The Social Work Associate (SWA) assigned to (VCTS) Program functions under the auspices of the Social Work Service Line. The SWA assists in the administrative and clinical operation of the VCTS Program. The SWA is also assigned often is the initial contact for the VCTS Program by recently discharged combat veterans. In that capacity, the SWA exercises optimal customer services by thanking the veteran for his or her service and determines their particular initial needs for VA services.

Duties

Duties Include: Maintains a community focus, requiring close alliance with all community agencies and resources related to the veteran population served. Completes an initial assessment to determine the veteran's immediate and long-term needs. Works with the veteran and the program staff on planning to assist the veteran with meeting his/her identified needs. Educating the veteran on the health services that are available within the health care system with an emphasis on referral to Primary Care or other vesting clinics. Serves as the primary staff person in the program's case management consult process. Participates in the program's process improvement initiatives. This includes presenting proposals, refining processes and engaging in implementation of process improvement initiatives. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the Agency) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Worker Associate/PD04029A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorize Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/09/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. GS-08 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: providing services to persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that can include any of the following: completing needs assessments, completing comprehensive service plans, or providing links to community service agencies; maintaining accurate case management records; submitting administrative and statistical reports, and completing documentation required by regulatory agencies; experience working in multidisciplinary clinic setting. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. AND Education: Applicants must have completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study such as social welfare, sociology, psychology, public administration, philosophy, education, anthropology, history, economics and/or English. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Organizational AwarenessOrganizational StewardshipPlanning and Evaluating Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Physical demands include long periods of sitting, standing and bending, as well as carrying medical records and files. DHCP, CPRS and Share Point systems involved in 60% of the position's daily routine. The work will require travel to VCTS Program outreach sites. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston, TX 77030 US
• Name: Johnette Weber-Sadofsky
• Phone: 319-509-7198
• Email: [email protected]