The Outreach Social Worker is located in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program within the Community Support Services Program located in the Social Work Service Line at the Bronx VAMC. They independently perform duties and responsibilities by providing a high level of professional social work services to clients with a broad range of psychosocial and environmental problems. They exercise professional judgment use of a wide range of social work skills/techniques with complicated cases.

Duties

The Outreach Social Worker performs social work duties specifically directed toward homeless Veterans and their families. The incumbent independently provides clinical, psychosocial and short-term case management services for eligible Veterans and their family members. Services provided by the social worker include case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkage with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies as needed by the veteran, on an independent practice level. This service provision is accomplished in consultation and collaboration with the veteran, the veteran's family members/significant others and members of the mental health interdisciplinary team. The Social Worker also provides education to residents, interns and other in-training staff on the role of social work and housing resources in the community. The social worker utilizes a variety of theories and models, which are selected, integrated and adapted to the given client biopsychosocial situation. Outreach- The incumbent provides community based outreach and short-term case management services to literally homeless, at risk for homeless and/or unstably housed Veterans and their family, consistent with the goals and methods of the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program. Outreach to Veterans may occur in shelter and/or unsheltered living (temporary/unfit structures). Work assignments will take place at off site locations, and the incumbent must have thorough familiarity with outreach techniques and the ability to develop new techniques in reaching this population. Assessment- As part of the interdisciplinary team, the Social Worker possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to independently complete a psychosocial assessment as required in the Social Work Service Line documentation policy. The psychosocial assessment occurs through interviews with the veteran, family members/significant others and/or other service providers whenever possible and with the veteran's permission. The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, psychosocial/ service needs, treatment goals and possible barriers to treatment/goals. The psychosocial assessment is part of the overall team assessment of the veteran, which forms the basis of a comprehensive treatment plan. Treatment Planning/ Goal Setting- The Social Worker creates initial treatment plans, updated treatment plans and discharge summaries as clinically indicated. The resulting treatment plan is developed within the time frames designated by the program. Ongoing re­assessments and updates of the treatment plans are completed as necessary due to the changing needs for the veteran, accomplishments of preliminary goals and/ or development of ne goals and improvement of mental health status. Provision of Clinical Services- The Social Worker provides care within the framework established by National HCHV Directives and collaborates and consults with other interdisciplinary treatment teams to promote and enhance Veteran care. The Social Worker provides short-term case management, which includes : frequent, direct contacts with Veterans to assess veteran's situation, medical and psychiatric stability, abilities and capabilities, provide therapy and support with the goal of maintaining housing, increased contact frequency in times of crisis, flexible Veteran contact, and focusing on strengthening the Veteran's ability to address acute and chronic problems independently. The incumbent will coordinate ongoing assessment, education, coaching, counseling, referral and advocacy. The Social Worker also transports veterans to interviews at various sites in the community to seek housing other community-based services. The incumbent may also provide individual/family psychotherapy and group therapy as applicable. Documentation- The Social Worker documents the veteran's progress as well as any services provided via electronic progress notes. The Social Worker documents veterans contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. This information is entered in a complete, timely, confidential and professional manner to ensure information on the veteran, is shared with other VA staff. This information is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. All statistical information is entered electronically according to established time frames. The Social Worker may also clinically supervise social work students or entry level Case Managers if they meet the certification/supervision requirements. The incumbent collects and submits program participant data, as outlined by the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES). Additional duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 38383F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-11 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: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. Preferred Experience: Valid States Driver's License. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11, the grade at which an applicant may be selected for. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 Bronx VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Rd. Bronx, NY 10468 US
• Name: Kelli Bencic
• Phone: 716-458-6982
• Email: [email protected]