. In the absence of the Supervisory Social Worker, incumbent may take the lead in assigning work, providing consultation and problem solving with other Services within the Health Care System Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 1:30 PM - 10:00 PM. Telework: May be available on Ad-Hoc Basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized to highly qualified candidate. 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.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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]