Social Worker - Caregiver Support Program

Summary

The Caregiver Support Program Social Worker primary responsibilities are providing clinical services and interventions; program development; Caregiver, Veteran and staff education on Caregiver issues; community outreach; resource development; continuous quality improvement activities; and evaluation/consultation.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but are not limited to the following: Conducts all required in-home assessments related to wellness contacts and inclusive of initial and annual visits. Home Visits may also be required for follow-up to identified high risk situations. Conducts all required assessments with Veterans and caregivers on telephone and other forums which may include telehealth and VA Video Connect. Participates in direct Caregiver and Veteran contacts to identify and assess Caregiver stress burden and the development and application of clinical treatment interventions. Provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. Assists the Caregiver Support Coordinators with program assigned duties. Conducts Caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of Caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress and social needs as treatment issues. Develops and facilitates Caregiver support groups (face-to-face, telephone, or other virtual methods) and educational programs. Distributes educational materials provided by VA, local, state and national Caregiver organizations. Assists with coordination of events and programs for the annual National Family Caregiver Month activities each November. Inclusive of announcements, advertising of month long activities, and mobilization of participants, educational sessions, and Caregiver recognition events. Demonstrates knowledge of community resources for Veterans and Caregivers. The incumbent effectively communicates with and utilizes other disciplines (e.g., nursing, medicine) to facilitate treatment planning and implementation. Incumbent effectively communicates with and utilizes community agencies to facilitate treatment, discharge planning, and continuity of care. Incumbent gives evidence of having regular contact and interaction with a variety of community agencies and resources. Incumbent relationships with supervisors, co-workers, patients, visitors, and the public are consistently courteous and cooperative in nature and overall contributes to the effective operation of the implementation of Social Work services to the veteran population. Incumbent is responsible to operate a government-owned/leased vehicle to properly carry out assigned duties. Incumbents must possess [and maintain] a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that they are medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Social Worker/FS00000 Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred to 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. 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 Master 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/. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for people 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. (a) 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. (b) 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. Grandfathering Provision: 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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-9 (1) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs: Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. 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, copi…

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/.