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

Social Worker in this position functions as a Case Manager for Alaska VA Health Care System, Housing and Urban Development / VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The HUD-VASH Program falls within the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Programs under the Mental Health Department. Social Worker is responsible for coordination of case management services for Veterans receiving housing provided through HUD Section 8 voucher system. Duties will include: Responsible for providing case management for a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH program in the Alaska VAHCS catchment area. Responsible for reviewing agreements between Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. Performs site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes. Verifies the Veteran's status, eligibility for VA medical care, and eligibility of program participation. Responsible for ensuring that homeless Veterans are considered as primary participants for program acceptance. Responsible for collecting and submitting HUD-VASH Program participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures. Responsible for providing HUD-VASH case management. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain Veterans in HUD approved stable housing. Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring Veterans to the Community Based Outpatient Centers, VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies. Complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct so as to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the HUD VASH Case Manager. Actively participates in the HUD-VASH Program conference calls and attends training offered by the HUD-VASH. Responsible for following local policy and SOP for the HUD-VASH Program. This includes following policies and documentation requirements as required for CARF and JC accreditation. Actively participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences. Participates in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested. Performs accountability functions: 1) document all contacts with patients/families in the medical charts; 2) completes statistical and other reports in accordance with Alaska VAHCS and respective professional discipline service policies. Works with Alaska VAHCS multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies to strive for developing more effective and efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to HUD-VASH Program Veterans. Conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members. Participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. Provide consultation/education to Veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits. Act as a consultant to other team/staff members. Act as liaison between VA and community resources, to include marketing and public relation duties as needed. Provide case management to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. Provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate. As appropriate, supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker. Coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans. Document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care. Participate in a rotation of on-call social workers, including modification of tour of duty to accommodate patient care needs on weekends. Maintain familiarity and responsibility for all performance measures relating to the HUD-VASH Program. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Please contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinator @ [email protected] 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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/. 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: GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience and 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: 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, the candidate 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. Preferred Experience: Experience with the VA, Experience with the homeless population. References: VHA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Qualifications for Social Workers The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: light lifting (under 15 lbs), moderate carrying (15-44 lbs), use of fingers, walking (2 hrs), standing (2 hrs), operation of a motor vehicle, near and far vision correctable, both eyes required, hearing (aid may be permitted), mental/emotional stability, working outside and inside, working in dry atmospheric conditions, working closely with others, working alone.

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 Anchorage VA Medical Center 1201 North Muldoon Road Anchorage, AK 99504 US
• Name: Michelle Yahne
• Phone: 503-220-8262 X53055
• Email: [email protected]