Senior Social Worker

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

• 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 Clinical: Conducts comprehensive Social Work assessments and identifies individualized treatment goals. Assesses functional level of patients and identifies "at risk" patients. Acts as a consultant for the Mental Health Service Line. You will develop, initiate, implement, and review psychosocial treatment plans. You will make psychosocial diagnoses and appropriate evidence-based interventions with measurable outcomes. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides consultation to professional staff within VAMC and to community providers. Functions independently, with full clinical privileges. Complies with national and local performance measures. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Line Director ( or designee) and facility Director. Clinical Chair, Disruptive Behavior Committee: (DBC): Appointed by Chief of Staff (COS) to lead a Team of Administrative and Clinical Executives to assess, triage and manage patient-generated disruptive behavior. Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business of the Disruptive Behavior Committee. Knowledgeable and experienced in forensic assessment and assessment and management of violence risk. Independently conducts violence risk assessments, and provides guidance to Committee members in evaluating and managing violence risk. Completes necessary documentation of Committee activities, and follow-up on all Committee recommended actions/interventions. Serves as consultant to facility staff in the evaluation of violence risk and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Coordinates quality improvement projects around patient behavior. Responsible for the management of computer-based flagging systems. In collaboration with the WVPP Program Manager and Mental Health Service, responds to all VISN and Central Office requests for information about DBC operations or disruptive behavior incidents, including preparing, reviewing, and submitting WVPP office (national), VISN, and facility (local) reports regarding the annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment. Attend and participates in DBC conferences and conference calls. In conjunction with the Workplace Violence Prevention Program Manager and Chief of Staff, is responsible for the implementation, education, training and updates for local Disruptive Behavior Committee policies and procedures. Coordinate and collaborate effectively with legal representatives, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, court officials including the Assistant U.S. Attorney, police (VA and community), and community providers. Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB): Obtains and maintains PMDB Certified Trainer status, trained in Verbal Interventions, Personal Safety Skills and Therapeutic Containment. Collaborates with the PMDB Coordinator to provide PMDB training. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick l…

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 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/. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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. 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: 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 t…

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/.