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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Senior Social Worker (Addiction Recovery Treatment Services) Near Martinez, 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:

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.

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 G-39, Social Work Qualification Standards, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019.

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

Physical Requirements: Hearing (aids permitted) required.

Responsibilities:

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency.
Telework: Telework if approved would be on a regularly scheduled basis, but this is not a remote or virtual position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:01785F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

The Senior Social Worker, GS-0185-12, is the substance use disorder (SUD) Specialist for Supported Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the Health Care for Homeless Programs. The purpose of this position is to provide case management and early intervention services for Veterans with substance use disorders who are receiving services from SSVF and Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Programs, and more broadly, to support SSVF Programs with behavioral health expertise. Employing a high level of skill, incumbent practices within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice and will employ a full range of treatment modalities with individuals, couples, families, and groups who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, behavioral and psychosocial problems.

Duties for the position may include but are not limited to:

• With a focus on Veterans in SSVF programs, independently conducts intake or comprehensive evaluations and diagnostic assessments. Provides psychoeducation and brief evidenced based psychotherapy.
• Facilitates recovery oriented treatment coordination and culturally sensitive treatment planning for Veterans enrolled in SSVF programs, with particular attention to addressing factors that have contributed to homelessness.
• Provides training to other members of the SSVF multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, anger management, and life skills and co-occurring disorders.
• Works with the Veteran to maintains a focus on achieving treatment goals, reassessing and revising goals as needed.
• In conjunction with the team, provides case management and early intervention services to include supportive follow up to assist with stability in home visits and at scheduled appointments. Staying current with SUD best practices, provides consultation to NCHCS team members
• Serves as a member of a multidisciplinary homeless program treatment team for Veterans diagnosed with SUD.
• Develops and fosters partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and Veterans diagnosed with SUD
• Provides liaison services to other programs which refer homeless Veterans to SSVF to ensure continuity of care and promote successful transition of Veterans from one program to another.
• Participates in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with SSVF Grantees, ARTS and Homeless Programs.
• Responsible for the collection of statistical data and for reviewing data to improve performance and delivery of services to homeless Veterans.
• May be assigned to conduct and participate in outreach activities including field interviews, assessments and referrals for homeless Veterans.
• Other duties as assigned.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and may be posted up to September 30, 2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be January 4, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st and 15^th of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Job Summary