The New Jersey VA Healthcare System is currently recruiting for 1 Social Worker in the Social Work service in conjunction with the Chief of Outpatient Mental Health and is located in the Mental Health Clinics (MHC) at Lyons, East Orange and supporting CBOCs, which are part of the Mental Health & Behavioral Science (MH&BS) Service.

Duties

The primary function of the Social Worker is to identify, through psychosocial and family assessment, the social, emotional, interpersonal and environmental needs of the Veteran that may interfere with his/her mental health, and/or impede the Veteran from obtaining his mental health recovery goals. The Social Worker is able to exercise appropriate judgment and decision making when formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan, providing ongoing assessment of the patient's progress and treatment utilizing VA and community resources. Some of the major duties are listed below: Psychosocial Assessments - The Social Worker interviews the Veteran, family member and/or significant other to establish facts about the Veteran's current situation. In collaboration with the Veteran, family member and/or significant others, the Social Worker completes an accurate psychosocial assessment considering the effects of acute, chronic, traumatic illnesses/injuries, and common medications. The assessment reflects the Veteran's strengths as well as primary concerns and/or challenge/s. Treatment planning/goal setting - The Social Worker, in collaboration with the Veteran, develops a treatment plan. This may also be done in collaboration with the outpatient mental health treatment team. The plan is based on the Veteran's goals (needs and/or preferences) using his/her own language. If the Veteran is not present, the Social Worker (and/or team) makes every effort to reflect the Veteran's language, goals, etc., based on the psychosocial assessment. The treatment plan is person-centered, holistic, non-linear and strengths based. The Social Worker, in an attempt to foster independence, provides the Veteran with skill development opportunities to transition or use natural community supports. The treatment plan is adjusted according to the Veteran's response to the interventions and/or changes in needs/goals. Provision of clinical services - The incumbent provides current and advanced range of treatment techniques for the treatment of the adult Veteran patient population while being sensitive to human growth and development, age-appropriate needs and concerns of the Veteran. The Social Worker provides clinical services, case management services and psycho-educational services to Veterans, family members and/or significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment goals and within their scope of practice. Evaluation of Treatment - The Social Worker establishes and maintains a continuing relationship with the Veteran, family member and/or significant other, evaluating progress towards the Veteran's goals and adjusting the treatment plan as appropriate. The Social Worker meets with the Veteran, via regularly scheduled meetings, to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals if needed. The Social Worker monitors Veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, and displays clinical competence through the psychosocial diagnosis, treatment plan and the decision to adjust/terminate treatment when appropriate. Crisis Intervention -The Social Worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. The Social Worker has access to multiple resources and colleagues to meet the demands of a crisis. Work Schedule: M-F 8am-4:30pm Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) Functional Statement #: 21M13-A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship: US Citizen 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. 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). Grade Determinations: 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. 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, 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. Assignments. 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 psychosocial acuity. In collaboration with the Veteran, family/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team, the social worker facilitates the delivery of health care services. The social worker identifies family/caregiver stressors, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions. The incumbent provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The social worker links the Veteran with services, resources, and opportunities, in order to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being. The social worker conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan as appropriate. The social worker provides interventions independently with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems. They provide a range of interventions and treatment modalities which may include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy. They independently formulate and implement a treatment plan including measurable, achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Social workers serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility and VISN level or in the community. They provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. The social worker establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/Military population. Preferred Experience: LCSW Preferred References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. (This is a required document)

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 VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Shamaree Singleton
• Phone: 6463065973
• Email: [email protected]