The VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics (VA SORCC) provides a variety of clinical programs with a wide range of outpatient services and treatments for Veterans in Geriatrics and Extended Care, Psychiatry, Substance Use Disorder, Home Based Primary Care, Community Care, Residential, and various other ambulatory care programs. VA SORCC has a main campus and two Community Based Outpatient Clinics (Grants Pass and Klamath Falls).

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Please note this position will require 25% or more of local community travel. FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: Psychosocial assessment and Treatment Planning - The social worker will complete a biopsychosocial assessment and treatment plan to include the goals set by the Veteran, as required by program standards. The assessment will include psychosocial history of the Veteran, family relationships, economic and community connections and various psychosocial support systems. The goal of the assessment is to highlight the Veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the Veteran's functional status and safely maintain the Veteran in the community. The goals will be captured on the treatment plan. It is the responsibility of the social worker, to complete these psychosocial assessments in a timely manner in keeping with the program guidelines and Veterans' treatment needs. The Housing Specialist will remain in contact with all Veterans seeking new or seeking to rehouse and coordinate case management of non-housing related case management needs with the assigned HUD-VASH case manager as appropriate. Once housed, the Housing Specialist will provide a warm hand-off to the HUD-VASH Case Manager. Community Outreach - The social worker will develop relationships with area landlords, apartment building management companies and staff, real estate agents and other community members involved in housing throughout the catchment area. Will provide education to community members regarding the various housing programs operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and will serve as the facility's representative on any advisory boards or community collaborations to address housing within the community. Resource Development - The social worker is responsible for the maintenance and development of a rental property inventory tracker system. This includes identifying landlords and rental property in all counties within the VA SORCC catchment area and updating the tracker regularly. The Housing Specialist will participate in Continuum of Care (COC) and By - Name - List (BNL) meetings to provide updates on current housing statuses/plans for homeless veterans involved with HUD-VASH. The Housing Specialist will be involved with housing events in collaboration with Public Housing Authorities to educate and promote the HUD-VASH Program The Housing Specialist will be responsible for monitoring and supporting housing activities within the VA SORCC, to ensure performance measures are maintained. Referral to Housing Providers - The social worker will provide available housing options and serve as the liaison between the Veteran and the potential housing property staff in connecting Veterans to housing options for use of issued HUD-VASH vouchers. The social worker is the subject matter expert on housing options with the catchment area and serves as consultant on this matter for Veterans and staff alike. Advocacy - The social worker assists the Veteran and family with navigation of the larger VA bureaucracy and community partners/providers/agencies and empowers the Veteran to self-advocate whenever feasible. When necessary, the social worker will provide education on self-advocacy to instill confidence in procuring needed housing, goods, and services. Crisis Intervention - The social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans, to include assessment of suicide risk and development of suicide prevention safety plans. The social worker is knowledgeable in the use of suicide risk identification tools and resources available to safely divert emotional and suicidal crisis. Supportive Counseling and Group Intervention - The social worker will provide Veterans and their families with supportive counseling, as needed or requested. The social worker is also responsible for providing group intervention for Veterans. Potential group intervention topics will include, but are not limited to Tenancy Skills.. Administrative Responsibilities - The social worker will serve as a member of the Homeless Program screening team, will assist with transportation for Veterans engaged in various levels of the housing process, will serve as a liaison between the HUD-VASH Team and inpatient/residential/community - based staff for housing related concerns. Social worker will make recommendations for the provision of homelessness prevention for Veterans who do not qualify for the HUD-VASH program. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available, Ad hoc per supervisor's approval. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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/. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-9 (1) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. (b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. (c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies (e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. (3) Entry Level Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure or certification. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the Veteran and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. Since social workers at this level are not practicing at an independent level, they should not be assigned to program areas where independent practice is required, such as in a CBOC, unless there is a licensed social worker in the program area who can provide supervision for practice. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision. Social Worker, GS-11 (1) 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- II-G39-6 September 10, 2019 VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. OR (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to: inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Incumbent independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and II-G39-7 September 10, 2019 VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 psychosocial acuity. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: A pre-placement examination is required for any occupation or assignment that requires the operation a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties.

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 White City VA Medical Center 8495 Crater Lake Highway White City, OR 97503 US
• Name: Deborah Jackson
• Phone: 208-2498842
• Email: [email protected]