Senior Social Worker

Summary

The Senior Social Worker located at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) independently provides clinical psychosocial and case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social and environmental needs. Their health care and psychosocial needs are complex and require a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties: - The Social Worker in the CBOC performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness. They are responsible for the overall function of program development, recruitment of veteran patients, case management, networking with community resources, and coordination of care with the psychiatrist and medical staff on site as well as various departments at the Martinsburg VAMC and community facilities in the primary service area. - Coordinates screening of and case management of veterans for specific programs such as PTSD, substance abuse, community nursing home, homemaker aide, and provides ongoing treatment and documentation per VA guidelines and facility policy. - Primary responsibility for providing education on advance health care planning, completion of advance directives, and facilitates psycho-educational and support groups on a variety of topics for veteran and their families. - Has the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective Social Work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced Social Workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for Social Work licensure or certification. Provides training to Social Work interns, residents and staff from other disciplines. Topics include the impact of psychosocial and psychiatric issues that may directly affect the care of veterans. - Has extensive knowledge of medical center policies and procedures, VHA and VBA regulations, as well as a knowledge base of community resources. - The CBOC Social Worker receives and completes consults from interdisciplinary teams and other Social Workers on complex, difficult cases using advance practice skills and expertise. Incumbent is able to provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with polytrauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, and other serious disorders. Incumbent also provides consultation to referral sources and is responsible for development and maintenance of professional standards of practice and educating others regarding same. - Interviews and conducts psychosocial assessments to establish veteran's treatment needs, presenting problems, and DSM diagnoses. The incumbent assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services. The CBOC Social Worker interprets and explains VA treatment and benefit programs. - Responsible to develop a timely treatment plan with the veteran based on this assessment and along with the veteran develop the treatment plan that includes measurable, time-limited treatment goals, using evidence-based therapy. The treatment plan will be reviewed during therapeutic sessions and reassessed as appropriate. - Treatment planning includes collaboration with interdisciplinary teams such as OIF/OEF case manager, Care in the Community, substance abuse staff, Psychiatry (inpatient/outpatient), Homeless Program, Physicians and Vet Centers. Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to the interdisciplinary team on course of treatment. These decisions are based on the CBOC Social Worker's advanced practice skills, professional judgment and expertise regarding the veteran's condition and treatment. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care p…

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. 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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two years of experience 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. Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumben…

Education

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. 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/.