Summary

The Senior Social Worker (GS 12) is assigned to the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program and serves as an advanced practice clinician responsible for delivering comprehensive social work services to adult and geriatric Veterans with complex medical - psychosocial - and functional needs. This position requires independent clinical licensure and advanced skills in assessment - intervention - and program coordination.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 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 4 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)
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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
• (4) Assignments
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) - and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level
• Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site
• a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center - or a national VHA referral center - such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center - or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity
• The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns
• Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics
• The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans - ensures equity of access - service - and benefits to this population - ensures the care provided is of the highest quality
• The senior social worker provides leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff
• They serve on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - VISN and national level - or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor - Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services
• This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management
• This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation
• Preferred Experience: Background in Geriatric settings and working with elderly patients
• Collaboration with internal and external partners - such as interdisciplinary healthcare teams and community agencies
• Proficiency in medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and integrated treatment planning
• Field based work experience - typical of HBPC roles involving home visits
• Expertise in diverse interventions - including individual - group - and family counseling
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement outcome measures - contributing to program improvement
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices - training rooms - and libraries
• The work area is adequately lit - heated - and ventilated
• The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather
• There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites
• The work is primarily sedentary - although some physical effort may be required - e.g. - walking - standing - climbing ladders - stooping - kneeling - and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases or driving or traveling by motor vehicle
• Travel will be for a variety of reasons - including but not limited to: national and regional conferences - site visits to other facilities in the VISN or the VISN offices - face-to-face meetings regarding national and regional projects/assignments.

Duties

• VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent provides expert-level psychosocial assessment - treatment planning - and case management - and demonstrates leadership in program evaluation - quality improvement - and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Demonstrates advanced clinical skills in providing psychosocial treatment to highly complex cases across diverse socioeconomic - cultural - and educational backgrounds
• Applies specialized knowledge of human development - behavioral health - and environmental influences to formulate differential diagnoses and treatment strategies independently
• Works with patients and families experiencing multifaceted psychiatric - medical - and social problems - utilizing advanced individual - group - and family counseling techniques
• Independently assesses psychosocial functioning and needs - formulates comprehensive treatment plans - and implements interventions without supervisory guidance.
• Independently selects and applies evidence-based psychosocial treatment modalities (e.g. - CBT - motivational interviewing - grief counseling) for individuals - families - and groups
• Exercises advanced judgment in crisis intervention and complex problem-solving
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships at an advanced level - serving as a consultant to interdisciplinary team members and external agencies
• Possesses expert-level knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures - including acute - chronic - and traumatic conditions - pharmacology - and medical terminology
• Demonstrates proficiency in VHA software systems for documentation - data analysis - and program evaluation
• Utilizes data to inform quality improvement and evidence-based practice
• Serves as a subject matter expert on community resources and VA programs
• Independently coordinates complex service arrangements - including high-risk transitions of care - and advocates for Veterans in navigating systemic barriers
• Leads initiatives for program planning - evaluation - and modification within HBPC
• Analyzes clinical indicators and outcome data to improve service delivery and Veteran satisfaction
• Independently conducts comprehensive psychosocial assessments for Veterans with highly complex medical and psychosocial needs
• Develops and implements treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran - family - and interdisciplinary team
• Provides expert consultation to staff regarding psychosocial factors affecting health care compliance
• Develops and delivers training for medical residents - social work students - and community partners
• Serves as a field instructor and clinical supervisor for graduate-level social work trainees
• Independently evaluates practice through peer review - case conferences - and participation in research or quality improvement projects
• Incorporates evidence-based findings into clinical practice
• Provides formal clinical supervision to social work students and less experienced staff - ensuring adherence to professional standards and licensure requirements
• Actively participates in or leads committees - workgroups - and performance improvement projects at the program or facility level
• Provides expert guidance on advance care planning - organ donation - and ethical decision-making
• Facilitates complex family meetings and supports Veterans and caregivers through grief and loss
• Serves as a resource for other Social Work Service areas - providing cross-coverage and consultation to ensure continuity of care across the continuum
• Maintains unrestricted independent clinical licensure and demonstrates adherence to VA - state - and national social work standards
• Performs additional advanced-level duties consistent with program needs and professional scope as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday- Friday - 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized for highly qualified candidates Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) 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
• 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: May be available for highly qualified candidates Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized