The incumbent Senior Social Worker independently functions within the VA Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System (VA CWM) HUD/VASH Program located in our Worcester Outpatient Clinic.

Duties

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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. Contact VISN1 EDRP Support [email protected] for questions/assistance. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Duties include but are not limited to: Screening and Assessment - The Social Worker may be required to assess and screen Veterans in the HUD/VASH program. The assessment is made by meeting with the Veteran, reviewing appropriate VA records, contacting appropriate VA and community providers, and collaborating with family members and supports as necessary. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Social Worker develops psychosocial treatment plans, actively involving the Veteran, family members, and/or significant others. This plan is developed in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, based on the psychosocial assessments, which include goals for clinical treatment. Referrals to Service Providers - Throughout the course of the Veteran's participation in the HUD/VASH program, the Social Worker will provide appropriate information and referrals to VA and community resources for the Veteran and his/her family. Resource Development - The Social Worker is responsible for developing and maintaining a catalog of VA and community resources. The worker will meet with individual agencies to introduce the HUD/VASH program, and to develop positive working relationships to facilitate the referral process. Outreach - The Social Worker performs regular outreach activities to area shelters and other community agencies serving homeless Veterans. The Social Worker conducts field interviews, assessments and makes referrals for appropriate services and care. Advocacy - Each homeless Veteran has a number of obstacles that get in the way of maintaining permanent housing. The Social Worker's role is to advocate on behalf of the Veteran and work to break existing barriers to treatment. Crisis Intervention - The incumbent is well skilled in providing crisis intervention. This includes crisis related to substance abuse, behavioral issues, loss of housing, and any other crisis situation. Education/Health Promotion and Prevention - The Social Worker provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, and Advance Directives/Living Wills. The Social Worker will also provide education to the Veteran's family and children. Coordination of Non-Institutional and Institutional Services -The Social Worker is responsible for the coordination of VA and non-VA services and programs, including inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment, mental health, medical services, and in-home services. Supportive Counseling- As part of the HUD/VASH program, each Veteran will receive supported counseling on an individual and group basis. Administrative Responsibilities- The Social Worker is responsible for record keeping, data collection, monitoring of patient and program indicators, performance measurements and organization of program procedures. Evaluation, Education, Supervision, Coaching and Mentoring- The Social Worker will continually monitor and assess the program for best practices and maximum efficiency. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected] for questions/assistance. Learn more 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 #: F04830

Requirements

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. 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience 8 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. 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. 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). Preferred Experience: HUD-VASH, other direct service with homeless veterans and/or non-veterans. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 Northampton VA Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, MA 01053 US
• Name: Joyce Jarrett
• Phone: 413-584-4040 X6703
• Email: [email protected]