Social Worker- Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Recovery Center

Summary

Position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

• The incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) within Social Work Service. The PRRC social worker provides recovery-oriented psychosocial rehabilitation services to Veterans with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) who have a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score at or below 50. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides a wide range of psychosocial services to Veterans and their families and is an active participant in the diagnostic, evaluative, and dispositional review of Veterans. Actively participates in regular PRRC recovery team meetings/huddles, sharing observations and information aimed at enhancing the Veteran's treatment. Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families and independently works with patients and families experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems using individual, group, and family recovery-based skills. Collaborates with the Veteran in developing a Recovery Plan and works in collaboration with the Recovery Team to develop and implement recovery-oriented programming for Veteran care and treatment. Independently conducts PRRC Initial Assessments and develops recovery plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and the recovery team. Possesses the skills to offer recovery-based interventions and measure outcomes of those interventions. Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. Documents social work interventions and activities in the patient's clinical record utilizing the Federal Electronic Healthcare Record (FEHR) and ensures appropriate hand-off when transferring patient care. Will attend all appropriate staff meetings, including PRRC recovery team meetings/huddles, Social Work team meetings, Social Work supervision meetings, and other committees and workgroups, as appropriate. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630; the nature of the role may require being available for emergent situations on evenings and weekends. Telework: Ad-hoc may be available at supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 94216-0, 94217-0 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Margaret.Border@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Qualifications

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. 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 tohttp://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 tohttp://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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and writtenEnglish to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, 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: (a)Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. (b)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. (c)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. (d)Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e)Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumaticillnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Social Worker, 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…

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/.