Job opening: Senior Social Worker - Health Care for Homeless Veterans/Grant & Per Diem
Salary: $100 049 - 130 059 per year
Published at: Mar 13 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System consists of two inpatient campuses located at Little Rock and North Little Rock, AR. Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas, located in the central part of the state. Little Rock has earned a reputation among history buffs, foodies and art lovers as an exciting place to live. Residents can spend their weekend exploring the historic Arkansas State Capitol, wandering through the Arkansas Art Center or enjoying, the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
Duties
Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNED DUTIES. The primary duty assignment for this position is the HCHV program located within the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System's Comprehensive Home Center located off-campus in the Little Rock community. Senior social workers in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program are primarily responsible for orienting and providing guidance to social workers in the HCHV Program who are at the full performance level and for taking a leadership role with HCHV and Grant & Per Diem Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF's). While the HCHV program provides local contract based residential treatment, the GPD Program operates on a federal grant from VA Central Office. Both HCHV and GPD residential treatment components operate under the overall umbrella of the HCHV Program. Senior social workers in either position must have advanced knowledge of HCHV and GPD Program policies and procedures and have demonstrated clinical expertise in case management of Veterans without homes and expert knowledge in the field of mental health to ensure continuity of HCHV services. The senior social worker maintains a clinical case load of diverse clients with various mental health, medical and psychosocial issues that require special attention targeted to specific needs.
The senior social worker develops individualized service plans that are both innovative and holistic in nature and that address the needs of persons service using specialized skills for crisis intervention, ongoing intensive case management and post-discharge follow-up. In addition to having specialized skills in the clinical case management of Veterans, the senior social worker in the HCHV Program has administrative responsibilities that include monitoring daily documentation in the Clinical Patient Record System (CPRS) to ensure timeliness and compliance with CARF and with the Joint Commission (TJC). Higher level duties for the senior social worker also include assigning case managers for Veterans in community Residential Treatment Facilities (RTFs), ensuring equitable distribution of cases. The senior social worker maintains daily contact with staff for purpose of monitoring bed days of care for Veterans in RTFs and participates in street outreach activities. The senior social worker independently makes clinical decisions that affect Veterans at all levels of care within the HCHV Program and serves as an expert for colleagues. The incumbent also serves as a mentor to journey level social workers and social work students and for nursing and other professional students. The senior social worker facilities psycho-education groups and participates in daily staffing education meetings to ensure comprehensive attention to the needs of Veterans without homes.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm; One tour per week from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
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)
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: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 598-00572-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
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.
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.
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:
Senior Social Worker, GS-12
Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Examples of creditable experience include but not limited to independently assess psychosocial functioning, facilitate treatment plan with interdisciplinary team, provide case management and care coordination, links patient with services, resources, and opportunities, conducts assessment of at-risk patient to identify immediate needs, provides interventions independently for patient and families/care giver, provide range of interventions and treatment modalities, and provide consultation to staff about psychosocial needs of patients. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.
Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
(d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
(e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.
(KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level).
Preferred Experience:
Knowledge and skill in conflict management;
A pleasant and respectful disposition;
The ability to manage a diverse population of clients;
The ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing;
The ability to effectively perform clinical duties in professional specialty area;
Skill in coordination and collaboration between VA and community agencies;
Ability to relate in a positive manner to Veterans without homes and to staff;
Ability to interact in a non-judgmental manner with persons of varied ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and religious or sexual orientations;
Knowledge and skill in the use of various computer applications;
Skill in database creation and management;
The ability to drive a government vehicle; and
The ability and capacity to engage in multiple physical activities associated with employment in the Homeless Program including climbing stairs, extensive walking, climbing stairs and other duties that may be assigned.
References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
The position is above full performance level, GS-12.
Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, both hands required, walking and standing (up to 8 hours), hearing (aid permitted), independently operate a motor vehicle.
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 John L McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital
4300 West Seventh Street
Little Rock, AR 72205
US
- Name: Krista Smith
- Phone: 501-274-6635
- Email: [email protected]
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