What are the responsibilities and job description for the Social Worker position at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs?
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.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
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.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
- The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C.
- 7402(b)(9) - as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 - enacted November 1 - 2000
- To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA - all applicants must meet the following: a
- Citizenship
- Be a citizen of the United States
- (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g this part)
- 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/
- English Language Proficiency
- Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.
- 7403(f) 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
- Grandfathering Provision
- The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards
- Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation
- (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
- (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation - who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
- (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C.
- 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
- NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series - they lose the grandfathering protection
- If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series - they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker
- Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
- Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education
- The candidate must have at least two years of experience 9 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
- Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
- The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
- Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services
- Preferred Experience: Providing support to assist with legal services
- Valid drivers licenses required.
- Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Justice Outreach Coordinator develops and implements information systems to track services including visits - referrals - patient demographics - and patient satisfaction
- The Justice Outreach Coordinator functions as case manager for Veterans who are incarcerated performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care
- The incumbent participates in development of a treatment plan for each Veteran contacted through outreach
- The treatment plan includes measurable goals based on relevant psychological - medical - and psychiatric information
- The incumbent is responsible for the assessment identification - facilitation - and referral to appropriate medical and psychiatric services for Veterans identified as eligible for services
- The incumbent serves as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes Veteran's encounter when interacting with government and community agencies
- The incumbent provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits - as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs
- Provides referrals or consults - or in some cases direct admission of the Veteran to other VA programs including community-based residential treatment such as Grand and Per Diem programs - Health Care for Homeless Veterans contract residential treatment - other non-VA entitlement programs
- Conducts individual and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of substance abuse - psychiatric illness - and social needs as treatment issues
- Professional judgment - including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior - is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with Veterans
- Information is to be entered into the CPRS system
- Advanced clinical training - insight and experience is utilized to interpret data and identify viable treatment options
- The incumbent assesses high risk factors - acuity - and the need for services
- This social worker can serve Veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises - lack family or an adequate community support network - be poor at self-monitoring - those that frequently fail to comply with instruction and treatment - or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support
- Senior Social Worker - stays abreast of current theory and treatment modalities by reading professional journals - attending conferences - clinic seminars and teleconferences - and materials given out by facility staff
- The Justice Outreach Coordinator collaborates with county probation officers - state attorney's offices - public defenders and hired attorneys to develop a post-release plan and/or community-based alternatives to incarceration
- The incumbent meets with county jail administrators and staff on a regular basis to maintain appropriate policies and procedures required at each institution
- Attends correctional institution staff trainings relevant to working with offenders
- Collaborates with Healthcare for Reentry Veterans Specialists in supporting engagement in care for eligible Veterans recently discharged from State and Federal prisons etc
- Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
- Contact -vhaedrpprogramsupport@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 leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
- Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
- Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
- Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
- Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: AD-HOC
- Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #: 534-59088F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Salary : $97,108 - $126,243