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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Social Worker - Substance Use Disorder Case Manager Near Fargo, ND

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.
  • 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.
• 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-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 work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
(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 traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

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 at the independent practice level.
OR
Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
(c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
(d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
(e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

Preferred: Experience in working with adults with substance use disorders and difficulties. Experience with case management is ideal.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II, Appendix G39

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Responsibilities:

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

The incumbent provides clinical case management services to the Veteran population enrolled at the Fargo VA Medical Center. Services include provision of high quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers and agencies as needed by the client. Expectations in this area will include a significant focus of providing case management and care coordination in support of evidence-based treatment outside of specialty care including medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) and treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). This work typically requires extensive coordination of services with a wide range of Veterans and through the VA Health Care system and is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the outpatient mental health and substance use teams, or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate.

The clinical case manager takes a proactive and collaborative population health approach to longitudinal mental health care coordination focused on the treatment and management of acute or chronic mental health conditions, to include substance use disorders. Case management includes systems collaboration and the linking of Veterans, families and caregivers with needed services and resources, including wellness opportunities. Case management may include initiating, and providing oversight and management of, a comprehensive plan for Veterans with complex mental health care needs.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Identification - Veterans are identified for the potential need for case management through self-referral, referral from family/caregivers, referral through acting as BHIP Liaison or SA TP or community partners.
• Crisis Intervention - As needed, the Social Worker makes rapid assessments and develops crisis management plans to meet Veteran needs in the least restrictive setting; in the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, Social Worker will follow the protocol of the Medical Center.
• Screening- Social Worker will screen all referred Veterans for clinical eligibility for case management services using standardized level of care coordination tools in order to ensure consistency of screening and subsequent services.
• Comprehensive Assessment - The social worker will complete an assessment of the veteran's family, economic, community, and psychosocial support systems when clinically indicated; assessments must reflect a high level of skill in gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and documenting data that is pertinent and directly related to patient health care planning, treatment, education and case management; Veterans, family members, significant others and the interdisciplinary treatment team are involved in this process, whenever possible;
• Mental Health Diagnosing using DSM-5 and ICD-10 Codes- Social Worker demonstrates knowledge in DSM-5 diagnosing and documents diagnostic impressions in psychosocial assessments when appropriate; Social Worker may function independently or within a team to determine an appropriate diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan based on that diagnosis.
• Need Identification -Key concerns, needs and preferences of Veteran,
  family/caregiver is identified; Social Worker assigns initial level of care coordination, and further stratifies Veterans receiving complex care coordination into 'tiers' or 'levels' per the type of case management interventions and frequency of contacts.
• Problem Solving and Goal Identification -Social Worker initiates problem-solving strategies during which Veteran and family/caregivers desired or expected goal(s), and outcome(s) are recognized, organized and prioritized through a brokered process between the Veteran, family or caregiver and Social Worker.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telework: Available (Ad-hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Job Summary