Job opening: Social Worker (HUD-VASH)
Salary: $70 417 - 110 755 per year
Published at: Feb 23 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
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
Duties include, but are not limited to:
Clinical:
Responsible for providing independent case management throughout the continuum of care for a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH program.
Provide a full range of clinical services to include case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate.
Independently perform case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening Veterans for current mental health status, housing status, access to resources, and other needs.
Provide independent evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Able to measure outcomes of these interventions.
Provide a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients many of whom have psychiatric and medical problems.
Assume complete professional responsibility for their clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
Evaluates their own practice through case conferences and other organizational means.
Is an active participant in the development of treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and the interdisciplinary treatment team.
Coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
Independently identify high-risk patients. Provide complex crisis intervention, clinical assessment and case management services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint.
Coordinate family conferences and serve as liaison to family members.
Have working knowledge and experience in use 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.
Verify the Veteran's status, and eligibility for program participation as defined and directed by Congress.
Administrative:
Comply with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the HUD-VASH Case Manager.
Perform accountability functions: 1) document all contacts, interventions, and activities with patients/families in the electronic medical record; 2) complete statistical and other reports in accordance with VA Medical Center and respective professional discipline/Service level policies and procedures.
Actively participate in conference calls, staff meetings, and attend trainings and meetings/calls offered by the HUD-VASH National, VISN, and local programs.
Responsible for following local policy and procedures for the HUD-VASH Program.
Take responsibility for improving professional skills, participate in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attend seminars and institutes, and participate in training programs of other disciplines.
Working knowledge and skill in the use of word-processing, data management and other computer systems, especially those programs in use by VHA. Input relevant information into the HOMES database and the Veteran's electronic health record within the required timelines in order to document, evaluate, and enhance the quality of service provided to Veterans.
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
EDRP Authorized: Contact
[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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)
Telework: Available, Ad-Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
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. 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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED)
Licensure/Certification. 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/. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-11)
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.
Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
GS-9
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). 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.
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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED)
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, September 10, 2019
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: Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), pushing (6 hours), operation of a motor vehicle, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental factors include working outside and inside, working closely with others, and working alone.
Education
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). If selected for this position, you are encouraged to
apply for EDRP within four (4) months of appointment and must meet specific individual eligibility criteria in accordance with VHA Policy 1021. Final award amount and program start date is determined after review of a complete EDRP application, supporting documentation, and final approval by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact the EDRP Coordinators @
[email protected]
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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
US
- Name: Randi Tran
- Phone: 509-434-7000 X6680
- Email: [email protected]
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