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 will vary based on grade. At the GS-11 full performance level of this assignment, the incumbent independently provides clinical psychosocial and case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. Duties will include: Develops an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others. Coordinates programs with emphasis on case management. Assists Veterans to develop coping skills for multiple complex psychosocial issues which impact functioning through group classes on family life skills. Identifies resources to meet the needs of Veterans Delivers psychosocial services via individual, couple, family, and group counseling utilizing face-to-face, telephone, or tele-mental health video conferencing. Provides the following integrated mental health service delivery in a Primary Care setting: Collaboration with PCP/Team, making "warm hand-off" a priority. Open Access format in place to address same day clinical issues, "Trouble shooting". Rapid evaluation and stabilization, consultation. Once stable, will work in collaboration with Primary Care Provider (PCP) and return patient to PCP for routine care. Refer and help facilitate transfer (Referral Management) to specialty mental health care when indicated. Develops the treatment plan in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, and significant others, setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family and treatment team. Collaborates with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs. Educates the Veteran and/or caregiver 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. Uses the social work resource file of VA and community social service programs to refer Veterans. Acts as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family. Educates and encourages the Veteran/family to advocate on their own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment Makes rapid assessments and develops crisis management plans for transfer to a safe and supportive environment. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, Senior Social Worker and other trained staff will follow the Mental Health Crisis protocol of the WWVA Medical Center. Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Reviews the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each Veteran being referred for mental health services. Educates the Veteran, their families and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the Veteran and family on the preferred option. Provides Veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling and evidence-based therapies as appropriate. Counseling. support will be provided as individual, group, couple, and/or family based on the clinical treatment needs of the Veteran and their family Enters Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Ensures that communication is compliant with ROI and HIPPA regulations. Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies. Attends staff meetings. Participates in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed. Participates in providing Tele-Mental Health Services to Veterans in rural remote areas as appropriate to address their specific psycho-social care needs. Performs other related duties as assigned that may include program coordination. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed Tour: Available, at supervisor discretion Telework: Available, at discretion of supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Please contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinator @ [email protected] Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: 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. TRANSCRIPTS WITH CONFER DATE 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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. 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 as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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. 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: GS-9: 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: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. 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. 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. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. 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, (VA or non-VA experience) 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. TRANSCRIPS WITH CONFER DATE REQUIRED Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 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. 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. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience in conducting assessment of patients' needs in a healthcare setting, experience working with a multidisciplinary treatment team, experience with electronic medical record documentation of health and behavioral issues. References: VHA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 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: use of fingers, both hands required, ability to see computer screen, hearing (aid may be permitted), working closely with others, working alone.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript with confer date 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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Michelle Yahne
• Phone: 503-220-8262 X53055
• Email: [email protected]