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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Senior Social Worker - HUD/VASH Near Fresno, CA

Qualifications:

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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.
• 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:

GS-12 Senior Social Worker

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12.

Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary, but does involve driving in areas of catchment.

Responsibilities:

HUD-VASH is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless Veterans, aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans while residing in stable housing through HUD's Section 8 voucher system.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

Reviewing agreements between Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities, and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements.

Performs site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes.

Verifies the Veteran's status, eligibility for VA medical care, and eligibility of program participation.

Establishing a process for referrals and admissions to the HUD-VASH Program, ensuring that homeless Veterans are considered as primary participants for program acceptance.

Collecting and submitting HUD-VASH Program participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures.

Provide oversight of HUD-VASH case management. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain Veterans in HUD approved stable housing.

Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, linking, and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies.

Developing and administering local policy and SOP for the HUDVASH - Program. This includes maintaining policies and documentation as required for CARF and JCAHO accreditation.

Participates in the orientation/teaching of graduate social work/nursing students, students of other disciplines, and Medical Center personnel on the biopsychosocial aspects of homelessness.

Provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practice which includes case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:570-2370
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified applicant.
EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Job Summary