This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan reimbursement program. If selected for this position, you must meet specific individual eligibility requirements and submit your application within four months of appointment. The final award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact [email protected] and cc [email protected] for information.

Duties

Incumbent is a Social Worker assigned to VA Illiana Health Care System's Primary Care Mental Health Integration program at the Springfield Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Springfield, Illinois. The social worker provides direct care to Veteran patients and is co-located within primary care. Clinical services are provided as a member of multidisciplinary primary care teams and includes brief consultation based services to Veterans, working in collaboration with primary care providers and other Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) members. The focus is on general service delivery for a wide range of concerns and resolving problems within the primary care service context. Behavioral health visits are brief, limited to 4-6 sessions and are provided in the primary care practice area. Provides a full range of diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to the primary care setting, including functional assessment of emotional and behavioral problems, chronic disease management, and suicide risk assessment. Provides a full range of clinical interventions consistent with training and expertise, with special emphasis on brief and evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in the primary care setting, including but not limited to: CBT, CBT-Chronic Pain, CBT-Insomnia, Motivational Interviewing, and Problem Solving Therapy. Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the primary care setting and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues. Provides consultation services to support PCP decision-making, building on PCP interventions and improving PCP-patient working relationships. Provides interventions with a focus on allowing patients to remain with their Primary Care Provider (PCP) for the full range of their health needs to the extent this is clinically appropriate. Conducts functional assessments and brief assessments and will triage/refer to specialty care services as appropriate. Provides same day access. Ensures that all clinical work is documented accurately and in a timely fashion, consistent with SWS and facility expectations and policies. Responsible for identification of patient needs, requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary staff and making appropriate referrals. Fully accountable for practice, including entering patient visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting productivity standards. Participates fully in educational development through staff and section meetings. Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Wills. Collaborates in performance improvement processes and complies with performance measures as required by the VA for specific population and/or program. Completes PCMHI competency training and demonstrate fidelity to the model through ongoing competency training requirements. Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, higher or unique qualifications, or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Authorized upon Supervisor approval. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Clinical Social Work Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS CITIZENSHIP: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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: Must 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) LICENSURE: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. GRADE DETERMINATIONS In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-11 GRADE LEVEL EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements, you must have a minimum of one year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work or other social work-related settings (VA or non-VA experience). 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) AND 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standards The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing, twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, and repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items.

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 Danville VA Medical Center 1900 East Main Street Danville, IL 61832 US
• Name: Lyndsay Thomas
• Phone: 217-510-8036
• Email: [email protected]