Social Worker (Outreach/Prevention Case Manager & HCHV/HUD VASH)

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (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 appointment. Program 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.

Duties

• The Social Worker in this position functions in a dual role serving as the Outreach/Prevention Case Manager and HCHV/HUD VASH point of entry for Bath VAMC's Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program. The Social Worker is responsible for monitoring Veterans that are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the community, as well as initiating and coordinating services to ensure housing retention for those at-risk Veterans served in the HUD VASH program.The HCHV program works closely with community partners to ensure Veterans remain successfully housed. Numerous challenges may arise for this at-risk group and the Social Worker in this position must be able to multitask and efficiently navigate complex systems in a high paced environment. The Social Worker will conduct outreach to Veterans that are at-risk and vulnerable to homelessness as needed. Community meeting participation will be expected to ensure all at-risk Veterans in the community are being reached. Along with community outreach for referrals and education, public relationship and marketing of HCHV services, as needed.The Social Worker provides case manage for those enrolled in HCHV and HUD-VASH. HUD-VASH is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless Veterans, and their families, aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans while residing in stable housing through HUD's Section 8 voucher system. The Social Worker in this position functions as the Case Manager for VAMC's Housing and Urban Development /VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH). Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program funding will provide rental assistance under a supportive housing program for homeless Veterans authorized by section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19). Major duties and responsibilities of the position: The social worker serves as the point of contact for the HCHV Program, responsible for answering referrals/consults from VA facilities and community resources. The social worker is responsible for assessing all Veterans that enter into the HCHV program. This includes identifying all psychosocial needs of the Veteran and determining the appropriate services required. Along with completing treatment plans and clinical reminds/postings. The social worker verifies the Veteran's status and eligibility for VA and non-VA resources, along with eligibility criteria for VA and non-VA programs. The social worker must have knowledge of VA and non-VA resources and the ability to work within multiple systems to advocate appropriately for Veterans. The social worker is responsible for collecting and submitting HCHV Program participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures. The Social Worker is responsible for following and maintaining a process for referrals and admissions into any HCHV Program and ensures that Veterans in HCHV are considered primary participants for program acceptance. The social worker is responsible for collecting and submitting HOMES assessments as indicated. The social worker is responsible for working with the local Continuum of Care (COC), COC subcommittees and Homeless Housing Task Forces committees, along with ensuring VA is in compliance with COC. The social worker is responsible for reviewing agreements between Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. The social worker performs site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes. The social worker complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct so as to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the HUD-VASH Case Manager. The social worker actively participates in the HUD-VASH Program conference calls, attends training offered by the HUD-VASH, HCHV team meetings, and other VA medical center mandatory meetings/ trainings. The social worker is responsible for…

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). 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/. 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. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English 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). Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA pract…

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/.