The VA Beckley Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Capitol Health Care Network. We're an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 5 (VISN 5), which includes medical centers and clinics in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Duties

Duties of the (Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery) Social Worker are to include, but not limited to: Screening/Assessment - In conjunction with the interdisciplinary medical team, the MHC Social Worker screens and assesses the Veteran's psychosocial needs and barriers in order to facilitate his or her access to appropriate VA and community resources. Through collaborative relationships with the Veteran, his or her family/caregiver and other VA programs and VA staff, the MHC Social Worker coordinates the gathering of information vital to the process of setting appropriate treatment goals and time frames for achieving those goals. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - Contributes to the development of treatment plans and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran and family members/caregiver and other clinical MHICM staff. Referral to service providers - Throughout the course of treatment, the Social Worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. Will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs. The Social Worker is responsible for educating the veteran and family members/caregivers of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker. Resource Usage/Development - Responsible for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans. Advocacy - Understand the intimidation of bureaucracy and act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran and family members/caregiver. When appropriate and feasible, will educate and encourage the veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. Crisis Intervention - Experienced in making independent rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. The Social Worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. Education/Health promotion and prevention- Provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans and family members/caregiver to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services- The Social Worker will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran enrolled in ICMHR. The Social Worker will educate the veteran, their family members/caregiver and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the veteran and family members/caregiver on the preferred option. Psychotherapy- Provide veterans and their family members/caregiver with ongoing therapy as needed and/or appropriate. The purpose of such therapy is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with severe/complex mental illness(es) to include Substance Abuse Disorder, chronic/disabling illness(es), onset of a catastrophic illness, etc. Discharge/Aftercare Planning- The Social Worker, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary treatment team and other appropriate hospital clinical staff, will assist veterans and their family members/caregiver in planning for discharge/aftercare by offering appropriate and viable discharge/aftercare options. Aftercare planning includes provision of housing options, medical and mental health appointments, and appointments for Substance Abuse Aftercare, PTSD Aftercare, or Dual Diagnosis Aftercare. It is the responsibility if the Social Worker to make veteran and family members/caregiver aware of available self-help/support groups in the community. Administrative responsibilities- Collaborates in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA. Participate in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed. On-Call Responsibilities- Participate in an On-call Rotation Schedule to accommodate patient care needs during weekends, holiday, evenings, nights. Assist the ICMHR Coordinator with review of information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to patients. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am- 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: ADHOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be 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. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Education. 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. Note: 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. (Transcripts required) 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. (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 appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment. Grade Determination. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-9 (Entry Level). Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. 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. Social Worker, GS-11 (Full Performance Level). In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade of 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 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 9 to GS 11. Physical Requirements: No special physical qualifications are required to perform the work. The work requires the ability to move around the office and facility. The work is performed in offices and meeting rooms and is largely sedentary. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019) The work can be mentally and psychologically demanding and stressful, and the ability to utilize effective coping and self-care strategies is essential. Preferred Experience: Experience working with individuals with complex mental health needs.

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 Beckley VA Medical Center 200 Veterans Avenue Beckley, WV 25801 US
• Name: Brenda Johnson
• Phone: 7275986871
• Email: [email protected]